No more exams for students in future classrooms: KHDA chief

Dubai - This will encourage students to work together on solving real-world problems.

In the classrooms of the future, students will no longer have to sit down for exams. Instead, they will be busy working together to solve the problems of the world.
This is how Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director-general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), sees the future of learning in Dubai, as he explained during a session at Gitex Technology Week on Wednesday, October 9.
"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 completely move away from tests and exams," said Dr Al Karam.
He explained that there will also be more 'teachers' powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
"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."
Dr Al Karam added that AI teachers would be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and challenge the traditional structure of education.
Tech won't replace teachers
But he pointed out that educators should not worry about the advent of AI in education "because a machine will never replace the heart of a teacher".
What AI will usher in is "a renaissance in education and teaching methods".
"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," Dr Al Karam explained.
He added that AI cannot provide the connections that only teachers can make.
"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," Al Karam said.
How future classrooms will look like
>Open, collaborative spaces - not rooms with four walls
>Students from different age groups will be collaborating
>They will be working together to solve real-world problems
>Tech will do all the administrative work teachers have to do
>AI teachers will work 24/7, 365 days a year
>Bots will read students' expressions to see whether they have understood a concept
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