Large Language Models in Education

The rapid progress of large language models ( LLMs) drives immense generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) applications and tools that could potentially transform education, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Since its launch in November 2022, GenAI has infused various domains of our lives. GenAI is reshaping knowledge acquisition and learning, disrupting educational institutions’ traditional role, necessitating changes in curricula and learning environments, prompting reevaluation of teaching and learning processes, and delving into practical applications and implications of GenAI across diverse educational contexts. This chapter will analyze and explore the impact of GenAI on higher education, PK-12 education, and, more specifically, the field of learning design (LD) and technologies, as well as educational research. It will further review the adoption and use cases of GenAI tools in HE, PK-12 education, and LD field in creating high-quality learning experiences, enhancing personalized and adaptive learning, making data-informed decisions, predicting performance with embedded learning analytics, and providing automated assessment and immediate feedback to learners. It will also discuss the potential of GenAI to drastically change teaching and learning approaches and impose new ways of thinking while posing challenges that require careful consideration of privacy concerns, the risk of perpetuating biases, and a commitment to ethical issues.