In a swift response to a recently agreed-upon national framework for the use of AI technologies in classrooms across Australia, the Queensland government has wasted no time in commencing trials of an AI tool designed to customize learning programs to the unique needs of individual students.
On October 9, 2023, Queensland Minister for Education, Grace Grace, announced the launch of an AI trial in ten state schools. This initiative involves 500 students ranging from Year 5 to Year 12 and focuses on subjects including English, physics, science, health, humanities, and accounting.
The utilization of AI in education offers a host of advantages, including innovative support for teaching and learning, better preparation of students for future job prospects, and a reduction in teacher workload. According to Minister Grace, “There’s no doubt the recent explosion in AI presents some incredible opportunities in our classrooms. Like calculators and the internet before it, it’s going to change the way we teach and learn. For teachers, AI is about saving time, reducing workload, and ensuring the technology is intuitive and easy to use. For students, it provides a tailored interactive learning experience that quickly adapts to their individual needs”.
The widespread availability of generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, has presented both challenges and opportunities in the education sector. Initially perceived as a simple and nearly undetectable plagiarism tool, its use was prohibited in several Australian states. However, the push to embrace this technology in education has grown stronger, as it offers significant potential for enhancing and customizing learning experiences.
Rather than relying on a tool like ChatGPT, the Queensland government has opted to utilize the AI teaching and learning platform known as Cerego for their trial. Cerego, a US-based company established in 2000, provides educational software that leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence. Its products have been employed by the US Army, Air Force, and Arizona State University.
The Queensland trial will involve Cerego’s use of generative AI and machine learning to offer quiz-based learning that can rapidly adapt to individual student needs. Teachers will provide the platform with quiz parameters tailored to their students, and the Cerego machine learning platform will use student responses to create personalized and tailored content. Unlike other platforms, Cerego relies on accurate and approved information and draws from a digitized version of the complete Queensland state school curriculum.
Minister Grace emphasized the importance of ensuring data privacy and academic integrity while adopting AI in education, stating, “While we need the right support, we need the right safeguards too: we can’t have a situation where private data is sold off, where academic integrity is compromised, or where AI is used to bully students or target teachers”.
This trial aligns with the Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools, a framework based on six key principles: privacy, security, safety, human and social well-being, teacher support, transparency, fairness, and accountability. The full framework is expected to be released in the coming weeks, with Education Services Australia receiving $1 million in funding to establish product expectations for generative AI technology.
The insights gained from the AI in schools pilot will contribute to the development of resources aimed at guiding the use of AI in education in all state schools next year. While the Queensland government has chosen not to use the popular generative AI tool ChatGPT for this trial, its creator, OpenAI, has released an educational guide for teachers interested in integrating it into their classrooms. This guide includes prompts tailored to educational needs, such as creating lesson plans or personalized AI tutors.
