Generative AI is weaving its way into the fabric of our daily lives. From answering questions to even creating art, tools like ChatGPT offer accessible and free-to-use support for a wide range of needs.
So it’s not surprising that generative AI has captured the attention of teachers, school leaders and policymakers. Many in the sector are already embracing this technology, with nearly half (42 per cent) of teachers reporting using AI tools to help with their work.
Yet, despite its growing use, there has been little guidance or evidence on how best to utilise tools like ChatGPT in schools in England. There’s a clear need for more information to help make sure that these tools are used effectively and ethically, and without any detrimental impact on teaching quality.
To address some of these gaps, we commissioned the first major trial of teachers’ use of ChatGPT in schools in England. The trial, led by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), focused on one pressing issue: teacher workload.
We wanted to find out if teachers could use Generative AI to reduce the time they spend on tasks like lesson and resource planning, and crucially if time could be saved without negatively affecting quality. We chose to focus initially on ChatGPT because it is free to use and widely available.
This research is one of our innovative Teacher Choices trials, designed to generate timely and robust evidence. Generative AI, as a rapidly evolving area of edtech, is particularly suited to this agile research approach, allowing evidence to be generated more rapidly than more traditional research trials.
Building an evidence base
Over 250 teachers in 68 secondary schools took part in this new trial. Teachers were randomly split into two groups: one used ChatGPT alongside a guide on effective implementation for lesson and resource preparation in Year 7 and 8 science classes. The other acted as a comparison group, who were asked to avoid using generative AI tools for lesson and resource preparation during the trial.
The guide was designed by Bain & Company’s Social Impact practice with input from a number of schools and education charities and funded by The Hg Foundation. Most teachers in the ChatGPT group were positive about the guide, agreeing that it was easy to understand and relevant to their work.
The teachers who were allocated to use ChatGPT in the trial used it to help with tasks that included creating questions and quizzes, generating activity ideas and tailoring existing materials to specific groups of pupils.
Key findings
The findings are promising. Teachers in the ChatGPT group saved 30 per cent of their lesson and resource planning time on average compared to their peers in the comparison group.
This represented 25 minutes per week saved when the total lesson and resource planning time for these year groups was considered. For teachers, this could mean reclaiming valuable time for other tasks – or even a bit more of their evenings.
Of course, saving time is only part of the equation. We also wanted to find out if, alongside the guide, the resources produced with the support of ChatGPT were of a high quality.
As part of the research, a sample of lesson materials and resources was collected from teachers and reviewed by an independent panel. Reassuringly, no noticeable difference in quality was identified between the two groups and this was also supported by the teachers’ perceived quality of their own work.
However, this finding was based on a limited sample. While promising therefore, it should be treated with caution and points to where further work is needed.
This trial is just the beginning. As generative AI continues to evolve at a rapid pace, its role in education is likely to grow. We need more research to understand how different AI tools can support teachers across different subjects, key stages and tasks. This will help us to establish where generative AI can be most useful, but just as importantly, where it isn’t.
In the meantime, any teachers, schools or trusts who are exploring the use of generative AI to support their work can make use of the free guide that was used in the trial.
Read the full evaluation report ‘ChatGPT in lesson preparation’ here
