Can AI take teaching 'out of the Victorian ages'?

In a class of 30 children, no two learn the same way and a teacher does not have time to instruct them all differently. But artificial intelligence does - and across the East of England it is being used to modernise and personalise education. The aim is to ensure no child gets left behind and that learning is engaging, but how can teachers ensure the technology is not abused?

In a hangar at West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmunds lies an XR Virtual Reality Lab.

This £2m futuristic-looking pod, built using government funding, uses AI to create virtual 3D worlds that students can access through headsets or tablets, immersing them in their subjects. It also "gamifies" the curriculum to engage students.

It is the pride and joy of Nikos Savvas, the chief executive of the Eastern Education Group which operates several colleges in the region.

He says: "We teach in an antiquated way which only works for the minority. We need to move out of the Victorian ages. Why can't learning be fun?"

Mr Savvas believes most people learn best through experience.

"We tested this with primary school children. They were taught traditionally about ancient Egypt and then asked to write about it.

"Next, they were given a headset which allowed them to walk through the pyramids in a virtual world. You should have heard their shrieks of joy.

"When they wrote about Egypt for a second time, the difference was incredible."

The technology is used for many courses. For example, engineering students can meet in a virtual room and work together to build a plane engine.

Tom Lloyd, who runs the lab, says "it gives them confidence and experience before working with real parts, which are expensive and can be difficult to access".

But is there a danger that students, who already live in a screen-reliant society, will be over-stimulated by yet more gamification? Mr Savvas believes that done properly, the answer is 'no'.

But teachers understand this technology can be abused. Some students ask AI to write entire essays for them.

"Students must be taught to use AI responsibly," Mr Lewis says. "I say to them, 'Use it, like you'd use me.' 'Ask it questions for research, but don't expect it to do the work for you.'"

The college is setting up an AI Board, which will review the work of anyone thought to have taken unreasonable advantage of the technology.

Students will have to present their knowledge of the subject to staff to ensure they understand it. Across the region, teachers feel this process will become more common.

Teachers accept that artificial intelligence is here to stay. The challenge is how to harness its potential while avoiding the pitfalls.

The Department for Education is still investigating how AI will change learning and teaching in order to develop a future policy.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: "It's crucial we get our approach to it right.

"It's heartening that many education professionals are already seeing the tangible benefits of AI while remaining alert to its risks."