What AI might do — and what it will do — in the classroom

When most Northwestern alumni think back to their best university memories, it’s not studying alone in a library carrel. It’s something they did together — watching a football game, being mentored by a favorite teacher, volunteering as part of a club or a late-night study session with friends.

New waves of technology, like artificial intelligence, are continually revolutionizing learning and access to information. At Northwestern, we see AI not as a replacement for education, but as an opportunity to make education more personal.

AI might actually force togetherness in our classrooms. AI might help faculty personalize lessons based on what each student comes to the course already knowing. It might help with more effective assessment, gauging the effort students put into work. It might help novice students write software or creatively express themselves in new ways. It might offer late-night advice long after faculty have turned in for the night.

But the thing AI almost certainly will do is remind faculty and students of the importance of learning together.

When information and answers are available instantly, the classroom becomes an even more important place, encouraging faculty to invert their courses and oversee richer discussions, in-class group work and oral examinations.