Waterford students to become some of the first to use new AI tool for Leaving Cert
Teachers have said 'it will change the landscape'
Waterford students will be some of the first to try out a new AI Leaving Cert tool.
Pulc.AI is a new AI model trained specifically for the Leaving Certificate. The platform gives feedback on essays just like an examiner. Students submit their handwritten essays and get detailed feedback. Teachers can use it to correct the essays of a whole class in minutes.
Pulc.AI was created by Charles Dillon, a maths graduate from Trinity College Dublin, and Dr Cillian Ó Fathaigh, a lecturer in philosophy. After a brief trial across Clare, the AI tool is now being trialled exclusively across Munster, with already 100 Munster students and 20 teachers using it.
The AI allows students to get personalised feedback as many times as they need. Students scan their handwritten essays, which the AI changes to text. Pulc then gives feedback after each paragraph, according to the marking scheme.
Students can then edit their essays online, get more feedback and save these to their account. Teachers can have students submit their essays on the platform, accept or reject the automated feedback and give their own feedback or grade.
Pulc is an effort to show that responsible AI can play a positive role in education. Artificial intelligence has caused major debates in education.
In January, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) published a poll which showed 82 per cent of teachers felt guidance on AI was necessary to respond to the incoming Leaving Certificate reforms.
Cillian, a lecturer, says that the project came from conversations with students and teachers:
“We really think responsible AI can reduce some of the pressure around the Leaving Cert. Students feel under pressure to do grinds, while teachers are already stretched giving as much feedback to students as they can. This is a real problem in our education system, which AI has the potential to address.”
Charles said:
“Our original plan was to trial it in the three counties we went to school in – Clare, Galway and Meath – but since that was announced the response in Munster has been massive, so we’re expanding it further to all the counties in Munster”.
The tool is available for free for students in Waterford. One teacher responded that “The feedback it gives is amazing, it’s going to change the landscape of corrections!”
The founders are now looking for more Waterford teachers and students to try the platform on www.pulc.ai.