More than 4,000 students have enrolled on a new artificial intelligence (AI) platform aiming to boost GCSE grades in maths and English.
The Bedford College Group’s initiative is directed towards 16- to 19-year-olds, as well as apprentices and adult learners who are revisiting education or training.
“This pioneering system has enabled students to keep on track during the pandemic, further enhance their digital skills, and develop key employability skills, which will benefit them now and in the future,” said Hilary Chipping, chief executive of the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP), which is facilitating use of the platform via a grant of £440,000.
“Alongside the benefits for students, the platform has proved an amazing resource for teachers, particularly during the periods of lockdown, when the college was unable to open its doors to students.”
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The platform, which has been funded for three years via SEMLEP’s Getting Building Fund, blends AI neuroscience and educational psychology to offer individualised support to students.
After ascertaining how each user prefers to learn, the technology delivers learning materials in a manner designed to offer optimum support to the student.
“The platform’s technology has been hugely useful for maths, and in English has helped students get a firm grasp of language and sentence structure,” said director of progression pathways at the Bedford College Group, Nina Sharp.
“It is also proving to be an excellent resource for revision, reading and writing skills in general. Students have been telling us how refreshingly easy the system is to use and how intuitive it is, in part because the artificial intelligence recognises the best way each student learns and adapts training nuggets accordingly.”