The AI Solution that Captivated Tech Experts At Our Latest Hackathon: Lesson Genius

Hackathon Overview

Our recent AI-themed Hackathon at CreativeCubes.Co, Collingwood, was a resounding success for IE Teams. 

The focus of the Hackathon was on ‘AI for Education’. Over the course of 2 days, teams were asked to deliver on the following problem statement:

‘How might we harness the creativity and efficiency improvements bestowed by AI to enable a new offering for education in general (e.g. a new experience, a new product category?) 

The judging criteria for teams was the following:

• Level of innovation: Impact on users and application of AI in the outcome.
• Solution Viability: Functional scope, desirability to consumers, longevity of solution.
• Development: quality and completeness of prototype/proof of concept.
• Presentation: Quality, clarity and effectiveness of presentation 

The Problem

Hack Team 3, ‘AI Mavericks’, focused on the alarming trend of teachers leaving their profession year on year. According to research, teams discovered that 15% of new teachers are leaving the industry, trending up 50% year on year. 

Other common challenges that teachers faced are: 

• Unmanageable workloads (70%)
• Sufficiently being able to address the needs for students with learning disorders (20%)
• Covering outside their expertise (25%)
• Behavioural issues (15%)

Based on their research, the team formulated their problem statement: "How might we assist new teachers with generating and tailoring lesson content to lighten their workload?"

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The Solution: Lesson Genius – Ignite Excellence in Every Classroom

What is Lesson Genius?

'Lesson Genius' is an AI-powered platform designed to support new teachers by providing tailored lesson plans, content, and feedback to lighten their workload and improve student engagement. Its personalised approach aims to reduce teacher attrition while enhancing the overall learning experience.

What does it offer?

• Tailored Lesson Plans: The AI algorithm uses its own knowledge as well as the teacher’s input relating to the school curriculum and focus areas to ensure the content aligns with unique teching styles, is personalised and relevant. 
• Content and Activities: The platform curates a wealth of engaging and relevant educational activities, enhancing the effectiveness of the teaching process.
• Behavioral & Learning Disorder Flags: Incorporates advanced AI to recommend unique learning curriculums for known issues within the schools system.
• Feedback & Improvement: Both teachers and students can input feedback that Lesson Genius then uses to suggest improvements, fostering continuous improvement and growth.
• Visual Engagement (Bolt On): The platform offers additional visual aids and multimedia elements to keep students actively engaged.

The Ultimate Value

The ripple effects of Lesson Genius extend to various stakeholders within the education ecosystem:

• Teachers: Alleviates the stress and burnout new teachers often face, effectively curbing teacher attrition rates.
• Students: Improved engagement and better academic performance, setting the stage for their long-term success.
• Schools: Enhancing a school's reputation, empowering teachers to deliver exceptional education and fosters a positive learning environment.

Go-To-Market Strategy

Live Demo

Final Thoughts From Our Judges

Our judges were prompted to announce AI Mavericks as the reigning champions based on the following key factors they team clearly delivered on:

• Desirability, feasibility and viability centred scope: The team ensured Lesson Genius was deslirable by ensuing the right problem was solved, then feasible by leveraging low code technology and finally ensured robust viability with a GTM plan.
• Empathy-Driven Innovation: Identifying real-world challenges and addressing them with compassion through AI emerges as an unequivocal winning strategy.
• Personalisation Matters: AI's capacity to create personalised educational experiences caters to individual needs, leading to exceptional effectiveness in education.
• AI for Social Good: Using AI's transformative potential to address societal challenges showcases the positive and redemptive impact of technology on education.

The AI Hackathon provided a compelling demonstration of AI's transformative capabilities in the education sector. Our commitment to exploring AI's vast potential for the future of education stems from our company’s pursuit of harnessing its transformative power to create better, more meaningful solutions for our customers. Until the next Hackathon, we march onward, resolute in our mission to shape the trajectory of pedagogy through AI innovation.

For more information about IE's product-led philosophy and innovoation space, continue reading the following article, 'Winning in a Product Led World'.