The Department for Education (DfE) is planning to run a hackathon on the use of AI in schools.
It is to host the two-day event on 30 and 31 October with National Institute of Teaching, the AI in Schools Initiative and the Faculty AI consultancy.
The hackathon will bring together teachers and leaders from schools and trusts across England to experiment with AI and test its potential in several scenarios. The DfE cited examples of whether the technology could write a lesson plan or accurately mark exam papers.
Some of the solutions will be shared with the DfE’s workload reduction taskforce and a demo of the tools created will be made available for schools across the country to test and use. This is aimed at supporting the Government’s ambition to reduce working time for teachers and leaders by five hours a week.
Secondary school pupils will also be invited to share their experiences and knowledge.
Potential for personalised support
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “During my career in the tech business, I have seen innovation in action. Artificial intelligence has huge potential to transform the way we do things, from providing personalised support for pupils to helping tackle teacher workload.
“But to reap the benefits in education, we need to improve our understanding of how AI works and safely. Participants of the hackathons will be supported by Faculty AI and the National Institute of Teaching to experiment and put forward solutions, paving the way for the future.”
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said: “We want to see teachers using AI to speed up administrative tasks and planning so that they are free to focus on the things which make the biggest difference to students.
“We are also equipping the next generation with the AI skills they need for the future, with our AI conversion courses helping students gain technical knowledge in this transformative technology so they can compete and thrive in the workplace.”
In June, the DfE launched a call for evidence from education professionals on the risks, ethical considerations and possibilities of generative AI in education. The results are scheduled to be published next month.
