The continued evolution of technology has changed our lives in more profound ways than we’d ever been able to imagine. Think about it — we no longer have to wait in queues in the bank to get a bank statement or even head out to a supermarket or some such to buy groceries. This advancement of technology has had quite an impact on education as well. Come to think of it; education has experienced mind-boggling transformation, brought on by various technologies, such as artificial intelligence, big data, and mixed reality among several others. However, one name has had an especially pronounced impact on the education sector: Machine learning. A recent Technavio report projects that the global investment in ML-driven online learning will grow with a CAGR of over 16 percent by 2021.

This is because of the wide range of possibilities and opportunities that machine learning opens up for the industry. For example, it can help save time — according to a McKinsey report; technology can help teachers save as many as 13 hours in a week. These time savings can then be channelled to achieve better outcomes. It also helps take the burden of busywork, especially the one stemming from administrative responsibilities. And not only that, machine learning and artificial intelligence have now come to play a crucial role in enabling the customization of teaching material and courses to help enhance the process's effectiveness.

Let’s take a closer look at some of ML's other benefits to the table for the education sector:

1. Better accessibility: Today, we are more aware and conscious of individual students' distinct learning needs. However, it can be quite challenging to adapt the material and courses in a manner that allows these individuals to learn just as well as others. Thankfully, ML and AI can help with that — allowing content to be visualized, generating voices to read out text, etc. Such measures help students learn, no matter the impediments.
2. Improved assessment procedures: There has been an increased focus on fair and consistent assessment processes. Machine learning and artificial intelligence can tend to these concerns and automatically enable teachers to assess submissions and students’ work with the need for minimal to no human involvement at all.
3. Boost learning outcomes: As noted above, each student has their unique learning requirements. To that end, ML and AI-driven tools can be used to analyse their learning patterns, identify problem areas, etc. This information can then be used to adapt strategies for effectiveness, i.e. ensuring students are able to understand better what is being taught to them. And this also boosts learning outcomes.

It is amply clear that machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other such technologies can significantly improve the education sector and the overall learning culture. So, suppose you too intend to take it up. In that case, we recommend you start with finding a trusted vendor for custom education software development services.