Neil Selwyn - Should Robots Replace Teachers?

1 Cover

2 Front Matter Should Robots Replace Teachers? AI and the Future of Education NEIL SELWYN polity

3 Preface Notes

4 1 AI, Robotics and the Automation of Teaching Robots and artificial intelligence Teachers and teaching AI and teaching – big hopes and complex issues AI and education – seeing the bigger picture The need to be critical Conclusions Notes

5 2 Physical Robots in the Classroom Robots in the classroom The potential and practicalities of classroom robots How it ‘feels’ to be taught by a non-human The ethics of robot teachers The politics of robot teachers Conclusions Notes

6 3 Intelligent Tutoring and Pedagogical Assistants The rise of the ‘intelligent tutor’ The first wave of pedagogical agents Current trends in pedagogical agents The potential and practicalities of pedagogical agents A reduced synthetic experience? Manipulating individual action The ethical dilemma of the robot teacher Conclusions Notes

7 4 ‘Behind-the-Scenes’ Technologies Digital automations of contemporary teaching The potential and practicalities of automated educational software Holding data to account The inequalities of individualization The labour politics of automated teaching Conclusions Notes

8 5 Revitalizing Teaching for the AI Age What computers can (and can’t) do in education Restating the case for human teachers Recognizing AI as a double-edged sword What next? AI as a chance to renegotiate education Conclusions Notes

9 Index

10 End User License Agreement

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Milton Mueller, Will the Internet Fragment?

Neil Selwyn, Is Technology Good for Education?

Neil Selwyn, Should Robots Replace Teachers?

Axel Bruns, Are Filter Bubbles Real?

NEIL SELWYN

polity

Copyright © Neil Selwyn 2019

The right of Neil Selwyn to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2019 by Polity Press

Polity Press

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All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-2898-1

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Selwyn, Neil, author.

Title: Should robots replace teachers? : AI and the future of education / Neil Selwyn.

Description: Cambridge, UK : Medford, MA, USA : Polity Press, [2019] | Series: Digital futures | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019001774 (print) | LCCN 2019011944 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509528981 (Epub) | ISBN 9781509528950 | ISBN 9781509528967 (pb)

Subjects: LCSH: Artificial intelligence--Educational applications. | Intelligent tutoring systems.

Classification: LCC LB1028.43 (ebook) | LCC LB1028.43 .S45 2019 (print) | DDC 371.33--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019001774

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The digital automation of teaching is set to be one of the defining educational challenges of the next twenty years. While the deployment of human-looking robots in classrooms remains more of a publicity stunt than a serious educational trend, many other forms of digital automation are being implemented across schools and universities around the world. Teachers are not being replaced by physical robots per se , but are increasingly surrounded by software, apps, platforms and other forms of artificial intelligence designed to carry out pedagogical tasks.

Most teachers remain confident that they are unlikely to be pushed aside by ‘intelligent systems’ any time soon. Nevertheless, teachers at all levels of education already face the prospect of working alongside these technologies. Thus, it is certainly worth exploring the extent to which human teachers might be displaced by machines in the near future. What aspects of teaching might it soon no longer make sense for humans to perform? Can automated systems free teachers up to work in different and more rewarding ways? Alternatively, will the humans who remain employed in education settings be compelled to work in an increasingly machine-like manner?

These are no longer frivolous or far-fetched questions. Powerful technologies are now being designed to autonomously support various types of learning – from infants picking up their first words through to physicians honing their surgical skills. A billion-dollar ‘EdTech’ market continues to grow as investors, developers and self-styled ‘edu-preneurs’ strive to overturn traditional modes of education, while also making tidy profits. The matter of how people learn (and, it follows, how people are supported in their learning) continues to be an area that is widely considered ready for innovation, reform and ‘disruption’. The long-held professional status of school teachers and university lecturers is definitely under threat.