Reshaping AI for education

How Cambridge is putting people at the heart of the generative AI revolution

*Extracted from the full news story here: https://www.cambridge.org/news-and-insights/AI-for-Education

When ChatGPT 3 was released a year ago, the large language model (LLM)-trained bot sparked excitement, fear and hype among educators and researchers.

Would it unleash a wave of cheating? Would teachers and academics lose their jobs? Is an education revolution coming?

Within months, OpenAI’s tool became the fastest-growing consumer software application in history, gaining over 100 million users, with tech giants like Google, Meta, Microsoft and Apple scrambling to launch or adapt their own LLMs.

What does generative AI mean for education and research? How is Cambridge responding?

For a group of Cambridge linguists, computer scientists and education experts, the arrival of ChatGPT felt more like a vindication of the years they had already invested in developing AI, language models and data science to help English language learners.

The Cambridge University Institute for Automated Language Teaching and Assessment (ALTA), launched a decade ago, brings together teams from computing, engineering, linguistics and language assessment. Their multidisciplinary academic, teaching and assessment expertise in machine learning, text and speech processing has been improving how English is taught around the world for years.

The fruits of their work are not just in the R&D or experimental stage. By the time ChatGPT launched, their innovations were already in use in products reaching millions of students around the world – and had been for years.

Human in the loop

Linguaskill epitomises such advances. The quick and convenient AI-powered online test helps organisations check the English speaking, reading, writing and listening levels of candidates. Linguaskill may use AI, but it puts people first.

As Dr Evelina Galaczi, Director of Research for English, explains: “One of our AI-powered innovations in Cambridge is the way we mark our Linguaskill online English test. The test uses hi-tech features but keeps a human in the loop."

"AI will transform English language learning and assessment. We will make sure the technology is applied in the right way, supporting teachers and examiners."

Fran Woodward, Global Managing Director, English

“The Speaking module, for example, uses AI based auto-marking as part of a hybrid marking approach," adds Dr Galaczi. "An auto-marker is used in live assessment, but with the expertise of a trained human examiner who steps in where the automarker is not completely confident it has given the correct mark. This advanced marking system leverages the unique strengths of tech and humans, enabling reliable results to be awarded within 48-hours.”

Teachers and technologists

“Teaching and learning are all about people, and AI can't replace the social and emotional aspect of learning.”

Dr Evelina Galaczi, Director of Research for English

One-third of UK teachers use AI tools to help with their work, a figure that has doubled within five months, according to a Teacher Tapp poll of 9,000 teachers and leaders.

Language teachers around the world appear to be particularly engaged with AI tools. A separate Cambridge study, in collaboration with the University of Bedfordshire, found 71 percent of surveyed teachers using GenAI tools weekly or monthly.

In spite of formidable access to technologists, teachers are only becoming more central to Cambridge’s engagement with generative AI.

Experimentation and focus

As Cambridge teams embark on new pilots in generative AI, they can draw on the extraordinary reach and expertise that comes from being part of one of the world’s great universities and most influential education organisations.

In this environment each team is, in the words of Peter Phillips, “remaining completely focused on supporting students, teachers and researchers.”

As the AI revolution progresses, that focus may be Cambridge’s greatest advantage of all.

*Read the full story here: https://www.cambridge.org/news-and-insights/AI-for-Education

By Andrew Scheuber, Sophie White, Alana Walden and Annie Zhang