The BBC plans to use a multi-million dollar investment in artificial intelligence to transform its education service and attract future fee payers.
Heavily relied on by desperate parents during pandemic lockdown, the BBC is making new £6m investment in BBC Bitesize to make learning more personalized and interactive for pupils from primary school onwards. is scheduled to be announced. The funding is part of an effort to solidify the relationship between young users and the public broadcaster.
Helen Foulkes, head of education at the BBC, said: “Transforming BBC Bitesize from a truly great and trusted digital textbook to a more personalized learning platform is a significant investment. We are adapting our education service for the digital age and ensuring that learning adapts to the user. ”
To mark 100 years since the broadcast of the first educational program – an experimental school radio program heard exclusively at Glasgow's Garnetbank School in February 1924 – a special live lesson will be broadcast on CBBC and BBC iPlayer on Monday. and offers tips for young viewers such as: Create your own reports for his Hacker T Dog radio show on the channel. Mr Foulkes said the move would build on the BBC's trusted education brand. “When you use the BBC, you know it's safe, you know it's reliable, you know it's right. That helps you as a parent,” she says.
But recognizing that the BBC risks being left behind by more agile digital content providers, the home of Newsround and Magic Pencil is taking a leaf out of the book on AI-powered learning tools such as Duolingo. I'm trying to improve. Use our vast database of educational content.
New tools in development are likely to provide personalized tests and identify learning holes, while, like YouTube's “Spinach Version,” users will receive suggestions for follow-on content that will deepen their understanding of the subject matter. may also be found.
The BBC is also testing a new service for A-level students that will provide them with content to help them expand their knowledge of a subject. Students studying Jane Austen may be recommended Pride and Prejudice, which revolves around English literature and was adapted by the BBC. “We'll be testing it with students and teachers to see if it's a useful additional offer,” Foulkes said.
BBC Director-General Tim Davie said it needed to be found to ensure the survival of the broadcaster, in the context of saving £700m a year, but £6m would be a drop in the ocean.
But the move appeared to be a nod to promises he laid out in a landmark speech to the Royal Television Society last month. Broadcasters will eliminate the use of AI in journalism, while developing “unique ethical algorithms” to increase personalization. For users. Mr Davie said the BBC would actively deploy AI on “our terms” and create tools to help build relevance. ”
It also speaks directly to Wrightian's purpose in founding the station, which is to “inform, educate and entertain,” Foulkes said. “Education is the tricky part in the middle. It's really important,” she said.
Mr Foulkes pointed to the role the BBC had played during the pandemic, with Bitesize reaching 3.8 million weekly users in its first phase at the time. “Only the BBC could have provided this pandemic response because they have 100 years of education behind them,” she said. “It was great for the public to really understand that that's what the BBC can do as a public service… It's something the team are really proud of.”
However, there may also be a bit of benign self-interest involved. Last year, the BBC's annual report revealed that the broadcaster was struggling to attract younger viewers. Viewership among 16-34 year olds fell from 81% in a normal week on the BBC service to 76% over the year. The figures were even worse for under-16s, with 72% using the BBC service in an average week, far behind YouTube.
“I think what the BBC wants is for people to value the BBC and use the BBC, regardless of their age,” Mr Foulkes said. “And when it comes to touchpoints with younger audiences, it's really important to make sure we're supporting them both on the entertainment side and the education side for kids, and then introducing them to the rest. ” BBC. ”
BBC Important dates in education
February 1924 The first experimental school radio show. It was broadcast only at Garnet Bank School in Glasgow.
October 1930 Here and There, the first regular news program for children, presented by playwright and Navy commander Stephen King Hall.
June 1940 Broadcast of BBC's national program 'Kitchen Front' to improve children's cooking skills while boosting wartime morale
September 1957 BBC Television for Schools is presenting its first program, Living in Commonwealth, which looks at life beyond the classroom.
April 1964 Play School provides broadcast play and structured learning for children aged 3 to 5 and has been in operation for 20 years.
April 1972 John Craven introduces the first NewsRound, which provides short news reports for a younger audience.
September 1982 The adult education series Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking brings the possibilities of home-made English curry to British homes.
May 1997 Adrian Chiles and Carol Vorderman promise to demystify words like CD-ROM, RAM, megabytes, and floppy disks in their six-part “Computers Don't Bite” series.
April 2009 Horrible Histories will be broadcast for the first time on BBC Two.
February 2016 Launch of school video resource BBC Teach and Live Lessons. Students and teachers participate in real time.
April 2020 First broadcast of Bitesize Daily, a virtual school experience offering instruction during the pandemic.