Village Voice News: Ms. Abrams, can you tell us more about this new AI tutor that STEMGuyana has unveiled?
Karen Abrams: Certainly. Our new AI tutor is designed to transform the educational landscape for students in grades 1 to 10 across Guyana. It’s embedded as an advanced feature within the IDBLab-sponsored software, enhancing the Learning Pod after-school tutoring program that we initially developed to address the educational disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Village Voice News: What specific features does this AI tutor offer?
Karen Abrams: The AI tutor is designed to align with the Ministry of Education’s curriculum for K–12th grade learners. It offers several innovative features, including reading lessons aloud, integrating tutorial videos, and providing real-time feedback to student questions. Additionally, it includes an embedded quiz-correction feature, offering corrections and detailed explanations at a grade-appropriate level. These features facilitate a truly customized educational experience for each student.
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Village Voice News: How do you see this AI tutor impacting the educational experience for students and teachers?
Karen Abrams: Our goal is to scale high-quality tutoring across all our programs for children and parents, many of whom are struggling with literacy challenges. This AI tutor is not just a technological advancement; it is a source of hope. It aims to extend the capabilities of excellent teachers by providing consistent, high-quality educational support, enabling students to learn at their own pace, anytime, anywhere. It effectively offers every student access to a highly trained, top-quality personal teacher.
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Village Voice News: What steps are being taken to ensure the AI tutor meets the diverse needs of Guyanese learners?
Karen Abrams: Before its official rollout, the AI tutor will undergo rigorous testing with six groups of learners. This phase is crucial for assessing its impact on student engagement and academic outcomes and for fine-tuning the system. Additionally, the effectiveness of the Learning Pod AI tutoring assistant is the subject of a University of Florida Ed-Tech dissertation, ensuring a thorough evaluation.
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Village Voice News: What are the plans for the AI tutor after the testing phase?
Karen Abrams: Following a successful testing phase scheduled for the summer of 2024, we plan to extend access to the AI tutor across all Learning Pods and STEM clubs nationwide. This will make this cutting-edge educational tool available to every student, regardless of their geographical location, ensuring that all students can benefit from high-quality educational support.
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Village Voice News: Is this project a partnership with the Ministry of Education?
Karen Abrams: This project is a partnership with the IDBLab as a part of the Learning Pod project sponsorship. However, the Ministry of Education has been somewhat supportive of our work.
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Village Voice News: Can you tell us a bit more about STEMGuyana and its mission?
Karen Abrams: STEMGuyana is an Education-Technology organization committed to enhancing STEM education across Guyana, particularly focusing on underserved communities. Through partnerships with organizations like IDBLab and other public and private organizations, we seek to empower, prepare and inspire the next generation of leaders and thinkers who will drive the nation’s development forward. Our mission is to provide equitable access to high-quality education and to foster a culture of innovation and excellence among Guyanese students.