Collaborating with AIed for better student-teacher reconnection

The global pandemic has caused much disruption to higher education, but especially that of student-teacher relations as students and teachers struggle to adapt to emergency remote teaching. As the pandemic restrictions ease globally, students and teachers see an opportunity to reconnect. But the development of artificial intelligence in education (AIed) is perceived as a potential disruption to student-teacher relationship. Hence, teachers have understandably viewed AIed with suspicion and with a sense of inevitability. However, teachers should not treat AIed as ‘the enemy’. Working collaboratively with AIed could enhance student-teacher reconnection efforts, and by recognizing where AIed should take the lead and where the human teacher should take the lead in building that relationship, the fear that AIed would disrupt student-teacher relations can be dispelled.