Are you interested in transforming the future teaching and learning environment through responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI)? The provision of constructive, relevant, and timely feedback is essential to student learning. The emergence of large language models and other digital solutions are enabling feedback to be generated automatically as well as aid in the assessment of student work. However, determining the most appropriate use cases, tools, and the metrics by which to evaluate the performance remain open areas of research.
This project will explore the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of AI in higher education, specifically in the areas of feedback and assessment. This PhD researcher will have the opportunity to directly influence the trajectory of the adoption and use of AI within the School of Engineering. Research will include both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Essential aspects include:
• Scalability/sustainability: This project should also consider how AI can help deliver feedback for large cohorts in a timely and personalised way
• Personalisation/Inclusion: How AI can be used to adapt to the diverse needs of individual learners
Two recently completed projects in partnership with the School of Education and Birmingham Business School 1) Feedback in the digital age: preparing for the new academic teaching year and 2) Learning from each other: a route to integrity and accessibility in online assessment, will provide an initial knowledge base for the successful candidate to build upon. The Birmingham Environment for Academic Research (BEAR) provides an ideal computing environment to conduct this research, with access to BlueBEAR - the University supercomputer and other HPC services, as well as training and coaching.
Candidate requirements:
Essential:
• Have, or expected to attain, an undergraduate degree (2:1 or higher) and preferably a Master's degree in engineering, computer science, statistics, education or a related field.
• Familiarity with at least one programming language (python preferred).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
Desirable:
• Equivalent experience using artificial intelligence (e.g. machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, etc.).
• Experience providing feedback and assessment in education.
Application Details
Eligible applicants should first make an informal enquiry to Dr. Aziza Mahomed [Email Address Removed] or Dr. Daniel Donaldson [Email Address Removed] with the subject line 'Prospective PhD Student', including the following:
• A brief statement explaining your motivation for pursuing a PhD and why you would like to undertake this research (1-page A4 maximum).
• CV containing academic record and relevant experience.
• Contact details for two referees
School of Engineering, at the University of Birmingham, has strong commitments to diversity and equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age, providing they meet the required criteria.
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