Dr. Al Karam, director-general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), has a very specific future of learning in mind for Dubai. He shared his vision during a session at Gitex Technology Week that took place on October 9. As per Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, the classrooms of the future will have no exams.
He explained that the students wouldn’t have to sit down for exams anymore; instead, they will find themselves focused on working in collaboration to solve the problems of the world. Dr. Al Karam said, ‘In the future, classrooms will be replaced by open, collaborative spaces that bring students of different ages and abilities together. This will encourage students to work together on solving real-world problems from a very young age, allowing schools to move away from tests and exams completely.’
He further explained that there would be an increase in the number of teachers, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). He said, ‘Automation and artificial intelligence are changing every aspect of our life and, over the coming years, AI teachers will transform the classrooms that we see today.’ He further added that AI teachers would be available 24 hours a day throughout the year and will challenge the conventional structure of education.
He was also quick to point out that teachers should not worry about the role of AI in education ‘because a machine will never replace the heart of a teacher.’ Instead, the AI teachers will help bring in a ‘renaissance in education and teaching methods.’ Dr. Al Karam explained, ‘AI will do all the administrative work that teachers have to do today. AI will work 24/7 and set lessons for students according to their pace and ability. It will have a human interface and read students’ expressions to see whether they have understood a concept.’
He said that AI is not capable of making connections to the way teachers make them. He said, ‘Technology may undergo a revolution, but teaching will have a renaissance. It will bring teaching back to what it used to be about – making connections heart-first.’ The future classrooms will be open and collaborative spaces. Students of different ages will collaborate with one another while they tackle real-world problems. Technology will be utilized for carrying out the administrative work that currently, teachers have to take up. Robots will be analyzing the facial expressions of students to ascertain if they have thoroughly grasped a concept.