“Generative AI presents opportunities for students and teachers, but there are also risks such as the privacy and safety of school children.
Australian Minister for Education, Jason Clare
As an educator for more than four decades now, I’ve witnessed the transformative potential of technology in a range of ways. Most recently, I’ve been watching how the use of AI is unfolding within our schools and classrooms. Its arrival brings both exhilarating opportunities and weighty responsibilities. Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT have ignited a new wave of possibilities, empowering students to explore, create, and learn in unprecedented ways. Yet, nestled within this promise lies a crucial dichotomy: the need to harness AI’s potential while safeguarding against its inherent limitations and ethical quandaries.
In this blog post I’m excited to introduce and distill the essence of two recently released national reports that will be useful for educators and school leaders, providing a blueprint to navigate the dynamic landscape of AI integration in education. In the absence of anything like this in the NZ context just yet, these will be really appreciated by many of my NZ educator colleagues who I’ve had asking me about whether such guidance exists that they could use with their staff and conversations with their Boards of Trustees, given the polarising views that often emerge when the topic of AI arises..
These two documents, one from Australia and the other from the UK, offer insights for educators to leverage AI’s potential while upholding ethical considerations and safeguarding against potential risks. By diving into the core principles and guidelines set forth within these documents, you can uncover a roadmap—a balance between harnessing the transformative power of AI and fostering a secure, inclusive, and ethically mindful learning environment.
Released just yesterday, the Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools has been developed to provide guidance and support for schools in understanding and implementing artificial intelligence in education, with a focus on generative AI systems. It seeks to guide the responsible and ethical use of generative AI tools in ways that benefit students, schools, and society, and supports all people connected with school education including school leaders, teachers, support staff, service providers, parents, guardians, students and policy makers.
The framework highlights the immense potential of generative AI in Australian schools for teaching, learning, and administrative tasks, emphasizing the need for guidance and policies to manage privacy, security, and ethical considerations, addressing risks like errors, biases, misuse of information, and inappropriate use of AI-generated content.
The Australian Framework is based around six principles:
- Teaching and Learning: Generative AI tools are used to support and enhance teaching and learning
- Human and social Wellbeing – Generative AI tools are used to benefit all members of the school community
- Transparency: School communities understand how generative AI tools work, how they can be used, and when and how these tools are impacting on them.
- Fairness: Generative AI tools are used in ways that are accessible, fair and respectful.
- Accountability: Generative AI tools are used in ways that are open to challenge and retain human agency and accountability for decisions.
- Privacy, Security and Safety: Students and others using generative AI tools have their privacy and data protected.
As part of the implementation of the Framework, $1 million will be provided to Education Services Australia to establish product expectations for generative AI technology. The Departments of Education in each of the Australian States is now using this framework to develop initiatives for their state – some of which I outlined in a recent FutureMakers newsletter.
The second document is from the UK and is a Summary of Response from their call for evidence on the use of Generative AI in Education.
Earlier this year, the UK’s Department for Education initiated a comprehensive dialogue through a Call for Evidence, engaging educators, EdTech specialists, and AI experts to explore GenAI’s role in education. Feedback revealed that teachers across all education levels are witnessing tangible benefits from GenAI, highlighting opportunities such as time-saving, tailored educational support for diverse student needs, and subject-specific applications.
To further understand GenAI’s potential, the Department launched a GenAI Hackathon project, allowing teachers nationwide to experiment and uncover its educational capabilities.
Not surprisingly, the teachers who responded were predominantly early adopters of GenAI. They largely reported positive experiences, primarily using it to create educational resources, plan lessons, and streamline administrative tasks. Benefits cited were time-saving and enhanced teaching effectiveness, fostering improved engagement and accessibility for students.
However, concerns were also expressed, notably over-reliance by students, academic misconduct, data privacy risks, and the potential to widen educational disparities. While most were optimistic about GenAI’s future in education, a minority expressed strong apprehension, believing risks outweighed benefits.
Respondents sought increased support from the government, emphasising the need for training, improved digital infrastructure, data protection regulations, and curriculum reforms to ensure safe and effective GenAI adoption in education.
The summary of responses in the document are organised into the following themes:
- Experiences using GenAI in education: including the adoption of GenAI among respondents, application of GenAI tools, impact of GenAI tools and challenges to adopting GenAI
- Opportunities for GenAI in education: including attitudes towards GenAI in education and opportunities identified by respondents
- Concerns and risks of GenAI in education: including attitudes towards risks and challenges of GenAI in education and the risks identified by respondents
- Enabling use and future predictions: including supporting educational staff, pupils, parents and other stakeholders and perspectives on the future evolution of GenAI in education
These documents should prove valuable to any school leader, system leader or classroom teacher who is currently grappling with the issues around the use of AI in education – and, indeed, the future use and development of AI tools in general as we prepare our young people for life in the future where there is likely to be even greater and more pervasive use of AI across all areas of our lives.
One reply on “Guidance for educators on AI”
Thank you. I’m keen to know how AI can positively change the ‘Assessment’ burden and influence on quality teaching and learning