Technology contributed to overcoming the effects of the “pandemic”

British schools use artificial intelligence to determine the levels of their students

• The Century project was launched in 2013. Archive

• The smart application determines the needs of the student and the teacher.

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Platforms that assess students and guide teachers on how to improve lesson plans are becoming widely used.

Pupils and teachers of a school in Birmingham use the "Century" educational app.

After a year of turmoil due to "Covid-19", a computer program developed by Century, an online education company based in London, will help;

Teachers design lessons and take care of each student using artificial intelligence.

The app, which St. John's School students also used during the closure, assessed each student's strengths and weaknesses based on how quickly and accurately they answered questions, whether related to English, math or science.

Century's algorithms then provide the information to the teacher and make plans for future lessons.

The company, which was founded in 2013, says that long periods of home learning, due to the pandemic, have helped spread its application, as it is now used by 800,000 students in the United Kingdom, across schools, including government, such as “St John’s.” » and elite independent schools, such as Eton College and Cutsmore School.

Technology use

"We are no longer in beta, that's for sure," said Century CEO Priya Lakanen. ;

And schools are turning this into a norm.”

The app, too, has been adopted by parents who have been looking for ways to help their children over the past year.

“I found the AI-driven aspect of it really attractive, as my daughter can see her educational path and progress,” said Eugene Daber, who enrolled his nine-year-old daughter in the Century app last year. It really motivated her, because it enabled her to understand the gaps and her successes at the same time.”

The rise of artificial intelligence

The rise of artificial intelligence in education comes as students and teachers still grapple with the long-term effects of the pandemic on learning. Research published in June showed that first-year students in the United Kingdom achieved a lower level in reading and mathematics, compared to 2019. The Principal of St John's School, Laura Butcher, adopted the "Century" application as part of an ongoing experiment for four years. And when the pandemic hit last spring, it became an essential home-learning tool not just for her students, but for all of the 900 students at the Quest Trust, which operates four public elementary schools in Wigen.

“Staff and students confirm that the app is really effective, it gives us real-time intelligence in a much faster way,” Butcher said. They give something and then they go to each student, the app gives the teacher the adaptability and flexibility to present the information in a different way.”

Century's annual subscription fee ranged from £2,500 to £12,000 per school, depending on the number of students using the app.

Even after making the app's core features freely available during the pandemic, Century's revenue and number of co-educational schools have doubled since March 2020, along with an overall jump of 400% in the number of users of its system.

At Eton College, AI is tested by Century, in English lessons, providing teachers with detailed feedback on students' progress.

Light speed

“The main challenge for any teacher is figuring out where a coherent group of students is in their learning,” said Johnny Knox, head of Teaching and Learning at Eton College. “AI is doing all of this at lightning speed.

Within two weeks, I had data and learning about the students’ study habits, which usually takes at least two months to collect.”

And educators should routinely ask about technology that supports AI's learning recommendations, said Rose Luken, an education technology expert at University College London.

"There are hundreds of examples where AI systems were inaccurate, and it required a human to intervene," she said.

• The rise of artificial intelligence in education comes as students and teachers are still grappling with the long-term effects of the pandemic on learning.

• 800,000 students in the United Kingdom use the "Century" smart application.

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