Promoting artificial intelligence in educational planning

GD&TĐ - Building and effectively implementing the school's education plan is a core requirement when implementing the 2018 General Education Program in the new context.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can assist schools in performing this important task.

Reduce pressure, increase efficiency

According to Mr. Hoang Minh - Principal of Phu Bai High School (Hue City) - one of the difficulties in building a school's educational plan is to synthesize large data from many channels. With AI, the problem of synthesizing data is solved more easily; at the same time, it also provides forecasts for managers and operators to know and decide on content. Applying AI is not simply a tool, but also equips a new thinking system, a methodical strategic roadmap, helping managers confidently lead the school in the right direction.

In addition, Mr. Hoang Minh also emphasized the role of technology and AI in digitizing teacher and learner records; optimizing communication and time management by using the right tools for different purposes; using AI as an assistant in drafting, researching and creating, helping to create management documents and operational plans.

In teaching and organizing educational activities, AI helps teachers analyze the abilities of each student to suggest individual learning paths, thereby improving the quality of mass and cutting-edge education. In particular, with AI, teachers can create virtual laboratories and museums, providing tools to organize STEM, career guidance, and extracurricular activities in an intuitive, safe, and cost-effective way; at the same time, develop computer-based testing and assessment methods.

Arranging flexible timetables, suitable for teachers' expertise, ensuring the standard of teaching hours/week is of great concern to schools, especially secondary schools with integrated subjects. As a teacher assigned to arrange timetables for more than 100 teachers, Ms. Nghiem Thu Trang - teacher at Dong Da Secondary School (Kim Lien, Hanoi ) understands that this is a stressful task. Ensuring a reasonable teaching schedule, without overlap, suitable for expertise and convenient for each teacher requires meticulousness and a huge amount of calculation.

“Previously, we mainly arranged by hand or relied on Excel tables, which took many days and was difficult to avoid errors. The school soon applied Schoolnet's timetable support software, but many steps still had to be done manually. Since the support of AI, the timetable arrangement has really changed.

Just enter data on professional assignments, the number of periods prescribed for each subject, etc., AI will analyze and provide a preliminary schedule with high reasonableness. Complex criteria such as avoiding empty periods in the middle of the session, ensuring balance between classes, allocating departmental rooms, etc. are all quickly processed by the software," Ms. Nghiem Thu Trang shared.

Applying AI in scheduling not only significantly reduces pressure on those in charge, but also brings direct benefits to teachers and students. According to Ms. Nghiem Thu Trang, teachers are arranged with more reasonable teaching schedules, have time to prepare lessons, and have balanced rest. Students avoid the situation of overlapping, uneven or overlapping classes. In particular, when there are sudden changes such as teachers taking long leave, the software can automatically suggest adjusted schedules in just a few minutes - something that previously took a whole meeting to agree on.

“In the near future, the school plans to expand the application of AI to help forecast and suggest optimal schedules. Accordingly, AI can analyze data for many years to come up with reasonable assignment plans right from the beginning of the school year. When teachers are absent unexpectedly or have extracurricular events, the AI ​​software will quickly suggest alternative schedules.

The teaching schedule will be combined with the schedule for using department rooms, laboratories, and computer rooms, helping to effectively utilize facilities. AI will also count the number of periods/day and the number of consecutive classes to suggest adjustments and ensure teachers' health. The timetable is synchronized with attendance and test data, and parents and students can conveniently track it on the mobile application...

I believe that, with the support of AI, the timetable will no longer be a “hard plan” but will become a smart, flexible management system that best serves both teachers and students. Technology does not replace humans, but is truly a “companion” that helps us focus on the most important goal - teaching well and learning well,” Ms. Nghiem Thu Trang shared.

Teachers practice using AI tools at a training session organized by the Hung Yen Department of Education and Training. Photo: Dinh Chien

AI does not replace pedagogical thinking

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh - Principal of Hanoi School for Training of Education Officials said that the school's education plan has two major areas. One is the plan to teach subjects and educational activities in the 2018 General Education Program. The other is the plan to organize educational activities to help students apply the knowledge and skills learned in the program to practical situations to develop their capacity according to the program's objectives (STEM education, career guidance, digital capacity, Arts, physical education...).

Affirming that artificial intelligence (AI) can effectively support schools in building the above plans, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh suggested, first of all, using AI to support building teaching plans for subjects. Specifically, first, AI supports putting the requirements of the subject program into lessons in textbooks.

Second, identify the experiments and practices that need to be performed according to the program requirements in the lesson and suggest tools, equipment, and chemicals to be used to perform those experiments. Third, AI supports identifying integrated educational content in each lesson (STEM, career guidance, digital skills, legal education, safety...). Fourth, AI supports suggesting teacher assignments for integrated subjects.

Regarding planning educational activities, AI can help suggest topics (STEM, career guidance, digital skills, etc.) according to the content appropriate to the curriculum (by grade level, time, and implementation time). AI can also help determine the requirements; content, and form of students' products when carrying out educational activities.

When using AI to build school education plans, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh noted that AI only plays a supporting role, and the final decision must be based on the 2018 General Education Program and local practices. The input data must be accurate, complete and secure, avoiding sharing sensitive personal information on open systems.

AI suggestions need to be vetted, adjusted, and combined with official documents and expert opinions before being applied. At the same time, administrators and teachers must be trained in using AI, understanding that it is a support tool and not a replacement for pedagogical thinking. Finally, implementation needs to be transparent, monitored, periodically evaluated for effectiveness, and in compliance with legal regulations.

To apply AI in building a feasible and effective school education plan, Mr. Hoang Minh suggested a solution: The school can build an Information Technology Department, gathering all young, dynamic, technology-loving staff and teachers in the school. This is the focal point, with the task of supporting, spreading and inspiring colleagues to apply AI in teaching and learning.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/phat-huy-tri-tue-nhan-tao-trong-xay-dung-ke-hoach-giao-duc-post750474.html