Artificial intelligence could prompt a “reimagining” of the Higher School Certificate in New South Wales, the CEO of Catholic Schools NSW told educators this week.
Dallas McInerney opened the 2024 CSNSW Education Law Symposium on 15 July by advising that AI is “firmly on the radar” of both CSNSW and the National Education Standards Authority.
“What is being contemplated inside NESA at the moment is a totally re-imagined delivery of the HSC in the face of the threat that AI presents to assessments,” Dallas said.
“Whereas instead of having a bunch of exams in October and November in year 12, NESA could be doing invigilated exams all through years 11 and 12 to make sure assessments are free from all the influences [of AI] and have all the reliability and validity that they should.”
McInerney also said Catholic schools in NSW enjoyed a record growth in enrolments in the last year, the highest in 11 years, as well as a growing intake of non-Catholic students.
But while the aim is to continue to offer students the best education possible, the role of AI in the overall scheme remains in “unchartered waters.”
The aim of CSNSW moving forward will be to unpack and understand the technology “before we roll out the red carpet.”
“There are few things more important than assessment inside schooling,” Dallas said.
“It’s a certification of competence or attainment. If AI is going to disrupt that, and we cannot have faith in either the integrity, validity or reliability of school-based assessments, then we should be highly suspicious of what AI and its influences can do in the school.
He also raised a note of scepticism about the classroom tech revolution of recent years, which saw smartboards, laptops and smartphones used in education.
“That’s not to say any and all those things should never have made their way into school education. In fact, they’re probably always going to, and AI has similarly,” McInerney said.
“Schools are a key market for AI. It’s not to say we should shut down all our minds to the opportunities present …. [but] I think that we should at least tap the brakes, pause, and bring some critical analysis to what has been put to us as being the panacea for everything.”
The symposium featured a keynote from former foreign minister and NSW premier, Bob Carr.
Carr said he was excited about the prospect of the future of education, and said students were learning while living in defining moments of history.
“What a time to be teaching geography, for example. It was a stale subject when I was at school, but … the dynamism of this subject at such a time, bringing the urgency of what’s happening for students in a classroom is transforming how we study, how we teach, how we grab attention,” Bob said.
“To study Julius Caesar. Imagine that two days after an assassination attempt on the Republican nominee. I think it’s a thrilling time to be dealing with a rigorous curriculum in a school system known for its rigour.
“I said once that the Catholic education system was the crowning achievement of Catholic civilisation in Australia. I say it again today.”
The current school curriculum was also opened up for debate in an afternoon panel session with PM Glynn Institute senior fellow Dr Kevin Donnelly AM, former Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority CEO Robert Randall and Hills Grammar principal Karen Yager.
“The idea of character is critical, and I’d argue education has to be morally grounded and spiritually enriching as well as academically rigorous. The current curriculum doesn’t do that,” said Donnelly.
Randall replied that there was no quick fix to disagreements over the curriculum.
“It’s really easy to say, ‘there’s a problem, fix the curriculum’ and I actually think that people who make those decisions are actually just grabbing the short-term response,” he said.
“If you’re going to solve a problem through a syllabus change, be clear what the problem you’re addressing is and make sure the resources and professional development are going to solve it.
“I would argue that’s a better response than rewriting a syllabus.”