Can an AI tutor help students improve at math?
As schools contend with rapid developments in artificial intelligence, new research from the University of Toronto Mississauga suggests an AI tutor could help students with math, but only if it holds back answers and coaches them through problems.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto Mississauga indicates that an AI tutor could potentially aid students in improving their math skills, provided the AI adopts a specific approach. The study, involving over 6,000 middle school students from Tennessee, aimed to determine the optimal conditions for AI tutors to be beneficial in the field of mathematics.
The challenge lies in designing AI tutors that encourage students to engage in the learning process rather than just seeking quick answers. The AI tutor under examination, named NUMI, was programmed to offer structured support instead of direct solutions to math problems. When NUMI guided students through their mistakes and required them to correctly demonstrate the skills three times consecutively, the students demonstrated higher scores on tests covering both practiced and unpracticed math problems compared to those who received traditional computerized instruction.
This research, published in a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, represents the first objective evidence suggesting that a well-designed AI tutor can outperform conventional instruction. The findings indicate that students using NUMI scored three points higher than their peers without an AI tutor. While the study does not claim to demonstrate the transformative impact of AI tutoring, it paves the way for further research to enhance the tutor's interactivity and engagement, potentially making it a valuable tool for students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
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