My name is Sabrina and I am an international student heading into my second and final year in the
LLB for Graduates Program at UoB. Previously, I completed a Bachelor of Science from the University of
Toronto, where I majored in mental health and linguistics. I am interested in technology, AI
advancements, intellectual property and copyrights. My interests and prior studies led me to apply to the
Collaborative Research Internship (CRI), because the Exploring AI Use to Promote Literacy and Oracy in Primary and Secondary School Education project was a perfect blend of my interests in technology and my love for linguistics.
My role throughout the internship focused on a lot of public policy research about AI use in education and any governance or guidance that schools and educators were required to follow.
I spent the majority of my time looking through government websites and guidance posted by third parties who were contracted to aid in updating policies for AI use within schools. After completing research I summarised and presented my findings to my supervisors in Powerpoints during our meetings. The internship allowed me to develop both my research skills through exploring and learning about the policy that the UK government is creating and updating while practicing my public speaking skills through the presentations during our meetings.
Throughout my internship, I was incredibly surprised to learn that much of the policy around AI and technology use within the education system is being updated and or changed to meet the trends of AI usage. During my research, I found Bills that were recently passed and new updates in response to the Bills, which was really interesting to look at. I was especially surprised to discover that there seems to be a huge focus on implementing AI to aid in education while focusing on protecting children’s data and safeguarding children from harmful content. I believe research projects like this are emerging at an incredible time, where there is so much we have yet to discover about the benefits and drawbacks of AI usage within education, and that projects of this nature will promote a deeper understanding of how technologies can be used safely to aid in learning.
At first, I was very hesitant to apply for the CRI position. I held myself back out of fear of
not getting the position because I didn’t have any formal research experience. However, looking
back I realize there was no need to be afraid of applying because there are so many other
valuable skills that can apply to the CRI positions, and everyone has something special or
different that they can offer. My advice to any future applicants is to apply for the project that
you are most passionate about because that excitement about the project will always shine
through in your application and interview. Make use of the Careers Network team, they are so
friendly and always helpful when preparing applications. Best of luck, you got this!