A recent YouGov survey reveals divided opinions among UK adults regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in school coursework. Of 2,221 adults surveyed, 46% agreed that AI should be used to help people with punctuation and grammar. At the same time, 44% were against its use to perform these actions.
These results speak to the promise and peril of AI in education. One in six adults believes that reducing or eliminating coursework would be the most effective strategy for schools to mitigate potential misuse of AI. Yet this increasing controversy couldn’t arrive at a more consequential moment as educational leaders reevaluate measures of student success amid an era-defined technology revolution.
Fortunately, Jill Duffy, the chief executive of the exam board OCR, is not going quietly. She calls for a unified national approach to address the challenges AI presents for education. In March, she released her first interim report. Importantly, it called out the “danger” to standards and equity when it comes to AI and coursework. The review, chaired by education expert Becky Francis, is intended to study the effects of AI on adjudications, and final recommendations will be made public this fall.
Duffy advocates for adapting coursework to align with modern capabilities, stating that “AI is already in our schools and is not going away.” She emphasizes the need to “adapt coursework so it is fit for the AI century,” suggesting that such adaptations could help test a broader range of skills while lessening the pressure of exams taken at age 16.
The interim report also did look into whether the total amount of assessments at GCSE could be lowered. Most people agree that this adjustment would go a long way towards protecting academic integrity. Duffy noted that public sentiment reflects a strong belief that “coursework is too important to lose, even in the age of AI.”
As the debate over AI in education rages on, one thing is certain — people are deeply divided on the subject. The survey results reflect a large and increasing doubt around being able to successfully integrate technology into learning. People are concerned that it would bring down quality and equity. Those final recommendations, still due later this year, will be critical. Their impact will help shape future educational policies that enable and protect students from malicious AI technologies.
