Artificial Intelligence
AI in Education: Transforming Singapore’s education system with student learning space
21 January 2025
Can AI tools like SLS transform education while maintaining the human touch that makes learning meaningful?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many schools were forced to shift to home-based learning to stem the spread of the virus. This led to a greater necessity to develop more sophisticated and well-rounded online learning platforms to:
cater to students’ learning needs; and
meet teachers’ expectations for more efficient ways to plan lessons and track students' development.
Combined with the need to stay up-to-date with the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Ministry of Education (MOE), in collaboration with GovTech, launched the Student Learning Space (SLS) in 2018, with substantial and consistent upgrades—including AI-enabled tools—in its features over the years.
Such efforts are in line with the “Transforming Education through Technology” (EdTech) Masterplan 2030, launched in September 2023 by MOE. This plan envisions "Technology-transformed learning, to prepare students for a technology-transformed world," reflecting MOE’s commitment to adapting teaching methods to the digital age.
Through this master plan, MOE seeks to impart students with digital literacy, support diverse learning needs, and equip students with the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly complex, tech-driven world.
Let's explore the benefits of integrating AI into education, and discover some of the Student Learning Space's new AI-enabled features such as Authoring Copilot (ACP), Short Answer Feedback Assistant (ShortAnsFA), and more.
What is the Student Learning Space?
The Student Learning Space (SLS) is a platform that aims to enrich students' learning through technology. Accessible to all school teachers and students in the national school system, SLS offers high-quality, curriculum-aligned resources across major subjects from primary to pre-university levels. The platform continually evolves with input from users, integrating feedback and updating in line with educational needs and policy.
Benefits of AI in Education in Singapore
Personalised Learning for Students
AI customises learning paths based on each student's strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. It then provides adaptive and tailored instruction that enhances individual understanding and mastery. This allows students to learn at their own pace with AI as a guiding mentor or tool for them to use.
Increased Engagement with Content
Through interactive simulations, multimedia, and gamified content, AI-driven platforms make learning more immersive. This has the potential to engage students better and motivate them to actively participate and do their work.
More Inclusivity and Accessibility
AI can bring about greater inclusivity by catering to diverse learning needs and styles. It can do so by offering content in various formats (visual, auditory, etc.), speech-to-text, and text-to-speech functions to support all students, regardless of learning preferences or abilities.
More Time and Attention for Students
AI automates routine administrative tasks like attendance and grading, and speeds up lesson planning. This enables teachers to focus more on direct student interaction and mentorship, while identifying students who may be struggling and offering them personalised attention.
Adaptive Learning System (ALS)
The Adaptive Learning System (ALS), integrated into the SLS platform, is an AI-enabled educational system developed by MOE and GovTech.
Currently available for Mathematics (Upper Primary) and Geography (Upper Secondary), ALS uses machine learning to deliver personalised learning pathways tailored to each student’s unique needs. It guides students through a curriculum that adapts to their progress and mastery levels.
Key Features and Benefits of the Adaptive Learning System (ALS)
Personalised Learning Pathways
ALS adjusts to each student’s needs by offering multiple learning pathways within each subject. Students can choose topics and ALS will recommend tailored resources, practice questions, and feedback based on their understanding and readiness.
Self-Directed Learning Tools
ALS offers students self-directed learning options. They can access ALS independently to review topics before class, receive motivational prompts, and prepare for assessments. For test preparation, students can select the "Test Myself" mode where they can assess their level of understanding.
Feedback and Support
ALS generates feedback. If a student gives a wrong answer, ALS may offer hints or explanations to help them understand their mistake before they try again. The system's automated feedback must be vetted by teachers who can also modify or add feedback to enhance it further.
Teacher-Integrated Dashboard
Through the Learning Progress Dashboard, teachers receive data-driven insights into each student’s progress and concept mastery. This enables teachers to make informed decisions like recommending specific topics and curating personalised learning experiences for every student.
Saves Time for More Important Tasks
ALS minimises the time teachers spend on routine assessments and administrative tasks, freeing them up for more meaningful interactions. Teachers can now focus on building relationships, providing social-emotional support, and cultivating a holistic learning environment.
Scalability and Subject Expansion
ALS is designed to grow, with plans to introduce more topics and levels across various subjects. This scalability ensures that the system can support a broader range of learning needs as it evolves.
Authoring Copilot (ACP)
The Authoring Copilot (ACP) is an AI-driven tool (also on SLS) designed by educators for educators and helps to streamline lesson planning for teachers across all subjects and levels. Leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs), ACP helps educators turn their lesson ideas into fully realised digital lessons by automating lesson components, activities, and assessments based on the teacher’s text-based inputs. Teachers can then make the necessary edits to further modify lesson plans. This powerful tool enhances teaching by creating a more efficient and flexible approach to lesson design.
Key Features of Authoring Copilot (ACP)
AI-Generated Lesson Plan
ACP transforms initial lesson ideas into structured activities. It suggests an organised flow with recommended components such as MCQs, free-response, polls, and discussion prompts. Teachers can quickly select, add, and adjust components, creating engaging digital lessons within minutes.
Customisable Knowledge Base Integration
ACP can tailor activities further by anchoring them to a teacher-curated Knowledge Base. By uploading relevant content, like a textbook chapter, ACP can generate related activities such as summaries, quizzes, and comprehension tasks, ensuring lessons are comprehensive and curriculum-aligned.
Smart Editing, Flexibility, and Tagging
Teachers can modify generated quizzes or assessments to align with specific learning outcomes. Moreover, teachers can also tag lesson content with specific learning objectives or methods, increasing the likelihood of ACP generating content that aligns with teachers’ specific goals and approaches.
Supports Different File Types (Future Capability)
Currently, the Knowledge Base feature only supports text-based materials. Upcoming updates will include handling of images, PDFs, and transcribed video content, expanding the range of resources teachers can integrate to expand the Knowledge Base.
Short Answer Feedback Assistant (ShortAnsFA)
The Short Answer Feedback Assistant (ShortAnsFA) is another AI-enabled tool on the SLS platform that streamlines the feedback process for students. Designed to work across a range of subjects and levels, ShortAnsFA provides fast, personalised feedback for free-response, short-answer questions. By generating preliminary feedback and suggested scores based on a predefined mark scheme, ShortAnsFA helps teachers reduce the time spent on grading, freeing them to focus on other teaching activities and more detailed student guidance.
Key Features of Short Answer Feedback Assistant (ShortAnsFA)
Instant AI-Generated Feedback
Teachers must vet the immediate draft feedback generated to student answers and responses before they are shown to students. Teachers can also refine or expand the comments as necessary. This helps students understand their mistakes or areas for improvement.
Versatility Across Subjects and Levels
ShortAnsFA can be used for most subjects and grade levels. The assistant is suited for close-ended, short-answer questions, but not mathematical computation-based questions, where the nuances of problem-solving and step-by-step workings require a different feedback approach.
Time-Efficient Workflow
By automating the initial feedback phase, ShortAnsFA enables teachers to redirect valuable time from grading back to other essential teaching and learning tasks. This efficiency speeds up the feedback cycle and gives teachers more time to engage with students on a deeper level.
Data Assistant (DAT)
The Data Assistant (DAT) is another AI-driven tool on the SLS platform designed to simplify the analysis and interpretation of student data (answers). With DAT, teachers can gain real-time insights into student understanding and engagement across various response formats, including free-response questions, interactive tools, and discussion forums. DAT allows teachers to adapt their strategies by focusing on topics that most students struggle with, improving overall learning outcomes for all students.
Key Features of Data Assistant (DAT)
Analysis of Student Responses
Teachers can analyse student responses to questions, the Interactive Thinking Tool (ITT), and discussion boards. They can then ask custom questions to identify themes, common misconceptions, and patterns in student responses, making it easier to assess learning progress.
Flexible Follow-up Actions
Follow-up options allow teachers to filter and cluster students based on specific criteria like performance levels. Teachers can then add comments for students or tag responses. This clustered approach makes it easy to respond to individual needs and offer targeted support.
Integration with Existing Tools
DAT seamlessly integrates with other SLS features, such as the Short Answer Feedback Assistant (ShortAnsFA). Teachers can pull feedback from ShortAnsFA into DAT for deeper analysis or class-level interventions, making it easier to gather comprehensive insights.
User-Friendly Interface and Customisable Queries
With an easy-to-navigate interface, DAT requires no technical expertise or coding. Teachers can select pre-made “recipes” for data analysis or customise queries to align with specific lesson objectives or teaching goals.
Appraiser Testimonial Generator
The Appraiser Testimonial Generator Tool is an AI-powered application built by GovTech in collaboration with MOE. Created to streamline the process of writing student testimonials by teachers, Appraiser significantly reduces the time spent in drafting personalised and well-structured testimonials. Instead of spending hours manually writing each testimonial, teachers can now use the tool to generate a polished first draft within minutes. This efficiency has benefited more than 4,000 teachers, with over 40,000 testimonials generated to date.
Key Features of the Appraiser Testimonial Generator
Rapid Draft Creation
Generates a full-length, well-structured testimonial draft in minutes, significantly cutting down on the time required to compose student testimonials.
High-Quality Writing
Powered by ChatGPT, the Appraiser tool generates text with perfect grammar and offers vocabulary and phrasing variations, preventing the testimonials from sounding templated or repetitive.
User-Friendly Design
As part of the LaunchPad ecosystem, Appraiser is built with a straightforward interface that requires minimal training, allowing teachers to adopt the tool quickly and effectively.
Potential Risks of Using AI
Examples of potential risks of using AI:
Privacy and Personal Data Protection | Students’ and teachers’ consent for data collection and usage may be overlooked, raising privacy concerns. There is also the risk of data breaches and unauthourised access, potentially exposing sensitive information. |
Accuracy and Validity of AI-Generated Answers | AI "hallucinations" may lead to inaccurate or fabricated information. Ongoing improvements are needed to minimise errors and ensure more factually accurate AI responses. |
Inherent Bias in AI Systems | AI systems may inadvertently reflect cultural or societal biases. It is essential for AI to be trained on inclusive and representative datasets to reduce the risk of biased and potentially harmful outputs. |
Over-Reliance on AI Tools | Excessive use of AI may reduce human interaction and lower the need for social connections. Our education system recognises that human interaction is a fundamental part of learning and continues to create social connections through collaborative learning. Ultimately, AI should complement classroom efforts to build social skills and connections, and not seek to replace these human interactions. |
Transparency and Accountability | The complexity of AI models can make it difficult to understand how decisions are made. Hence, transparency over how AI collects data is needed to instil trust in the system and having clear accountability structures helps ensure ethical boundaries are not crossed. |
If Singapore seeks to keep its future workforce competitive and in high demand, there is no doubt that the current and future generations must develop in-demand skills that may involve utilising AI. The government recognises the importance of this and is preparing today’s students to embrace technology and be adaptable. This aligns with the EdTech Masterplan 2030 and the need to integrate AI in education here in Singapore.
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