6 Ways AI is changing Education Administration

We have looked at how Artificial Intelligence (AI), including ChatGPT can help teachers in the classroom, but our educational system is bigger than the classroom.  While AI is often associated with in-classroom learning, its benefits extend far beyond the traditional four walls. In fact, AI has the potential to transform education outside the classroom. Running a school is expensive and complicated. Our schools are aging and present day security problems are getting worse every day.

Here are six ways AI is changing education administration

School Management – AI can be used to automate administrative tasks such as scheduling classes and creating and updating student records. Currently a lot of hours are put into developing a student’s schedule at the beginning of each semester as well as data entry to keep student records up to date.

Teacher, Substitute and Staff Scheduling – AI is already being used by education administrators to handle staff scheduling. If a teacher informs an administrator that they will be sick the next day, AI is able to autonomously contact a viable substitute and confirm their availability. Then it can update the system, so you know a substitute has been secured. AI can also be used to optimize teacher and staff scheduling, taking into account factors such as availability, expertise, and workload, ensuring that the substitute has the necessary qualifications and experience to teach the class effectively.

School Transportation Systems. Bus and transportation scheduling can be a nightmare but AI can optimize it. Even Google Maps has been able to optimize a single route for years, AI just allows that to scale. It reduces travel time and ensures that students are able to arrive at school on time (provided they got to the bus stop, which will always be an issue). Theoretically, an AI-powered transportation system can analyze traffic patterns, weather conditions, and any other events to identify the most efficient routes for school buses. 

Maintenance. AI can be used to monitor and manage school facilities, including maintenance and repairs. Knowing when things need to be repaired takes scheduling and experts examining the equipment. But theoretically any repairs that are detectable by sensors can have repair technicians scheduled and dispatched automatically, not requiring the input of any administrators.

Facilities Management. AI is used to manage facilities of an entire school district, monitoring the status of power, Wi-Fi, and water services and alerting workers when problems arise. Many of these systems are already built with the Internet of Things (IOT) in mind so a comprehensive facilities management system can monitor the status of equipment and systems in schools. With facilities management the biggest concern is always catching a problem early to minimize damage. If water shuts off automatically when it detects constant high volume output, you can dramatically reduce water damage.

Finance. AI is used by education administrators to manage their schools’ budget. It can track and report necessary purchases. It already seems likely that financial reports in the future will be produced via the same sort of chat based prompts that are used to generate text in ChatGPT. An AI-powered financial system could flag transactions, project budgets using more factors than are available to a human, and recommend ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency. This can help ensure that schools are using their resources effectively and maximizing the impact of their budgets.

AI has the potential  to make schools more efficient, effective, and learner-centric, ultimately enhancing the educational experience for students and improving outcomes. Proper planning, consideration of ethical implications, and effective implementation strategies can maximize the potential of AI to positively transform schools and the way education is delivered. With the right approach, AI can be a powerful tool to drive positive change in schools and education. As technology continues to advance, the integration of AI into schools is likely to become more prevalent, reshaping the landscape of education.