Debated in Parliament on 3 Nov 2021.
Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Education with regard to the proposed Artificial Intelligence (AI) marking system for English subject assignments on the online Student Learning Space (SLS), what safeguards will be in place to ensure automated marking does not undermine the potential for students' writing to develop creativity, cadence, personality and flair.
Our use of educational technology aims to complement and not dilute our teachers' central role in guiding students to learn and master different subjects, especially for higher-level skills. For instance, the Learning Feedback Assistant for English Language (LFA(EL)) provides personalised feedback directly to students on areas such as spelling and grammar. Teachers can then focus their attention to guide students on more complex aspects of language construction and to develop higher-level skills like creative expression, persuasiveness and tone.
For students, immediate feedback from the LFA(EL) can also encourage them to write more often, be more self-directed in their learning and to work on their basic writing errors. These help to strengthen their mastery over the basics of writing, which in turn allows them to devote more effort on more demanding aspects like creative expression.
With the LFA(EL), our teachers have an additional tool to complement their professional practice, enabling them to further develop our students' writing skills.
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