South Korea has been integrating AI-integrated digital textbooks into schools since 2025

The digital textbook based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be introduced in elementary and secondary schools in South Korea starting in 2025 to meet the diverse learning needs.

According to the Ministry of Education of South Korea on June 8th, the AI digital textbooks in schools are part of the government's digital education reform policy, providing diverse learning content through virtual reality technology (metaverse) and AI interactive technologies.

The ministry stated that the use of digital textbooks is also expected to create suitable learning opportunities for students at different levels of education.

Visitors examining electronic textbooks at an education exhibition in Seoul, South Korea, January 2023. Photo: Yonhap.

According to the plan, students in 3rd and 4th grade, as well as first-year students in middle school and high school, will be the first to benefit from the digital textbooks in subjects such as math, English, and computer science from 2025.

By 2026, digital textbooks will be extended to students in 5th and 6th grade in elementary schools and second-year students in middle schools, with four additional subjects being digitized, including the Korean language, social studies, science and technology, and home economics. Third-year students in middle schools will have access to digital textbooks the following year.

By 2028, digital textbooks will be applied to all subjects, except for those based on physical activities, such as music, art, physical education, and ethics, which require direct education for character development.

For elementary schools, 1st and 2nd-grade students will not use digital textbooks as they are too young to engage with digital devices.

The Ministry of Education of South Korea stated that AI digital textbooks have the ability to provide basic learning tasks as well as in-depth learning tasks, such as presenting concepts in an understandable way for slower learners or facilitating discussions and essay writing for faster learners.

However, according to the Ministry of Education, the introduction of digital textbooks does not mean that paper textbooks will be eliminated from schools. Paper textbooks and digital textbooks will be used simultaneously in schools until all students, parents, and teachers can proficiently use AI digital textbooks and achieve desired educational outcomes.

Source: Zing News