Stephen Murray Discussed AI-Assisted Feedback on Student Lab Reports
Cheshire Academy Science Teacher Stephen Murray was one of four teachers from around the world invited to share how they leverage generative AI in the classroom for the Middle States Association’s first-ever AI Demo Day.
Based in Philadelphia, the MSA is a worldwide leader in accreditation and school improvement with more than 2,800 accredited schools and school systems in 44 states and 110+ countries.
On March 27, Murray showcased how he uses Perplexity to plan experiments in his International Baccalaureate® (IB) physics class and to provide more efficient feedback on student lab reports.
According to an MSA article, Murray gave Perplexity context about his materials and learning outcomes and supplied a rubric for grading. He found that AI could help him deliver clearer, more digestible notes for his students. The result? A 64% increase in student scores.
“I shared a little bit about ways we can use AI to improve our efficiency and how that can positively impact student learning: doing things like using AI for brainstorming for lesson plan ideas or ways to update our approaches to things,” Murray said. “I also have used AI to consolidate feedback for students, so I have used it in a way that allows us to use some of the concepts in our MBE (Mind, Brain & Education) training more efficiently and effectively.”
Murray has added a unit about AI prompt engineering and an engineering class project in which students learn how to make their own machine learning models.
“I also am trying to use machine learning in my own independent research on the molecular dynamics of super cooled water,” he said. “When I did my graduate work at Wesleyan I studied molecular dynamics of super cooled water, but it is very computationally intensive, and I recently started thinking about it again and decided on machine learning to try to make it less computationally intensive.”
Dean of Faculty and Academic Life Marc Aronson underscored the work Cheshire Academy is doing to prepare students for the ever-evolving technological landscape.
“If our faculty and students can work together to see the ways in which these tools can deepen learning and understanding, rather than short-circuiting it, we’ll have really done something. That’s what Mr. Murray is working on here,” Aronson said.
