University of Birmingham (UoB) postgraduate students Manjinder Kainth, Robert Stanyon, and George Bartlett have launched 6 Bit Education, an AI-based marking system that ‘learns how maths, physics and statistics teachers give feedback,’ meaning that they don’t have to mark the same answer twice, thus reducing teacher workload.
The ‘brainchild’ of staff (Dr Austin Tomlinson, Dr Jon Watkins, and Professor Nicola Wilkin) and postgraduate students (Kainth, Stanyon, and Bartlett) from the university’s theoretical physics department, 6 Bit Education’s complex algorithm ‘identifies where the students’ workings deviate from the correct method, and provides step-by-step feedback.’
PhD students have the opportunity to teach first year students and mark work, and so the 6 Bit Education team tested the system in their own teaching. In the first year of use, they found that it reduced the marking workload by up to 84%. Kainth, now CEO of 6 Bit Education, noted that ‘40% of teachers quit within 5 years of starting […] and workload is the most commonly cited reason.’
40% of teachers quit within 5 years of starting […] and workload is the most commonly cited reason
The system accepts digital and handwritten submissions, providing colour-coded feedback that can be proofread by the teacher before returning it to the student. Furthermore, 6 Bit also presents teachers with a summary demonstrating where students are commonly making mistakes. This feature thus allows teachers to create lesson plans more tailored to their students’ needs.
Kainth observed that providing essential feedback to students is an expensive venture for universities, noting that ‘universities spend £2.3bn a year paying postgraduates to give feedback,’ which therefore prevents time for ‘more valuable teaching activities such as face to face contact.’
6 Bit Education has since received funding from This Seed Investment – introduced to the company by University of Birmingham Enterprise, the university’s service for ‘academic innovators’ to help launch spinout companies like 6 Bit. This funding will allow the company to get the system ready for wider usage by universities and secondary schools. Looking to the future, 6 Bit is ‘currently looking for schools who want to partner with us,’ as they aim to enter the secondary education market.
Like this article? Here are more from News:
Corbyn Supports NUS Tuition Fee Refund Campaign
Local NHS Highlights The Importance Of Friendship for National Learning Disabilities Week
Student Nurses Face Premature Cuts to Contracts as the Pandemic Passes its Peak
Comments