Project Info.
AI-Enabled Educational Transformation: Innovating in County Schools with Chinese Large Language Models
This project aimed to initiate a scientific research initiative with the theme of AI-enabled teaching reform, focusing on the innovative application potential of AI in language education. Based on “IFlytek Spark” or other Chinese large language models, it provided county middle school students with expanded channels to improve their writing ability and develop innovative thinking.
The project adopted a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods and clarified the needs of county middle school students for writing ability through multiple investigations. It provided students with sustainable support, offering greater insight and possibilities for advancing educational equity.
Final Outcome: Research Report
Research Methods: Literature Review, Field Investigation, Interviews, Classroom Observation, and Intervention
Project Duration: 14-15 weeks
Estimated Recruitment: 3-4 individuals
Estimated Time Commitment: 6-10 hours/week
About PEER (毅恒挚友)
PEER is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting equity in urban and rural education in China, improving educational resources in less-developed areas of China, and developing liberal arts, humanities, and quality education. As of October 2023, PEER has accumulated more than 164 service-learning winter and summer programs and special projects in more than 30 middle and high schools in Hunan, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Gansu, Guangxi, Hubei, and Jilin provinces, and directly helped about 11,000 students in short-term projects and with more than 1,890 volunteers participated in. Since 2015, PEER has set up self-designed “PEER Spaces” in 11 middle schools in Hunan, Guangxi, and Guizhou provinces to provide long-term support for the growth of middle school students. One or two long-term volunteers are stationed in each space to create learning, living, and public spaces with middle school students.
For more information, please visit: http://peerchina.org/
Project Introduction
This project aimed to initiate a scientific research initiative with the theme of AI-enabled teaching reform, focusing on the innovative application potential of AI in language education. Based on “IFlytek Spark” or other Chinese large language models, it provided county middle school students with expanded opportunities to improve their writing ability and develop innovative thinking. Through preliminary research, literature review, and case accumulation, it demonstrated the practical value of large language models in education and created a more interactive and personalized educational experience.
The project adopted a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods and clarified the needs of county middle school students for writing ability through multiple investigations, such as literature review, pre-questionnaire collection, and post-interview collection. This allowed the team to screen suitable corpora, develop targeted courses, conduct deliberate educational practices, and observe and record the implementation process.
During the stages of research, development, incubation, and evaluation, the researchers selected appropriate artificial intelligence application paths for students, helped children in the county incorporate AI into their learning toolbox to bridge the digital divide, broke the information cocoon, and provided sustainable support beyond the constraints of time and place, thereby offering more insights and possibilities for advancing educational equity.
Final Result: research report
Study methods: literature review, field research, interview, classroom observation and intervention
Student Team Composition
Number of students: 3-4
Students with relevant research experience will be given priority.
Working Plan
- 3-4 students formed a working group and collaborated to complete the project under the guidance of a tutor.
- In addition to meeting with the company for the first time, students held weekly meetings with the U-Corp team to report on their work progress and receive mentoring feedback (see below for details).
- Project arrangement: Students worked about 6–10 hours per week, and the project lasted 12–13 weeks. The specific schedule was provided in the following table.
Timetable
Date: March 16-23
Working Content:
Project initiation, determine the research objectives and scope with the company, and formulate detailed research plans and delivery standards (offline).
Researching the principles of qualitative research ethics (provided by PEER) and reading the literature on county education.
Conducting literature on the education and public benefit of country education (provided by PEER).
Delivery Results:
Detailed goals
Work plans
Deliverable standards
Date: March 23-30
Working Content:
Conducting the literature review of the development and characteristics of large language models, realistic challenges, and scene cases. Analyzing practical challenges faced by the large language model in the implementation process of educational applications (e.g., technology, generated content, and localized application) and providing insights.
Delivery Results:
Literature Review 1 + Course Progress Report
Date: March 30 – April 6
Working Content:
Familiarizing with the application scenarios of the Iflytek cognitive large model. Understanding its text generation ability, language understanding ability, and logical reasoning ability; its industry application cases, especially the accumulation of experience in basic education-related fields.
Drafting the basic pre-interview questionnaire
Delivery Results:
Learn, apply, and communicate: Iflytek large language model report (PPT).
Questionnaire draft.
Date: April 6-13
Working Content:
Through literature review, 1) clarifying the concept connotation and concept orientation of “core literacy” in education in China; 2) clarifying the positioning and requirements of writing tasks for high school students from curriculum standards and other documents; 3) learning and drawing on international teaching models and concepts related to mother tongue writing.
Following the educational demands of The Times and curriculum standards based on core literacy in China, the author clarifies the appropriate implementation orientation of writing tasks, forms the optimal implementation ideas of writing tasks, and accumulates the theoretical basis for the experiment design.
Delivery Results:
Literature review 2.
Finalize the pre-collection questionnaire.
Date: April 13-20
Working Content:
According to the summary report, a questionnaire should be developed to investigate the bibliographic corpus of students’ interests and needs in using large language models and finalize the final version.
Determine data collection plans, forms, and approaches based on sample diversity, feasibility, and scientificity of distribution (e.g., student team distributed questionnaires independently, target N=500), and make a preliminary analysis of pre-collected data.
Formulate the interview outline based on PEER’s practical experience, the current situation of county education, and a literature review with relevant directions.
Delivery Results:
Questionnaire distribution and data tracking.
First draft of data analysis.
Interview outline.
Date: April 20-27
Working Content:
5 ZhiXingZhe (or long-term volunteers) and 5 middle school students in the county school should be identified as interview subjects (PEER).
Interview I (online) to obtain relevant data and conduct preliminary analysis (N=1~2)
Delivery Results:
Interview recording and analysis archiving and sorting.
The first draft of interview data I.
Date: April 27 – May 3
Working Content:
Combining the literature review and interview texts, form an understanding of the daily contact corpus, the understanding of writing level, and the teaching status of country middle school students, which provides a basis for the subsequent reasonable design and research of experimental conditions based on PEER space, preparation and presentation of extra-curricular writing courses, and experimental intervention and analysis.
Selecting the style and genre suitable for the students in the cooperative school, according to the existing configuration and facilities of PEER space, the characteristics of the experimental population, and based on the use of the large language model, designs the PBL curriculum plan, that meets the real-life needs of country middle school students and the expression of their personalities and preferences.
Designing the experimental control group, and formulating the assessment plan.
Delivery Results:
Research & Observation report; Curriculum Design (Experimental scheme)
Date: May 11-18 *May 10
Working Content:
* May 10 Field Study (7-10 days).
Through field research on the PEER space of 2-3 cooperative county schools: 1) collecting and analyzing the statistics of book borrowing and the preferences and habits of students from the library at PEER space.
Project Participant Interview II (Offline) (N=3~4)
Based on “one equipped computer” in PEER space to conduct after-class and extracurricular activities and guide the students to use large language models; collecting writing samples of students during the research period, and take process records (DKU)
Delivery Results:
Preliminary draft of interview data analysis II.
Research Records.
Experimental data collection and preliminary analysis
Date: May 18 – June 1
Working Content:
Analyzing and evaluating students’ writing level and course effectiveness before and after participating in the course (aka. Experiment)
Delivery Results:
Draft Analysis Report
Date: June 1-8
Working Content:
Conducting supplementary sampling and follow-up and investigating the follow-up effects after the course
Delivery Results:
Supplementary Analysis Report
Date: June 8-22
Working Content:
Drafting and finalizing the report
Delivery Results:
Final report
Date: TBD
Working Content:
Project result report
Delivery Results:
Form TBD
Working Content (1):
Conference “Transitions in CALL”, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, September 13-15, 2024, co-sponsors include Computer Assisted Language Learning (Taylor and Francis).
Topic: New language pedagogies with established and emerging technologies and so on. DDL: Feb 29
Delivery Results (1):
Delivery Abstract (TBD)
*Will be decided according to project status and progress
Working Content (2):
2024, 17-18, June, “Engagement in the Digital Age: International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning” Language Centre, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hongkong, June 17-18,2024. DDL: March 15.
Delivery Results (2):
Abstract Submission (TBD)
*Will be decided according to project status and progress
Important Date
Orientation meeting: 3.16/17
Regular meetings with the U-Corp: Weekly meeting
PEER team participation guidance Date: Weekly meeting/Biweekly meeting
Final Presentation: TBD