Why even techno-dinosaurs need to get on board with AI

AI – and me? When I told my senior leadership team that I had been asked to write a blog on digital technologies and AI they all fell about laughing.

I love paper, I love note books, I love looking at stationary and marvelling over the millions of coloured sheets – have I really just admitted to that?! I love using a highlighter and a ruler and I absolutely love scribbling creative designs over any piece of paper in front of me whilst listening to anyone who is talking for a considerable length of time. I’ve created some masterpieces in my time, I can tell you.

I don’t have a social media profile, I’m not even on LinkedIn – quite frankly I could probably describe myself as a techno-dinosaur. So, when I was invited to the Future Ready FE: Driving Digital Transformation summit hosted by the AoC in partnership with Ufi VocTech Trust in early February, I was shocked to be invited, but determined to come away from that summit with a clear idea of how far adrift we were as a college from anyone else and what I needed to do to make sure we didn’t fall any further behind.

It was a brilliant day; there is lots of good practice in the FE sector with colleges really championing the way forward for both students and staff. Having said that, every college is on a different part of their AI journey, and I realised that there is no other option but to hop aboard the “bus” or be left behind! Ideally, the person leading the charge should be passionate about digital transformation, so if you’re a principal, and like me, are more comfortable with a pen and piece of paper, it’s worth seeking out who that digital champion can be in your organisation, and encourage and support them to drive the work forward.

So, on returning to college, I ran a professional development session with all staff in the college (academic and support) and asked them to complete a short survey on the use of AI. It had some interesting results:

• 74% of staff are currently using AI in their role, with 40% using it regularly

• 33% using ChatGPT and 28% using Teachermatic

• 54% of staff said they needed more training, and 25% said they needed a lot more

• 85% said that they felt AI could help significantly or a little to save time in their role

• 37% said they don't see AI as a threat, and 21% said they see it as an opportunity

• 21% of staff are very confident in using AI safely and effectively with learners, 36% are fairly confident, and 30% are somewhat confident

So, I now have a starting point. I know who needs training, who needs convincing and what we need to mandate as an organisation to make sure that we all move forward in the right direction.

At the digital summit, it was decided that AoC would work with the sector to produce a Digital Road Map that we could all sign up to and which would support us to move forward from our individual starting points.

It’s a good plan, and I am determined that as a college we will make use of the roadmap. However, I am mindful of a quote from Stephen Hawkins: “success in creating AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilisation. But it could also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks. In short, the rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity”.

The challenge for us all on our digital journey therefore, amidst the wider challenges relating to a growing environmental footprint that such innovation creates, is to build on what we do responsibly, securely and, of course, safely.

As individual colleges I think we also need to consider that we do the following:

• Ensure a balance between innovation and risk management

• Ensure a responsive AI framework

• Don’t adopt AI for its own sake; look at where it will help your college to solve problems, reduce workload and improve customer service

• Ensure accuracy of your data, which is essential because the output is only ever as good as the input

So, in summary, I won’t be building up my social media profile anytime soon, but I will be driving that digital bus, and grateful for all support along the way.

Carol Thomas is the Principal and CEO of Coventry College.

This blog forms part of the AoC and Ufi VocTech Trust Strategic Partnership project: Empowering FE: enhancing skills with technology. Join us for one of our practical, supportive Insight Days hosted by our Digital Insight Hubs. Each college will share the foundational steps that helped them build a strong digital culture, develop staff confidence, and improve teaching and learning through simple, achievable approaches. To book a place on one of these, please click here.