A new platform designed to tackle the growing problem of AI-generated homework is set to roll out to more independent and Church secondary schools after a successful pilot at St Martin’s.
Mikea Dimech, CEO of Hedgehog Education, tells WhosWho.mt that teachers and students alike have responded well to the platform since it was launched for Year 9 (Form 3) physics lessons at the start of the third scholastic year.
“The teachers were skeptical at first because they saw it as a challenge to their long-held teaching practice, but eventually they realised that the platform can enable better learning outcomes by engaging students better and allow teachers to track their progress,” he said.
The platform was set up in response to the phenomenon of students using ChatGPT and other AI tools to do their homework.
Hedgehog Director of Education Miguel Micallef, a physics teacher, said he grew frustrated as students consistently handed in flawless homework but were unable to explain their answers when questioned in person.
“The learning that was going on was very shallow,” Mr Dimech explained.
A survey among Year 9 St Martin’s students found that 97.8 per cent of them were using AI tools to help with their homework, with 73.9 per cent turning to ChatGPT when stuck on a problem.
However, 76.1 per cent of students admitted to feeling some guilt or discomfort about using AI for homework.
Hedgehog’s platform allows teachers to upload exercises, which students can complete at home or at school. It gives students ample space to work out the questions, while an AI assistant is on hand to guide them without spoon-feeding them the answer entirely.
Teachers can monitor the platform and track their students’ progress, including the questions they ask the AI assistant to guide them to the correct answers.
While students can still use ChatGPT to generate answers, the platform is designed to make it easier for teachers to identify whether they genuinely understand the material.
“There is no mechanism that can police students against using AI, but this platform allows teachers to see whether students are finishing exercises in 30 seconds and producing perfect responses,” Mr Dimech said.
The Hedgehog Education platform
“Teachers can also see how many attempts it took students to get to the right answer, which then allows them to spot the outliers. It’s a baked-in way of addressing the problem.”
Mr Dimech said students have responded extremely positively to the platform, reporting that it has helped them better understand physics, enjoy the subject more and asking for it to be extended to other subjects.
He confirmed that Hedgehog will be rolled out to other independent and church schools next scholastic year, and its scope will be widened to include other science subjects and maths.
Plans are also in the works to expand it to intermediate and A level subjects.
Mr Dimech stressed that the goal behind this platform isn’t to police students or catch them out when using AI but to improve the learning experience.
“Homework has been problematic for a while, and AI is just exposing the underlying educational issues,” he pointed out.
