National Consultation Advances Teacher-in-the-Loop AI Initiative in India

The Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA), the Asian regional centre of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), hosted a significant national consultation on the Teacher-in-the-Loop AI project’s India chapter on 25 November 2024 in New Delhi, India. Held in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the initiative seeks to empower secondary school educators to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) for designing personalised learning aids tailored to individual student needs. 

The event, attended by over 50 participants, predominantly subject teachers and education experts, focused on leveraging AI to enhance Grade 9 mathematics instruction. The consultation marked a critical step in promoting the development of teacher-led Open Educational Resources (OERs) to benefit the broader educational community. 

Dr B. Shadrach commenced the session, welcoming attendees and outlining the objectives and modalities of the discussions. Dr. Venkataraman Balaji, Vice President of COL, highlighted the transformative potential of AI in education, emphasising its synergy with OERs. He underscored how Indian institutions innovated in Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) in AI through services like Anusaaraka, a machine translation technique developed in the 1990’s. He also referred to the recent 3rd UNESCO World OER Congress in Dubai, which emphasised the growing role of AI in education.

Dr. Betty Ogange, Education Specialist at COL, shared insights into COL’s AI initiatives, particularly in the Pacific region and Ghana, where similar pilot projects are underway. She stressed the importance of these studies in shaping future global implementations. Participants were introduced to COL’s AI-integrated OER platform by Dr. Ashish Agarwal, who demonstrated the HITL design for educators.

Eminent experts, including Dr Biswajit Saha, Director, CBSE; Dr Amarendra P Behera, Joint Director, Central Institute of Educational Technology under the NCERT; Mr Mrutyunjaya Behera, Economic Advisor, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India; Dr Rajeev Kumar Singh, Director, National Institute of Open Schooling; and Dr Sitansu S Jena, Professor and Dean of School of Vocational Studies at Dr B. R. Ambedkar University, Delhi, shared valuable perspectives on AI integration in teaching. 

The meeting featured plenary and group discussions to address challenges in mathematics education and participatory project planning. Attendees shared experiences and explored solutions, underlining the promising role of AI in creating inclusive, adaptive learning environments. 

The consultation concluded with a shared vision for scaling the project and enhancing AI’s role in fostering equitable and innovative education.