Posted on 2 November 2020
A new partnership between Open Polytechnic’s School Strategy division, and Amy.app, a computer software company, means that secondary school students can now have 24/7 access to an artificial intelligence (AI) mathematics tutor.
The technology is the first of its kind in New Zealand. The new tool, called AMY, aims to help secondary schools raise student achievement standards in mathematics across the country. It is accessible through Open Polytechnic’s iQualify online learning platform.
AMY is modelled on a human private tutor and works with the student to help them solve maths equations, and work out specific areas a student may need to work on, by providing personalised pathways and real-time feedback.
Open Polytechnic’s Executive Director of School Strategy, Alex MacCreadie, says AMY offers enormous potential to help raise the achievement level of students’ in maths.
“We are excited about the possibilities AMY can bring to the way maths is taught and learnt in schools. Students have different competency levels in maths. The beauty of AMY is that it is built to first learn from the student, what their strengths and weaknesses in maths are, and then from there create an individualised pathway for the student that will work on filling any knowledge gaps.”
Each student’s individual learning journey is reported back to the classroom teacher who can use this knowledge in their reporting and for planning the next learning steps. Successful trials of AMY have already been completed with students at secondary schools in Wellington and Auckland.
“Teachers have found they have been able to offer better support of their students using AMY,” says Alex. “Often a student just needs a wee reminder of a previously taught concept and AMY achieves this; while bigger gaps in their learning are highlighted to the teacher allowing them to be more effective.”
Raphael Nolden, CEO of Amy.app, the software company that created AMY, says the AI product is different from other mathematics programmes currently available in schools. “AMY can understand why students make a mistake, and then teach them what they need straight away so they don't get stuck. It helps every student learn exactly what they need to reach the learning outcome the teacher has set for the class.”
AMY is offered in New Zealand through an exclusive partnership with Open Polytechnic’s iQualify for Schools and Amy.app.