A new AI application, developed by Hogeschool Utrecht and Utrecht University in collaboration with College de Heemlanden in Houten and Anna van Rijn College in Nieuwegein, should help students develop their presentation skills and lessen their fear of public speaking. Want to know more about this project? Read more on the project page Learning to present with AI.
Need in secondary education
Project leader Heleen van der West explains the idea arose because of an app in higher education that had good results. “We heard from different people that an app like that would be good for secondary education.”
Teachers detect a lot of anxiety for presentations among their students, and want to change that.
Feed-forward as feedback
Students can record their presentation with the app and receive feedback on their posture, gestures and voice usage. “Having your hand in your pockets, moving around, talking with your hands, looking to the floor, volume: these are things the apps registers and provides positive, ‘feed-forward’ feedback on”, says Heleen. The app focuses on observations which are measurable, without judging the content. Using the tool shouldn’t be a moment of assessment, but a moment of practice and learning. The feed-forward provides students with key points they can focus on.
Interdisciplinary
In this project, the existing app will be further developed to fit the specific context of secondary education. “We will make changes in the app to fit the needs of secondary education”, explains Heleen. “I really like that the app has to be usable for different subjects, and not just Dutch or geography.” This interdisciplinary aspect is one of the biggest challenges in the project.
Teachers are still essential
The AI tool will be able to immediately give feedback, but teachers will remain essential according to Heleen. “Everyone can use the tool and receive feedback, but the question is if that is advisable in secondary education”, she explains.
Teachers play an important role in the discussion of feedback and connecting it to the content of a presentation.
The app should focus on area’s where teachers are lacking for time. Students can use the app in groups or at home, which enables teachers to focus on the subject matter.
Classroom pilot program
Testing the application in classrooms is an important part of the project. The pilot planned fort his fall with the current version of the app will act as a baseline measurement. “The tool has a strong scientific grounding, but is developed and tested in higher education. That kind of educations asks for different presentation skills”, says Heleen. “We will conduct a similar iteration in secondary education. Afterwards we will determine what should be adjusted to make it work in secondary education by working together with students and listening to their feedback.”
Counteracting increasing fear of public speaking
Schools are clearly noticing that the need for this is growing. “Students film themselves a lot, especially for social media, but that makes them more aware of how they come across”, says Heleen. “That pressure only increases their fear of public speaking.” She believes that a tool offering students a safe learning environment and helping them feel relaxed in front of the class, would be an important step in boosting their self-confidence.
