Department of Education must 'move quickly' with guidance on use of AI
The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) warned that Ireland cannot be a “laggard” when it comes to providing advice to teachers on the risks and opportunities of using AI in the classroom. File photo: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie
The country's biggest secondary school teachers union has called on the Department of Education to “move quickly” to provide practical advice to teachers and learners on the safe, ethical and effective use of AI to support teaching and learning.
The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) warned that Ireland cannot be a “laggard” when it comes to providing advice to teachers on the risks and opportunities of using AI in the classroom.
The State Exams Commission (SEC) has updated documentation relating to coursework for the State exams to include instructions concerning material generated by AI Systems.
The instruction from the SEC makes clear that any material generated by AI systems will be treated in the same way as any other material that the candidate has not generated themselves.
Including it without quoting it as the work of an AI system will be considered plagiarism, which can result in the forfeit of all marks for the coursework component.
A spokesperson for the SEC said in order to maintain the integrity of the examination process and ensure fairness, the State Examinations Commission has procedures in place to ensure that coursework is authentic.
They said coursework must be completed under the supervision of the class teacher who can be in a position to verify that the work is the candidate’s own work.
The spokesperson added that where any material generated by AI systems is included in a coursework submission and is properly quoted or referenced, no credit will be awarded for any of that material itself.
“Credit can only be awarded for the effective use of this material in the support or development of the candidate’s own work. This is the established practice that already applies to the inclusion of quoted material, (whether that be text, images, or other forms of material,) created by human authors,” they said.
An ASTI spokesperson said AI is already having a transformative impact on education systems across the world and it is “absolutely critical” that the Government provide leadership on the issue.
“A recent UNESCO Report warned that the fast pace of change in technology is making it difficult for schools and wider education systems to keep abreast with both the pace and the nature of the changes underway.
“Ireland cannot be a laggard when it comes to providing advice to teachers on risks and opportunities of using AI in the classroom. Teachers and students are already experimenting with AI across all subject areas,” they said.
Last month, plans to introduce teacher-based assessment as part of a shake-up of Leaving Cert exams were shelved due to concerns over the impact of AI.
The move was welcomed by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) who said significantly more research is needed to explore the challenges and opportunities surrounding the rapidly developing area of AI.
