As my instructors tell me, it’s never too early to start thinking about your dissertation. At this point in my doctoral journey, I don’t know what the topic of my dissertation will be, but I am starting to kick around some ideas.
My initial thought was to make my dissertation topic something along the line of the use of augmented reality in higher education coursework. I mentioned this topic in my interview with Dr. Statti when I applied to the doctoral program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. However, I am leaning toward using artificial intelligence (AI) In online education as my dissertation topic.
What brought this topic to my attention was a journal article by Seo et al. (2021) exploring the impact of AI systems on learner–instructor interaction in online learning. It hadn’t occurred to me that AI had come so far in terms of application in education. For example, an AI teaching assistant named Jill Watson augments instructor communications with students by responding to student introductions, posting weekly announcements, and answering routine, frequently asked questions (Goel and Polepeddi, 2016). There is an AI scoring system that speeds up the communication of grades between an instructor and their students (Perin and Lauterbach, 2018). AI systems support students and instructors and provide continuous feedback on how students learn and their progress toward learning goals (Luckin, 2017). Even online quizzes provide learning content tailored to student’s individual learning needs (Ross et al., 2018).
One of the hot-button issues that developed during the Covid-19 pandemic is the use of online test-proctoring systems. The conclusion of a study by Alessio et al. (2017, p. 13) is “The effect of proctoring with video is large enough to suggest that an impact on test scores exists, with the likelihood that when unproctored, students may resort to academic dishonesty by using resources that were explicitly forbidden during the test.” Conversely, the conclusion of another study by Bergmans et al. (2021) found that using online proctoring is best compared to taking a placebo, having some positive influence not because it works but because people believe that it works or that it might work.
The study by Seo et al. (2021) focused on the perception of instructors and students on using AI systems in online education and found that they perceive such systems as double-edged swords. On the one hand, AI systems were positively recognized for improving the quantity and quality of communication, providing just-in-time, personalized support for large-scale students, and improving the feeling of connection. However, on the other hand, students and teachers expressed concerns about responsibility, agency, and surveillance issues.
It might be interesting to conduct a qualitative study on how students perceive online proctoring systems and how perceived problems are being addressed in colleges and universities. For example, I could focus on the racial bias of such techniques that have been reported in magazines such as The New Yorker (2021). It’s a thought. We’ll see where it goes.
References
Alessio, H. M., Malay, N. J., Maurer, K., Bailer, A. J., & Rubin, B. (2017). Examining the effect of proctoring on online test scores. Online Learning, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v21i1.885
Bergmans, L., Bouali, N., Luttikhuis, M., & Rensink, A. (2021). On the efficacy of online proctoring using Proctorio. Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Computer Supported Education. https://doi.org/10.5220/0010399602790290
Caplan-Bricker, N. (2021). Is Online Test-Monitoring Here to Stay? The New Yorker. Retrieved January 21, 2023, from https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/is-online-test-monitoring-here-to-stay.
Goel, A. K., & Polepeddi, L. (2016). Jill Watson: A virtual teaching assistant for online education. Georgia Institute of Technology.
Luckin, R. (2017). Towards artificial intelligence-based assessment systems. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-016-0028
Perin, D., & Lauterbach, M. (2016). Assessing text-based writing of low-skilled college students. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 28(1), 56–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-016-0122-z
Ross, B., Chase, A.-M., Robbie, D., Oates, G., & Absalom, Y. (2018). Adaptive quizzes to increase motivation, engagement and Learning Outcomes in a first year accounting unit. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-018-0113-2
Seo, K., Tang, J., Roll, I., Fels, S., & Yoon, D. (2021). The impact of artificial intelligence on learner–instructor interaction in online learning. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00292-9
