This month, we kicked off the new year in the AI in FE community with a session led by Rob Wraith, Head of Learning Technology and Digital Learning at Newcastle College Group (NCG).
Rob shared a practical look at how effective prompting can enhance outcomes for staff and learners, alongside a tour of some of the AI-enabled tools already built into Microsoft Teams. These included Teams AI agents designed to support specific tasks, with the session beginning with Rob’s (perhaps ominous) prediction that we may well see the return of a generative AI-powered Microsoft Clippy assistant in the not-too-distant future.
Continue for a recap of the session and discussions, or access the full recording and transcript on our YouTube channel.
The “GCSE” model for prompting
Rob first shared how NCG use the GCSE framework for creating prompts – Goal, Context, Expectations and Source. He noted that there are many prompting frameworks available, but this was one they had found particularly useful at NCG.
He showed how vague prompts lead to vague results, using the example “make me a lesson plan for engineering”, which he pointed out could mean anything from civil to mechanical to electrical. He demonstrated how adding details such as subject focus, learner level, intended outcomes, and required format resulted in responses that were far more useful in practice.
Although the session focused on Microsoft tools, it was noted that while tools and platforms may differ between institutions, the core skills remain the same. Asking better questions and giving clearer instructions leads to better outputs.
Tools in Microsoft Teams that people often miss
Alongside prompting guidance, Rob also highlighted several useful AI features available in Microsoft Teams for Education. Some of these have been added quite quietly, and many staff may not yet be aware of them.
Reading Progress
To start, Rob demonstrated Reading Progress, a tool that can support students in practising their reading fluency. Staff are able to set a passage of text to the student which can be imported, generated using AI, or chosen from a library of samples. Learners then record themselves reading the passage aloud – Rob noted that helpfully the tool works well on mobile devices, allowing students to record using their phones.
Rob explained how the tool can identify patterns such as mispronunciations, omissions, insertions, and repeated words, and how it presents data including words-per-minute and overall accuracy. He also showed how the tool can generate self-marking multiple-choice comprehension questions linked to the passage.
At NCG, Reading Progress has been trialled within the ESOL curriculum area. A key benefit Rob highlighted was the analytics, which can support comparisons of reading progress across a class group and over time, helping staff to identify areas that may need more attention.
A demo video of Reaching Progress was recommended in the chat which can be viewed here – Mike Tholfsen Reading Progress.
Microsoft Teach
Rob also showed us Microsoft Teach, which includes tools for generating lesson resources such as rubrics, lesson plans, flashcards, and quizzes. He noted how helpful this can be when short-notice class cover is needed and there is limited time available for lesson planning.
AI agents in Teams
Rob then talked the group through the growing number of AI agents available in Teams. Agents are designed to support specific tasks, and two agents were looked at in particular:
- Idea Coach, which can help generate structured activity ideas and brainstorming prompts, particularly when staff are short on time or need a fresh approach
- Prompt Coach, which analyses a prompt, points out what is missing, and generates an improved version that includes more of the detail needed for a useful output
He noted that these tools can speed up work, but they still need human judgement. Sometimes an agent will make assumptions, particularly if details aren’t provided in the prompt, so staff need to review and adapt what it produces.
Practical uses across curriculum areas
Finally, Rob shared several practical examples of how generative AI can support teaching and learning across different subject areas.
In English and the Humanities, he suggested using AI to create differentiated reading passages and writing activities. This could make it much easier to adapt texts for different reading levels and learning needs at a whole-class scale that is not always possible.
For STEM subjects, AI could help design hands-on investigations or explain complex concepts using alternative explanations and analogies, giving learners multiple ways to explore difficult ideas.
He also touched on assessment and feedback, where AI might be used to draft rubrics, success criteria and formative check-in questions. Rob noted the potential for AI to support more personalised feedback too but was clear that this is a higher-risk area that needs careful handling and human oversight.
Rob closed with some simple but effective advice: start small, experiment often, and see how generative AI can become a partner in your teaching toolkit.
Discussion highlights
The presentation sparked a wide-ranging discussion, some of the highlights were:
Free and paid versions of Copilot:
There was some discussion around the difference between standard Copilot and Copilot 365. The core differences being 365 being able to access organisational resources directly during conversations (e.g., being able to ask Copilot to reference an internal document without having to manually upload it) as well as deeper integration within Microsoft apps.
There was interest in whether the Copilot 365 features can be temporarily disabled, particularly to help when staff want to support with training for colleagues who only have the standard license. It was noted that this does not appear to be possible for individual users, and the recommended workaround was to ask an administrator to temporarily disable Copilot 365.
There was also discussion about whether free and paid users require different training due to feature differences, it was noted though that the fundamentals of using generative AI remain the same.
Activation and cost of 13+ Co-pilot Chat:
Some queried how to enable Copilot chat for students aged 13 and above and whether this costs more to add. This does requires activation and correct user categorisation (e.g., marking students as ‘not adults’) but shouldn’t incur additional costs – Microsoft’s guidance on how to do this can be found here.
AI for emotional support:
Safeguarding was a key topic, with members raising several recent issues that have featured in the headlines over the past few weeks, including Ofcom’s investigation of X’s Grok AI.
Concerns were also raised about learners using generative AI for emotional support or as a life coach. Given the complexity and personal nature of these use cases, the group discussed the importance of critical thinking and safeguarding when students seek emotional support from AI.
Encouraging uptake of training:
Participants shared ways of encouraging students to take up AI literacy training. One member described a programme at their institution in which students earn digital badges for responsible AI use by attending workshops, conducting research projects, and presenting their findings.
Thank you again to Rob for a packed session full of practical examples, and to everyone who came along and contributed to our discussion!
Next month
We have two upcoming sessions in February:
Tuesday 3rd 12.30-1.30: Student Access to AI: Strengthening Data, IT and Policy
Tuesday 24th -12.30-1.30: February Community Session featuring Penny Langford, Executive Head of Digital at Milton Keynes College.
Sessions are open to Jisc member institutions. To receive invites just join the AI in FE Jiscmail community. Please be sure to register with your institutional email address.
And if you’d like to present at a future AI in FE community session, whether that’s a short case study, a practical demo, or a discussion-led session, please get in touch via AI@jisc.ac.uk.
Find out more by visiting our Artificial Intelligence page to explore publications and resources, learn more about our communities and sign up for our AI Literacy training.
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Get in touch with the team directly at AI@jisc.ac.uk