Cheyenne Suarez

An example of a student's dashboard on Canvas. Handout.

Article (news)

IT infra, connectivity hinder AI adoption in PH education sector: professor

Benise Balaoing

ABS-CBN News

<div> </div><div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757500863342Instructure_ProductMockups_Laptop_CanvasLMS_Student_Dashboard_HE.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="An example of a student&#x27;s dashboard on Canvas. Handout."/>An example of a student&#x27;s dashboard on Canvas. Handout.</div>MANILA — The lack of digital infrastructure as well as connectivity issues are hindering the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Philippine education space, a university professor said Wednesday.At the sidelines of Instructure’s CanvasCon 2025, University of New South Wales professor Dr. Martin Bean said lack of affordable access to technology is why most Filipinos have not tried AI yet.Ryan Lufkin, vice president for global academic strategy at Instructure, also noted that bringing stable electricity to more rural and economically-challenged areas is curbing digital adoption of Philippine schools.Bean also noted that Filipinos seem to see spending on technology as a cost rather than investment.“In other nations around the world, they see having robust technological infrastructure as important as great buildings or excellent research,” Bean said.“And in the world that we live in now the digital experience is just as valuable, if not more valuable, in some cases, to the physical experience,” he said.Bean also noted that universities need to continue investing in learning technology.“I was really struck by when the pandemic hit, most of the universities in the Philippines raced into a technology investment because they had to,” he said.“Interestingly, climatically, there&#x27;s still a need, because it&#x27;s often very difficult when the floods hit to get the students to the campus. But almost immediately that the that the pandemic went into the rear view mirror, [that] started to recede.”The professor said schools still need to invest in technology even in the era of hybrid learning.“It shouldn&#x27;t be something that we only do when we have to do it. It should be something from a resiliency and a societal perspective, realize that technology now is just the air we breathe,” he said.Bean said investing in technology will help save schools from “a crisis of relevance.”“I know resources are scarce, but you don&#x27;t want to starve the very things that can allow you to maintain your ability to teach,” he said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2025/3/10/google-issues-1-million-workspace-licenses-for-ph-educators-1921" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google partners with DepEd, issues 1 million Workspace licenses for PH educators</a></div>Bean and Lufkin were speaking at the sidelines of CanvasCon 2025, where Instructure unveiled the newest features of its learning management system Canvas.The company said it is working on new features like an improved learning dashboard for students, and quiz makers, plagiarism detectors, and grading software for teachers.The new features are designed to help teachers cut down on time spent on administrative tasks, and spend more time creating more personalized learning plans for their students.Lufkin answered in the affirmative when asked if Canvas is willing to work with the Department of Education to help public school teachers, who are usually burdened with administrative tasks. Top-rated private universities Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, and University of Santo Tomas are among Canvas’ users in the Philippines.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/18/deped-says-to-reduce-teachers-paperwork-by-approximately-57-percent-1708" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DepEd says to reduce teachers’ paperwork ‘by approximately 57 percent’</a></div>“Public school teachers tend to be very time poor. They&#x27;re dealing with large classroom sizes, a lot of different challenges,” he noted.“I really do think that there&#x27;s kind of a transformational time in Philippines education, and we want to be the partner that helps drive that, that kind of expansion and exposure of education in the Philippines,” he said.Bean stressed, however, that the biggest barrier to the wider use of AI in the Philippines is “the tyranny of conventional wisdom.”“I see this all over the world, but I see it in quite a pronounced way in the Philippines the institutions here seem to be slow to want to adopt new and innovative practices and evolve rapidly,” he said.Lufkin noted, however, that “digital maturity actually frees you from some of those more entrenched processes that would prevent you from moving forward rapidly.” “And so there&#x27;s a real opportunity, especially with the optimistic leadership of the Filipino government, to move very quickly in a way that is not being held back by we&#x27;ve always done it this way,” he said.

The lack of digital infrastructure and connectivity issues are hindering the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Philippine education space, a university professor said Wednesday.

The lack of digital infrastructure and connectivity issues are hindering the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Philippine education space, a university professor said Wednesday.