Teachers ‘reluctant to use AI for pupil learning and assessment’

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. 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. 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 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.