The programme will be extended to 300 teachers across the country, supporting educators in their day-to-day work.
Supported by US edtech company Merlyn Mind and Trinity College Dublin’s The Learnovate Centre, 48 primary and secondary schools in Ireland have signed up to be a part of an artificial intelligence (AI) pilot programme.
Phase one of the Irish pilot scheme during the academic year has just ended, with researchers set to incorporate feedback from teachers and students into the technology as they prepare for phase two, which will begin at the start of the 2025 academic year.
The hope is that the success of the project will encourage additional schools to implement the technology into the classroom.
The tool will be made available to 300 teachers across the region, who can leverage the technology to give their students an interactive learning experience, as well as personalise teaching.
Additionally, educators will be able to streamline repetitive and administrative tasks, as well as create lesson plans, generate grading rubrics and facilitate student to teacher feedback. Unique voice-controlled technology that allows teachers to operate their computer-based devices hands-free will free them up to work directly with students.
Merlyn Mind is a New York-based edtech, which was founded in 2018 and aims to create AI solutions for the classroom, that make learning a fun, engaging, interactive and more streamlined experience, for students and their teachers. With additional offices in California and India, the Irish pilot project is the largest trial of the Merlyn Origin AI assistant outside of North America.
Commenting on the news of the programme, Jason Mayland, the vice president of International Business Development at Merlyn Mind, said, “We’re extremely excited to begin piloting our Merlyn Origin AI assistant in 48 schools across Ireland. This is the largest trial of our technology in classrooms outside North America where we’ve already seen Merlyn Origin produce fantastic results in terms of reducing technostress and time teachers spend on administrative tasks.
“We’re grateful to The Learnovate Centre, with whom we are a patron member, for its support on this project, which is a key milestone on our journey to bring Merlyn Mind to the European market.”
Learnovate’s head of membership services Dave Farrelly added, “Learnovate is delighted to partner with Merlyn Mind on this pilot scheme for its AI assistant for teachers.
“AI has vast potential to revolutionise the classroom experience, which is why Learnovate is committed to supporting cutting-edge research in this area. It’s important that we fully embrace this technology so that we maximise the benefits for teachers and learners.”
Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.
