Using AI To Generate Feedback For Students

Using the wonders of AI

Like many teachers, I have been using the wonders of AI to save me time and to support my teaching and my students’ learning. In this post I want to share with you how I have recently used AI (ChatGPT) to obtain credible and effective feedback on my students’ work on their SWOT analysis task (Activity 2 of the BTEC Sport Unit 22 assessment).

As usual, (as in the online course, How to Maximise Student Success in BTEC Sport Unit 22), I used the Summer 2018 past paper with OUTED as the focus business and GOVENTURE as the competitor business. Prior to this task, I had my students research three other SAL businesses so that they were equipped to tackle the SWOT activity.

They wrote up their SWOT analysis (digitally, in OneNote) which meant that I was easily able to copy and paste their responses into the prompt which I had already created, which includes the rubric / mark scheme for Activity 2.

Here is the prompt (a copy is also attached for you to download):

Act as an experienced and knowledgeable teacher of [BTEC Sport]. I want you to assess this piece of work and then provide detailed feedback about what the student did well and the areas for improvement.

Firstly, here is the question: [Write a SWOT analysis on OUTED. Compare OUTED to the competitor business GOVENTURE and three other named businesses in the sport and leisure industry].

Next, here is the model answer / rubric taken from the Pearson mark scheme: [Band 1 1 – 4 marks. Produces a limited analysis of internal and external factors that influence the business. Demonstrates a limited knowledge and understanding of the business model used. Demonstrates a limited understanding of how to apply a business model when analysing the business. Band 2 5 – 8 marks. Produces a basic analysis of internal and external factors including competitor activity, that influence the business, supported by examples. Demonstrates a basic knowledge and understanding of the business model used. Demonstrates a basic understanding of how to apply a business model when analysing the business. Band 3 9 -12 marks. Produces a sound analysis of internal and external factors, including competitor activity, that influence the business, supported by sound examples and some reference to wider research. Demonstrates a sound knowledge and understanding of the business model used. Demonstrates sound understanding of how to apply a business model when analysing the business. Band 4 13 – 16 marks. Produces A detailed analysis of internal and external factors including competitor activity that influence the business supported by detailed examples drawing on wider research. Demonstrates A detailed knowledge and understanding of the business model used. Demonstrates A detailed understanding of how to apply a business model, when analysing the business].

And finally, here is the student’s response: [Student response goes here]. Provide the feedback in one paragraph, writing directly to the student, addressing the student as “you”.

A Word of Caution

We all need to be careful not to take ChatGPT’s creations at face value; in this instance everything needs to be checked for accuracy and that it is a sound assessment of the piece of word. Think of ChatGPT as being able to do 80% of the work, and we, as teachers, need to finish it off with the remaining 20% (i.e. checking, editing, improving, personalising, etc).

That said, I was pleasantly surprised / pleased with what ChatGPT produced and was able to use its responses to provide effective feedback and guidance for my students.

Here’s how I did it.

1. Put the whole prompt, with the student’s response pasted in as part of the prompt into ChatGPT
2. Hit return and let ChatGPT do its stuff
3. Copy the content from ChatGPT
4. Paste into Notepad on the PC (that gets rid of the grey shadowy background)
5. In Notepad, select all, copy and paste into OneNote, by the side of the student’s piece of work.
6. Edit – make the necessary changes (as mentioned above); resize font and colour of text if required.
7. Ask students to read the feedback and make the necessary improvements to the SWOT.

Here’s an example of a piece of feedback that “I” gave to one of my students:

“Student name, it’s clear that you’ve put thought into your SWOT analysis of OUTED, and you’ve highlighted some key aspects. Your recognition of OUTED’s location, pricing strategy, and cost-saving measures on staff expenses shows a good understanding of its strengths. You’ve also touched on weaknesses like limited managerial staff and transport issues. However, your analysis ends abruptly in the “Opportunities” section, and it seems like there might be some missing information. To enhance your response, consider elaborating more on OUTED’s opportunities and threats. Additionally, aim for a more direct comparison with GOVENTURE and the three other named businesses in the sport and leisure industry, as the question prompts. Providing specific examples and linking your points back to the wider industry context will strengthen your analysis. Keep up the effort!”

This was a massive time saver for me. Could it be something to think about using with your students?

I hope you found this useful. Please let me know.

If you are interested in learning more about teaching BTEC Sport Unit 22 this course might be helpful.