DK HHX Svendborg: “AI-supported tools in marketing”
The teaching module has been conducted between 1st March – 20th April 2024 at business highschool Svendborg (HHX). 31 students (18 males, 13 females) from grade 13 (3. g, HHX) have been enrolled in the module as an extraordinary activity, related to their educational program.
As an add-on, two of the students were prepaired to contribute to “Across borders: digital learning”, a Danish-German infostand in Berlin, April 2024.
Teaching Design
The learning objectives for this module were not subject-specific, but related to the basic educational goals, and
Student should be able to identify crucial principles of AI-software, become able to apply business-related Ai-tools, and consider ethical issues when using this kind of AI-tools:
• Explain what the program is and its primary use cases
• Demonstrate how to navigate the interface and locate key features
• Learn how to create and customize AI tools for marketing
• Understand how to write effective scripts and prompts for AI avatars and utilize text-to-speech and text-to-video features
• Discuss the ethical implications and best practices for using AI-generated content responsibly
The students had a high degree of co-influence, in particular the 2 students, chosen for creating the information stand in Berlin. They participated in the planning of the teaching module and acted as co-teachers during their implementation. Together with the main instructor, they selected 3 software platforms and developed the course plan.
Content
The teaching module encompassed 3 steps:
1) Work with the AI-application HeyGen: The students created their own avatars and made presentations.
2) Work with the AI-application Invideo.ai: The students created video commercials by providing prompts and allowing the AI to generate the final video. The videos were presented, and the best video was awarded a prize.
3) Work with the AI-application RaskAi in groups of 3 -4 and an assignment to solve collaboratively: A company, Dansk Skolebridge, needed a video translated into English for use in the United States to help bridge teachers. The cost of the original Danish videos has been about EUR 5,000, which was too expensive to replicate. The students used RaskAi to produce a translated version at just 5 % of the original production cost.
Learning products
The students were asked to produce:
1) An avatar of themselves, communicating elements of the Danish education system
2) A realistic video commercial about a given product, with focus on the product´s sustainability
3) AI-translation of a given video from Danish into English
As a pedagogical method, the students co-worked as peer learners and shared insights and tips on using AI tools.
Evaluations
The pedagogical cooridinator evaluated the module, based on personal dialogues with some of the students, as well as his own observations and the teacher´s assessment of the students´ learning products.
(Coming up)
Despite the necessity and the positive output from applying AI to teaching and learning processes, the teachers stressed that Ai is a highly energy consuming technology. This should be considered in the important context of sustainability.
Digital Production
The following technologies seemed suitable to be applied: the avatar-generating HeyGen, the commercial-creating Invideo.io, and the translation tool RaskAI. Apart from that, the students used their daily devices and office software.
Methodologically, an experimental approach based on ´trial and error´ was chosen, with no specific assignments for using the platforms. The design process itself became iterative, when the students created multiple working prototypes in HeyGen, RaskAi, and Invideo.io. They refined their work throughout several iterations, based on their prompts and documented their reflections in a PowerPoint presentation about the process.
Retrospective reflections
The approach to exploring and applying the new technologies was experimental rather than systematic and documentary-like. As one of the next steps, the students will be asked to gain a deeper understanding of the technologies, technical terms, and processes.
Learning products: AI-created avatars
The freely accessible Padlet presents some student-created avatars of themselves. The original videos with the students´ own presentations of the Danish education system were transformed convincingly to authentically appearing videos in German, Spanish, and Chinese.
Learning products: AI-created commercials
The students produced professionally appearing commercials using prompts, such as: “Make a video with a drone flying over a city – make it as a commercial movie for a brand-new lemonade called NITRO. Make it with a deep male voice.”
Note: Pictures and videos are copyright protected in the free invideo-version.
Learning product: AI-translated video
Ai-translation of videos meets the needs for quick accessibility to existing videos at low costs.
The students helped the non-profit association “Dansk Skole-Bridge” to publish their Danish instructional materials in English, both with subtitles and authentically spoken texts.
Digital Literacy
The module caused a wide range of ethical considerations, many of them with societal perspectives.
The topics considered when applying AI to teaching and learning processes, relate to data protection and data handling, the users´ bias, equal access to knowledge about technological innovation, the needs of the companies and the schools, as well as new career possibilities for students.
At the same time, the teachers raised awareness of the need for protecting trust, confidentiality, and the authenticity of the students´ learning products.
Engaging with AI in an educational context encourages students to think critically about the ethical implications of technology. Using AI for creating avatars or commercials allows students to explore multiple ways to achieve the targeted outcomes. By working with AI tools, students learn to evaluate the benefits and limitations of different technologies, making them more informed decision-makers in their future careers.
At the same time, the teachers underlined that relying too heavily on AI tools can reduce students’ ability to perform tasks manually or develop foundational skills without technological assistance. Over time, critical skills such as basic video editing or language translation may erode if students always rely on AI solutions.
Working with different AI tools increases the students´ technological actionability and is vital for developing responsible future technologists and informed citizens.
The creation of avatars and other digital content can require personal data. Ensuring that these data are protected and used ethically, is crucial.
When students work with company data (e.g., translating videos for a company), maintaining confidentiality and data security are important.
Clarifying copyright to the content created when using AI tools, is necessary. This includes understanding licensing agreements of the AI tools themselves and any content generated by students.
AI tools can reflect biases present in the training data. Ensuring that the AI tools used do not perpetuate stereotypes or unfair representations, is critical.
Ensuring all students have equal access to these tools and the necessary support to use them effectively, is important for fairness.
Relying heavily on AI tools might raise questions about the authenticity and originality of students’ productions. Establishing clear guidelines on how these tools can be used to support learning rather than replace learning, is essential.
Making the decision-making process transparent regarding how AI-generated content is evaluated (e.g., how the best video was chosen), is important for maintaining trust and accountability.
Integrating AI tools into education can enhance learning experiences by providing hands-on opportunities to work with advanced technology, preparing students for future careers where such tools are prevalent.
Students gain valuable skills in using AI for creative and practical purposes, which are increasingly relevant in the modern job market.
Providing students with access to AI tools democratizes technology, enabling more people to harness its benefits regardless of their background or resources.
The teaching module has illustrated the potential of AI to modernize our educational practice while at the same time addressing important ethical considerations. Balancing innovation with responsibility is crucial to ensure the benefit for students and the society at large, fostering an informed, skilled, and ethically aware generation.
Environment / external world
The module demonstrates how AI can be used to create added value by significantly reducing costs (e.g., translating a video for 5 % of the original production cost). This is particularly relevant for educational institutions and small businesses looking to optimize resources. By creating video commercials, the students simulated real-world marketing tasks. This task demonstrated the value AI can bring to advertising by automating and enhancing content creation. Collaborating with companies (like Dansk Skolebridge) provided the students with real-world applications of their skills, bridging the gap between school studies and industry needs. The students experienced the direct impact of their work. This enhanced their understanding of how their skills can be applied in professional settings.
By translating content for use in different countries, the module promoted communication and mutual understanding across country borders among students and teachers, which is increasingly important in a globalized world.
