How AI Can Transform Education: Enhancing Learning with AI

The AI revolution is here. While its impact is already undeniable, the true scope of its influence remains to be seen — especially as adoption skyrockets. Gartner predicts a dramatic increase in enterprise AI use, with 80% harnessing GenAI by 2026 (up from less than 5% in 2023!).

For organizations looking to deploy Artificial Intelligence solutions effectively, key considerations are emerging: How do you choose the right LLMs? Ensure data security? Measure success? Forward-thinking leaders are creating comprehensive AI strategies that address both the present and the future potential of this transformative technology.

“AI is the new electricity.”

— Andrew Ng, Founder and CEO of Landing AI, Co-founder of Coursera

AI blueprint

A crucial part of this journey is understanding the unique benefits that AI brings to your specific industry and how it integrates with your business's core value chain. In this environment, Lakefield College School stands a part as a trailblazer. They've not just adopted AI, but have developed a well-structured blueprint for its integration. Joe McRae, Teacher and Director of Academic Operations at Lakefield College School, perceives our current era as a defining juncture in the convergence of AI and education.

He acknowledges the varied responses to the technology—while some institutions hesitate, others embrace it wholeheartedly. But striking the right balance, in his eyes, can turn AI into a potent learning aid, not just a replacement.

This blog dives into how Lakefield College School has built a framework to use AI effectively, empowering students, and faculty alike.

“AI is a technology that we're not choosing to bring into the school, but it's arriving sort of like social media; it's going to change the way education happens whether we like it or not.”

—Joe McRae, Teacher, Director of Academic Operations, Lakefield College School

Key challenges:

Lakefield College School faced multiple challenges common to almost any organization looking to adopt AI effectively: 

• Ensuring the secure use of AI applications while providing adequate oversight

• Limited proficiency among stakeholders, including faculty and students 

• Concerns regarding data privacy and the reliability of consumer-grade AI tools

Devs.ai: An AI solution for all

To address these challenges, Lakefield College School adopted Devs.ai. Devs.ai is an  AppDirect company; the AI platfrom empowers businesses to build and manage custom AI agents trained on their own data—all with enterprise-grade security.

Devs.ai removes AI complexity by providing an all-in-one, agentic AI development, and management platform. Devs.ai enables organizations to access all the top LLMs like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini from a single platform.

Agentic AI top benefits 

But, what is agentic AI? Agentic AI refers to systems designed to perform tasks autonomously, taking actions typically associated with human agents or specialists. Read more in the Devs.ai blog, Dismantling AI’s complexity. 

What Devs.ai includes

1. 20+ LLMs, one platform: Streamlined access to leading LLMs from one single platform

2. Ability to create unlimited AI agents: Easily create, deploy, and manage sophisticated AI agents using intuitive, no-code agentic AI tools

3. Optimized AI management: With Devs.ai, users can easily swap the LLMs their agents are trained on and automate data updates, all without integration challenges, ensuring agents are always trained on the right models with the latest knowledge

4. Enterprise-grade security: With Devs.ai users own their data. LLMs cannot train off the data inputted and top models run on private Azure instances for enhanced security

5. Effective governance controls:Devs.ai users have thorough control over AI usage within the organization, ensuring adherence to data governance norms and maintaining a secure AI environment

Integrating AI in assessments

Lakefield College pioneered a dual framework for assessments inspired by the University of Sydney, distinguishing between traditional and AI-enhanced tasks:

- Lane 1 Assessments: Focused on traditional tasks like in-class essays and tests to develop critical thinking and writing skills.

- Lane 2 Assessments: Encouraged the use of AI to enhance creativity, productivity, and innovative problem-solving.

How to use AI to enhance learning in creative writing and math

• Creative writing: Students at Lakefield College collaborated with their AI applications to enhance their creative writing skills. AI tools assisted in brainstorming plotlines, developing characters, and refining chapters, allowing students to push their creative boundaries.

• Math class innovation: AI was utilized to design whiteboard activities and explore three-dimensional concepts, transforming traditional math instruction into visually engaging experiences.

Empowering faculty and staff

The faculty and staff at Lakefield College embraced AI as a versatile tool for various tasks:

• Enhancing productivity: AI became a go-to resource for tasks involving spreadsheets, formula creation, and calculations.

• Streamlining communication: AI tools supported tasks ranging from newsletters to lesson planning, enhancing overall productivity.

The Impact: Amplifying confidence and productivity

Since adopting Devs.ai, Lakefield College School observed a significant increase in AI proficiency and productivity among staff:

AI Proficiency: Increased from 21% to 43% within 10 months. And, 70% of staff reported increased productivity due to AI integration, up from 46% before the implementation.

5 strategies to use AI effectively

Looking ahead, Lakefield College aims to share its successful AI experiences to help others. Key strategies for schools starting their AI journey include:

1. Develop a vision: Define how AI aligns with your specific educational goals and values. Is the goal to personalize learning, support teachers with administrative tasks, or foster student creativity? A clear vision will guide your AI initiatives toward meaningful outcomes.
2. Study AI usage across audiences: Understand how students, faculty, and staff can benefit from AI tools within their roles. Conduct surveys, focus groups, and pilot programs to gather feedback and refine your approach.
3. Test and refine implementation plans: Don’t jump into large-scale rollouts without careful planning and testing. Start with pilot programs in specific areas and gather data on effectiveness and user experience. Adjust your approach based on real-world feedback.
4. Continuously iterate for responsible AI: AI is constantly evolving. Establish a culture of ongoing learning and improvement. Stay updated on best practices, ethical considerations, and new AI developments to maximize the positive impact of your initiatives.
5. Choose the Right LLM: If you’re building your own AI tools, selecting the right large language model LLM is critical. Consider the LLM’s size, capabilities (e.g., text generation, data analysis), efficiency, data security protocols, and its alignment with your budget and ethical standards.

Dive into our in-depth blog post, A Framework for Choosing the Right LLM, for more expert insights and practical tips.

Next steps

The Lakefield College case study showcases the transformative power of integrating AI into educational environments. With Devs.ai, Lakefield College isn't just enhancing education today—it's empowering students to thrive in a future driven by technology and innovation. Read the full Lakefield College School case study for more. 

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