AI algorithm to make a ‘tutor of the future’

PRIVATE tuition was this week labelled the “hidden secret” in the “arms race” of education. Now scientists have developed the latest weapon: an algorithm to match pupils with tutors, using artificial intelligence (AI).

University College London’s Institute of Education has partnered with online tutoring site Mytutor to harness technology to create the “tutor of the future”.

Parents are asked a series of questions about their child’s personality – whether they are creative, logical, confident, anxious and so on. The information is fed into an algorithm that matches them up with a series of tutors, who have characteristics that match up to the child’s.

James Grant, the founder of Mytutor, said building a “strong rapport” between a tutor and student was crucial for academic success. He said AI would be the future of tutoring.

Earlier this week a study by the Sutton Trust revealed that almost a third of children have had private tuition.