Annelies Dejonckheere
Head of Expansion, Wooclap
With knowledge and quality answers just clicks away, especially with advances in artificial intelligence (AI), education is transitioning from the era of answers to the era of questions.
In an age where AI swiftly provides answers, the value of asking the right questions is emerging as a key skill for teachers and students.
Drive towards active learning
Long before the advent of AI, digital technologies had already revolutionised access to information, prompting educators to emphasise active learning. AI’s growth in education is simply a continuation of this trend, but with a distinct twist: now, both teachers and students are the ones asking questions.
Both must not only perfect the ‘art of the prompt’ but also critically assess the relevance of AI-driven responses. Still, a teacher’s questions remain crucial as they frame knowledge within the appropriate context.
We have to learn to question and reason.
Yann Ferguson, scientific lead of the LaborIA project,
Pioneering the questions era
Boasting over 50 million users, and 2 million teachers using its student response system, Wooclap has been instrumental in turning passive students into active learners since 2015. At the University of Edinburgh, the University of Sheffield or Sciences Po Paris, educators are embracing the power of regularly asking questions to nurture critical thinking. AI is now opening new avenues for interactive classes, but are teachers equipped for the change?
AI: a real time-saver for teachers
Time is of the essence for teachers, and its scarcity is their biggest hurdle. ChatGPT might be a powerful content creator, yet its interface requires a certain familiarity and does not integrate seamlessly with routine teaching tools.
This is where Wooclap aims to be a game-changer with its new AI feature. It allows teachers to generate multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and open-ended questions in seconds. Beyond mere time-saving, this innovation offers personalised training content tailored to any subject, bridging the gap between AI potential and practical classroom application.
The future of education is inquisitive. As Yann Ferguson, scientific lead of the LaborIA project, puts it: “What makes the difference when we’re looking for a solution to a problem is the quality of our questions. We have to learn to question and reason.”