Teachers reluctant to use AI for pupil learning and assessment

Most teachers are reluctant to use or are not interested in artificial intelligence for pupil learning and assessment, new research has found.

A study of more than 5,000 teachers by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, found that the majority (64%) are not using AI tools such as ChatGPT professionally, and 19% are not interested in using it in the future.

A lack of clarity on their schools’ policy around AI also appeared to be an issue, with 41% saying their school does not have an agreed approach to AI, while 17% said they do not know if any such policy exists.

The survey, which covered 2,000 secondary schools in England, found that 84% of those asked have not changed the way they assess their students’ work, despite the widespread availability of AI tools, and only 41% said they were regularly checking homework or coursework for plagiarised content from the web, served up by AI tools.

In its report, BCS calls for the understanding of AI to be made a significant part of teacher training, alongside wider digital literacy.

The IT body said schools should also get AI policies in place and publish them on their websites, but that clear guidance on the issue is first needed from the Department for Education, qualifications regulator Ofqual and other bodies.

Julia Adamson, managing director for education and public benefit at BCS, said: “Teachers see the opportunity AI presents to transform their work and the lives of their students, from saving time on lesson plans, to personalising learning for each young person.

“But they need better training and guidance to grow in confidence with AI, to make sure it is used fairly and that it doesn’t cause greater disadvantage in the education system.”

Sarah Hannafin, head of policy for school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “While it is clear that AI has huge potential benefits for schools and children’s learning, it is important that these are harnessed in the right way.

“It is understandable that school leaders and teachers need training and guidance in order to feel confident using AI. It is also true that no AI tool is infallible or can replace the judgement and knowledge of a human expert. There are also lots of safeguarding and ethical considerations around use of this technology.

“It therefore makes sense that AI is introduced gradually in order to maximise its potential and mitigate the risks.”

On Tuesday, the Government announced that it had asked Ofsted to carry out research into artificial intelligence in education, to investigate how schools and further education colleges are using AI to support teaching and learning, as well as to manage administrative systems and processes.

The Government said it will use the data collected to understand how AI is already being used and to help it consider the technologies potential uses and benefits.

Published: 11/12/2024 by Radio NewsHub