Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been establishing itself as a A strategic ally in higher education and science, providing tools that allow teachers to optimize tasks, innovate teaching methodologies, and improve the learning experience. From the students' perspective, AI does not emerge as a substitute for the teacher, but as a tool to support their daily work. Its objective is to free up time for what is essential: teaching, monitoring, and guiding students, reinforcing the human dimension of the educational process.
However, this usage frequently raises questions: Which tools to choose? How much can we trust the answers given by the models used? Is the data entered secure? Preparing a lesson with AI support can be useful, but it requires rigorous validation. Creating exercises using these tools can save time, but it raises questions about authorship and pedagogical quality. Supporting students with automated responses can be practical, but it poses challenges to consistency and alignment with the objectives of the subject or curricular unit.
It is in this context that the IAedu, a digital service of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), developed by FCCN, which provides access to AI models to support teachers, higher education students and researcherspromoting the ethical, accessible, and science-oriented use of AI.
The integration of AI in education depends not only on the technology available, but above all on how it is used. Learn about some practical tasks where this technology can be present in the daily lives of teachers (and how IAedu can support them):
#1 Automate to save time
The automation of administrative and operational tasks is one of the most immediate applications of AI in the teaching context. This allows for greater agility in certain routine tasks, such as:
- Organization of course content, structuring of sequences, and grouping of topics. for new curricular units;
- Preliminary analysis of responses to questionnaires or written productions;
- Creation of alternative versions of exercises for different assessment moments;
- Systematization of scattered information in documents, notes or presentations;
- Preparation of drafts of work or communication planswith the students.
IAedu allows you to perform these tasks. in a single, secure institutional environment, avoiding dispersion across various external tools and with data protection guarantees., reducing the bureaucratic burden associated with education.
#2 Personalize learning
AI enables Pedagogical approaches that are more tailored to the individual needs of students. Thus, teachers can:
- To generate exercises with different levels of difficulty, adjusting them to each student's level of knowledge;
- To create study suggestions For those who need reinforcement or further study;
- Produce Alternative explanations for complex topics., adapting them to different learning paces.
#3 Support the creation of educational content
Generative AI tools can support the preparation of teaching materials and, specifically in the case of IAedu, ensure that the teacher has scientific and pedagogical control over the process. Therefore, teachers can apply these tools in their daily work to:
- To create drafts of summaries, assignment statements, lesson plans, or short case studies;
- Produce applied examples that help to illustrate theoretical concepts;
- To generate simulations, guiding questions or resources for discussion;
- Use the AI-generated responses as a basis for critical thinking exercises. (comparison with sources, identification of flaws, verification of accuracy).
When used critically, under supervision, and aligned with clear pedagogical objectives, these technologies broaden methodological diversity, while maintaining the teacher's responsibility for the scientific and didactic validation of the content.
#4 Personalized assistants to support students
One of the most promising applications for daily academic life is... personalized assistantsBuilt upon the teacher's own content, explanations, and materials, these assistants can serve as supplementary support for students. Teachers deal daily with recurring questions and the need to ensure consistency in how they explain certain concepts. These assistants help address these challenges, ensuring:
- Clarification of frequently asked questions, ensuring consistency and reducing the repetition of answers throughout the semester;
- Ongoing support for students outside of school hours., without losing alignment with the actual content of the curricular unit;
- Pedagogical consistency, based on the materials and approach of the teacher himself and thus avoiding generic explanations of external tools.
In IAedu, this feature is reserved for the teacher profile.allowing you to configure assistants aligned with the methodology, terminology, and materials that are uploaded. Since the process takes place in a secure institutional environment, the data provided is not used to train models. There are clear rules for responsible use.
Ethics, digital literacy, and critical thinking.
The integration of Artificial Intelligence into higher education and science must be accompanied by a support structure that allows for its responsible use. In addition to initiatives that promote digital literacy and critical reflection on the use of these tools, it is essential to have infrastructures and services that guarantee technological performance, security, and equitable access to resources, creating safe environments where teachers and students can experiment, question, and learn more about these technologies.
There are important references that help guide the adoption of AI in the academic context, such as the “Guide to Artificial Intelligence (GuiA)from digital.gov, a framework of principles and recommendations to promote ethical AI in the context of public administration, which can be applied to the educational context. Also, the “A guide to generative AI in education and research.The UNESCO document provides specific recommendations on the responsible use of generative models, helping institutions and countries to implement informed and balanced practices.
In this context, FCCN, the digital services unit of FCT, plays a central role by providing a robust technological base for the academic and scientific community. This infrastructure allows platforms such as IAedu to offer centralized and simplified access to AI models, promoting safe and ethical usage practices by the community, reinforcing trust and innovation capacity in higher education and research.
