Joyce Fungo

This paper provides added foundational support to the three proffered paradigms of artificial intelligence in education. Specifically, it gives a preliminary analysis of the key epistemic aims present in each of the said frameworks. In order to account for the different ways in which artificial intelligence-related educational strategies have been employed to address issues in learning and instruction, three paradigms have been previously put forward: AI-directed (learner-as-recipient), AI-supported (learner-as-collaborator), and AI-empowered (learner-as-leader). In this paper, it is argued that the different standard views on what ought to be the objectives of education (i.e., philosophical theories that highlight knowledge and truth, critical thinking, intellectual virtues, and understanding) manifest themselves distinctly in these three paradigms. Moreover, apart from epistemically grounding the differing artificial intelligence in education frameworks, this study also demonstrates that more complex models, in principle, could espouse a greater number of epistemic aims.

A fundamental issue conceived out of the development of epistemology of education has to do with what epistemic state/s education ought to aim for. We offer a solution to this problem, one that deviates from truth, critical thinking, and intellectual virtues which have already been positioned as compelling solutions on their own. Instead, we argue that it is objectual understanding, from the framework of Jonathan Kvanvig, that best suits the place of primacy in epistemic educational aims. The paper’s structure finds order and consistency with how the problem is treated as mentioned above. Section 1 introduces the different types of understanding in epistemology. In section 2, the epistemic value of objectual understanding is established, along with a defense of this epistemic state from the problems encountered for other positions. The second section also includes a discussion of the compatibility of objectual understanding with other epistemic aims of education. In section 3, we proceed to examine the influence of having addressed the epistemic aims debate to the educational concepts of curriculum, teaching, and learning.