Hosted at The University of the West Indies, Western Jamaica Campus, educators from Ministry of Education’s regions three (St Ann and Trelawny) and four (St James, Westmoreland, Hanover) participated in a recent workshop aimed at exploring the practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom.

The workshop provided a platform for approximately 60 teachers spanning infant/basic, primary, and secondary levels to explore related topics.

Dubbed ‘Artificial Intelligence: An Orientation and Exploration of its Classroom Applications’, participants were engaged in interactive sessions, discussions, and brainstorming related to how newly developed AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Bard, could be used in educational practices.

Professor Daniel Coore from the Department of Computing, Faculty of Science and Technology at The UWI, Mona, emphasised the importance of familiarising teachers with Generative AI tools.

“The mainstreaming of Generative AI presents many possibilities for enhancing teaching methodologies, but also some threats to student learning and assessment. The AI workshop aimed to sensitise secondary level teachers to the capabilities of the most common Generative AI tools and to empower them to incorporate such tools into their day-to-day teaching practice,” he said.

The workshop also featured other distinguished guests including Veniesha Morgridge, education officer, Region 3, and Dr Michele Pinnock, regional director, Region 4. Both speakers encouraged the educators to use the knowledge acquired to make the classroom a better place for them.

Reflecting on the workshop, Tanisha Stewart, educator at Higgins Land Primary and Junior High School, shared: “The workshop was enlightening, informative, practical, and amazing. It was a fantastic experience and I am excited to share the knowledge gathered with my colleagues as well as use it to improve my teaching practice.”

Dr Andrew Lee, executive director of e-Learning Jamaica Company Limited, commended the collaborative effort that made the workshop possible, expressing his optimism for the future of AI integration in education.

With the successful second staging following an inaugural event in August 2023, organisers and participants alike are poised to continue driving innovation and excellence in Jamaican education through the strategic integration of artificial intelligence.