Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a part of our everyday lives. From AI tools to smart devices, this technology is transforming industries across the UK, including education. Some industries are welcoming AI involvement with open arms and are excited to explore its limitless potential. At the same time, many others are reluctant and sceptical of its far-reaching consequences. This dual sentiment of opportunity versus challenge is palpable.
Amid this dual sentiment, the UK’s Keir Starmer government is planning a public rollout of AI with an aim to make Britain a leading AI superpower. More importantly, the EU AI Act will come into force and impact the UK education system, even after Brexit. A £4 million investment is slated for developing AI tools to help teachers, school admin and staff. This means schools, academies and trusts need to buckle up and get ready to ride the new AI wave in UK education.
But what does this all mean for students and teachers? How will using AI impact schools overall?
This article explores the influence and impact of introducing AI in education in the UK.
Impact on Administration
AI tools are quite helpful for the school administration and also as safeguarding technology. Long gone are the days when schools and academies would depend on staff to manually enter data and analyse it for reporting purposes. These tasks have been replaced by MISs. School management information systems (MIS) are now powered with AI tools to help with:
- Speeding up the production of internal and external reports during internal scrutiny in academy trusts
- Collecting and properly analysing data
- Improving internal communication
- Securely storing data in the cloud safely and preventing cyber attacks
- Reducing costs and freeing up funds for teaching and learning
Schools and academies can collect biometric data, including fingerprints and facial features, for streamlining administrative workflows. This data can be leveraged together with a cashless payment system for delivering school lunches or for administering library books.
However, student biometric data needs to be used with the utmost caution and must not infringe on the data protection laws. This action may require further regulations.
Impact on Teachers
“Will AI bots replace teachers in classrooms?” is perhaps the first thought that comes to mind with the rollout of AI in education. Experts say teachers are indispensable to classroom learning and can’t be replaced by bots or machines. However, AI tools can support teachers’ professional development and training.
One such AI-driven tool is TeachLivE™, a mixed-reality learning platform that has been introduced to 80 global universities. Its main purpose is to help teachers better their craft. In an online virtual classroom mode, TeachLivE™ enables trainees and practicing teachers to interact with multiple simulated student avatars in various scenarios. This interactive platform offers them a chance to learn and refine their instructional management skills and become better at teaching.
In the UK, the Teacher Development Trust has collaborated with Salesforce to develop a chatbot that simulates different teacher-student scenarios. Using this chatbot, teachers can practice their responses and receive instant feedback. The tool is monitored by human coaches and peers, so teachers benefit from dual feedback, both from the coaches and the bot.
With these path-breaking tools, AI can certainly revolutionise the way UK teachers teach.
Impact on Assessments and Grading
AI shows promise as a tool not only to assess and grade examinations but also to invigilate online exams to prevent cheating. Tech companies are already offering products using AI to automate marking, essay grading and scoring. These products have algorithms trained on the National Curriculum and exam standards and are widely marketed to save teachers valuable time.
However, feedback from those who have used these tools in a proof-of-concept experiment has pinpointed multiple risks, including over-reliance on the tool by new teachers and the effect on teacher-pupil relationships.
Another school of thought is the use of AI to monitor students during exams. AI can be a handy tool to prevent pupils from cheating. But there has been debate over its use for this purpose, with the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) cautioning that it may erode public confidence in the system.
Impact on Student Learning
UK students have already had a rendezvous with one famous AI chat interface, ChatGPT. From completing lengthy essays to creating graphs and pictures, AI is becoming a regular part of a British student’s learning. Homework platforms such as Seneca and Bluetick use AI to help students revise concepts, identify mistakes and improve their weaknesses.
Tech companies are assimilating government guidance, lesson plans and anonymised pupil assessments to build better edtech AI tools that create tailored, creative lesson plans and workbooks to enhance pupils’ learning. AI-powered learning platforms such as Kahoot! and Minecraft: Education Edition are using the UK curriculum in gamified content such as interactive quizzes and simulations. These interactive EduTech platforms using AI show promise in keeping pupils engaged and motivated.
AI applications also help students with SEND (special education needs and abilities) with their varied learning needs. For example, speech recognition software assists hearing-impaired students in transcribing spoken words.
AI can certainly be a game changer in enhancing every student’s learning abilities.
To Sum Up
It doesn’t matter which side of the argument you’re on; let’s face it, AI is here to stay. This revolutionary technology is still in its early stages of execution, so it’s hard to say what the future of AI in education holds. Until then, the scope of AI in UK schools seems promising and shows a lot of potential but is not without its share of challenges.