Prompting Innovation in Education
Back in December 2023, I helped organise a successful Product & Technology hackathon. We strengthened connections in our newly formed department, shared expertise, and drove innovation.
One prototype from that hackathon is now — a few months later — fully productionized, showing the immediate value that can come from a hackathon.
So we did another one!
Here is the story of our latest hackathon, told in 8 quotes.…
Our Summer Hackathon had a Gen AI theme…
“AI is no longer a novelty; it’s an expectation. Our students, and by extension our future users, are growing up with AI integrated into their daily lives. This hackathon gave us the perfect opportunity to explore how we can harness AI to not only meet but exceed these expectations.”
— Software Engineer
There is enormous potential for Generative AI to impact the education sector.
At BPP we have a dedicated Gen AI squad already actively exploring this potential… but we wanted everyone at the party!
The Summer Hackathon was about inviting all our product teams to explore how Generative AI can improve user experiences and streamline processes. We have so many talented people in our Product & Technology department, and we need everyone to keep pace with technological advancements and lead the way in our sector.
Each project started with a Problem Framing workshop…
“I really like the approach of staying solution agnostic further into the process and learning different ways of understanding the problem before looking at solutions.”
— Data Analyst
Our hackathons place a strong emphasis on Problem Framing as a crucial step in the innovation process. Each hackathon team was given a pre-selected problem area to explore in a well-facilitated design-focused workshop.
Now…
We obviously selected problem areas that were ripe for solving via a specific technology. And we gave some strong hints that everyone should be shoe-horning that technology into their approach!
But our problem framing process took a solution-agnostic approach. Teams were encouraged to think deeply about the problems before jumping into development. This led to a more thoughtful exploration of potential Gen AI solutions than we would have achieved otherwise.
We delivered 6 brilliant prototypes…
“Great that it was user tested … Low risk in releasing this, can only be helpful. Good to see the human escalation element. [They] have thought about the unhappy paths. Chatbots are a common pattern, but the team has thought about how to make it customized and relevant to the user.”
— Judge
This quote came from our hackathon judging panel, as feedback on a prototype HR Bot, built to answer questions from BPP employees on our various internal HR policies.
The team estimated that this could save our HR team 26+ hours per week in answering questions from colleagues. And it would save 17+ hours per week across BPP by reducing the need for our employees to search for policies, read them line-by-line, and process all that information.
This was just one of six impressive prototypes. 3 of the 6 are now pencilled into our roadmap, including the HR Bot, which has the added benefit of exposing all BPP employees to the capabilities of Generative AI.
Teams learned where Generative AI could be used in the future…
“I wouldn’t have necessarily thought of using Gen AI as a solution before, but I’ll now take an ‘AI first’ mindset to ensure we consider this as an option always (even if it ends up not being the right solution).”
— Product Manager
One key takeaway for many was around how and where Generative AI could be effectively implemented in our products. The experience broadened perspectives, with AI now a possible first-line solution for a variety of business problems.
While AI may not always be the correct solution, considering it early in the process ensures that it doesn’t get overlooked either.
We saw how the technology could improve user experiences…
“This can really add value to our offering. Enriching the learner experience and allowing users to learn in a way that works best for them.”
— Designer
The hackathon also highlighted the transformative potential of AI in enhancing user experiences. Whether it’s through personalised learning pathways, intelligent tutoring systems, or adaptive content. Generative AI allows us to tailor educational experiences to individual learner needs.
But we were also wary about keeping our products safe…
“Gen AI is great to use as a solution, but we have to keep in mind that the final say has to be with the humans who use it.”
— Software Engineer
While the possibilities with AI are exciting, they come with added responsibilities. Every team did an amazing job of balancing innovation with safety, ensuring solutions remain under human control and do not introduce unintended risks.
As we develop AI solutions, we will continue to prioritise safety, transparency, and ethical considerations, ensuring that our innovations are both cutting-edge and trustworthy.
Our teams worked out how to implement Generative AI astonishingly quickly…
“Seeing how much internal processes could be sped up with Gen AI was amazing. Everyone in P&T is really smart and working with them, showing the benefits, uses, and opportunities with AI was amazing!”
— Data Scientist
Personally, I was blown away by how much we achieved in less than 2 days. The creativity from those newer to Generative AI was inspiring, and it was rewarding to see the teams validate its powerful impact.
Our product managers, designers, engineers, and data team picked up the new tools and techniques like ducks to water. I felt slightly undermined by how quickly everybody picked up the nuances of something I’ve been working on for the last 2 years!
But we suspect there is still a lot more to learn!
“Gen AI is absolutely a potential solution for our business problems 👍 Complete 360, I was on the fence for practical applications. Now I’m inspired! (Confident this’ll level out when we start actively debugging AI issues in production!)”
— Software Engineer
Where would we be without cynical software engineers?
As we move forward, we will clearly encounter both opportunities and obstacles. Just as Generative AI offers unique new capabilities it also brings its own distinct challenges.
Our journey is still just beginning. While we’ve already seen significant progress, there’s much more to explore. The hackathon was a stepping stone, and we’re eager to continue learning and adapting as we integrate AI further into our workflows.
