Exeter students excelling in EdTech
**University of Exeter students present novel AI solutions to addressing bias at Edtech Movers, Makers and Market Shakers event****Why EdTech? **
The UK’s EdTech sector is reported as being the biggest in Europe, with unrivalled expertise in areas such as augmented/virtual reality, AI, and online education[1]. From a UK base of $6.73 billion in 2023, compound annual growth of 10% is anticipated through to 2028[2].
But the importance of EdTech isn’t just about its direct economic contribution. It makes learning more accessible, personalised and effective. This transformation and democratisation of education is making a fundamental difference to people’s lives, and to preparing society for a future which is increasingly reliant on technology.
A key constraint to growth though is, of course, skills. EdTech competes with many other technology-driven fields for scare skills in software development, data science, cyber security, cloud computing and AI. Then there’s also the sector specialist knowledge in user experience, pedagogy, and supporting learners with special needs. And as for all sectors, marrying business, project and professional skills with the technical is highly prized and often in short supply.**Showcasing student talent **
Against that background, we were particularly delighted to be able to offer a unique opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills to an audience of EdTech movers, makers and shakers at the European EdTech Marathon. This event for EdTech companies, VC investors, Angel investors and entrepreneurs was staged by a partnership between University College London (UCL), EdTech Labs, the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) and techUK on 20 June 2024.
Back in March, we were part of a judging panel for a GenAI Hackathon at the University of Exeter, where student teams pulled together innovative new AI products from scratch to pitch in 48 hours. We were so impressed by the winning teams that we secured a slot for them at last week’s event to share the progress they had made since, thanks to a £5k investment and support from the University of Exeter education incubator.Innovative solutions
Presenting their innovative solutions to addressing bias, the BIASNavigator and BiasAI, David Lu, Sarah Jerome and Will Parman did a fantastic job of demonstrating their creativity, business planning skills and ability to make clear investment asks!
The concept of BIASNavigator is a new tool to upskill users on the use of AI, how to identify bias and how to use it ethically and safely. It is gamified, with users progressing up levels to collect credentials which evidence their understanding. Universities are a primary target market for this new offering.
Meanwhile, the BiasAI team worked on a tool to analyse text and identify bias within. Feedback is provided to authors with specific suggestions for improvement. This is expected to be of particular value to academics, students and researchers.
TechSkills' Head of Learning Providers Ian Bolton reflected on the importance of this work, saying “Today’s students are already crafting the future for of tomorrow. When I see innovations like this, I am truly inspired about what that future can be. Here we see talent and technology coming together to address important issues of bias and accessibility to learning, developing tools to support, educate and empower fellow students. This topic is close to our hearts in TechSkills – inclusivity for all is central to our work, from Tech Industry Gold accreditation to our employer action groups – and so we were particularly pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to these inspiring students”.**Helping more students excel **
Our job at Tech Skills is to bring together employers and educators to create the pipeline of diverse tech talent that is essential for UK businesses to thrive. We are committed to supporting initiatives that bridge the skills gap and prepare students for successful careers in high tech industries and would love to include you.
Getting involved is a great way to see potential future employees in action, to raise awareness of the career opportunities available in different sectors and companies, and to help students gain the skills to be successful.
If you would like to know more, Rachel would love to hear from you on rachel.king@techskills.org. Or just take a look at www.techskills.org and sign up for our newsletter to keep in touch. We look forward to meeting you.
[1] https://www.gsverde.law/news/shared-insight-edtechs-massive-growth-in-the-uk
[2] https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/uk-edtech-market-analysis/
