Lianhe Zaobao, 工教院学生研发AI项目 为学习困难找方法助力儿童与青少年

(Translation)

To help children with dyslexia, students who are progressing more slowly in their studies, and teachers design more inclusive lessons, a group of Institute of Technical Education (ITE) students used artificial intelligence (AI) to find solutions to these real-world challenges.

This was the aim of the D.A.R.E. Community pilot programme jointly launched by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and ITE. The pilot started in January this year, with SUTD students serving as mentors, guiding 24 ITE students over four months, using AI to turn creative ideas into working prototypes aimed at solving real-world problems.

Kenneth Yeong, 18, who is studying IT Systems and Networks at ITE College West, designed a platform called IncluTeach, where teachers can create personalised student profiles and set up groups within the system. When preparing lessons, they can select the relevant student profile or group, specify the learning objectives and topic, and upload documents such as test papers and marking rubrics. The system then automatically generates a targeted lesson plan. Teachers can also adjust and edit the lesson plan generated.

Kenneth said: “Most AI tools can only generate content based on prompts given at that moment. I wanted to create a platform that could generate lesson plans based on individual students’ needs and profiles, to help educators better support students with learning difficulties or different needs.”

SUTD student mentor Teo En Ki, 21, a second-year Computer Science and Design student who took part in the pilot as a mentor, said she was willing to share her design experience and knowledge with the younger students and help them resolve technical problems.

She said: “The students were all very proactive, had many ideas, and worked hard to gather feedback from their target users to continuously improve their prototypes. I used to focus more on technical development. Their enthusiasm encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and pay greater attention to user feedback when designing.”

Kevin Phuah, 30, founder of education guidance and consultancy company True Dream, who chanced upon Kenneth’s IncluTeach, said: “When students develop educational products, they usually think about what students need and how they will use them. It is rare to see them think from a teacher’s perspective and solve the problem in this way. I drew inspiration from his solution and went on to improve my company’s internal software based on it.”

Other ITE students also used AI to design platforms to help children and youths facing learning difficulties.

Ryka Natasha, 18, and Genelle Yew, 18, who are studying Communication Design at ITE College Central, also took part in the pilot. Ryka learnt from her mother, an early childhood educator, that some children face difficulties with language and communication. She and Genelle therefore designed a tool that could help these children.

With the help of AI, they developed a prototype learning website called TinyTrail, which uses gamification to help students with dyslexia practise reading and writing. The prototype has three components: typing, spelling and listening as well as reading. Teachers can upload classroom content such as words, stories or learning materials to the website, which then generates interactive reading exercises suitable for students with special needs.

Ryka said that they were invited by the Dyslexia Association of Singapore to share the project with educators, parents and industry practitioners. They received considerable encouragement and feedback, and hoped to add more features in future and introduce the tool in schools.

Andrei Yeo, 17, who is studying cybersecurity at ITE College West, wanted to help his classmates who were progressing slower in their studies. He developed a prototype platform that broke down learning materials containing large amounts of information into digestible content, helping them understand the material and keep up with their studies.

He said: “Some classmates are unable to learn through traditional methods such as taking notes or copying things down. I wanted to present the knowledge through personalised comparisons based on things they are interested in and that are related to everyday life, so that it is easier for them to understand and remember. I hope no student will be left behind, and that everyone will have the opportunity to continue their education.”

Andrei said the prototype platform has an AI chat window that helps students convert school learning materials into shorter formats that are better suited to individual learning. It can also generate quizzes, answers and study suggestions, and includes a leaderboard to give students greater motivation to learn.

At the time of the report, about 50 students had tried Andrei’s prototype, and some saw their grades improve by one level after using it.