[Exclusive] AI Textbook Pilot Operation Date Changed Three Times

The Ministry of Education announced that the pilot operation period for the AI digital textbook has been postponed from January 3?21 to January 17?28 this month. However, it has been revealed that the original plan was to start the operation earlier, from January 22. Due to delays in selecting the AI textbook and negotiating subscription fees, the days when the AI textbook could be tested in the field have changed three times.

According to documents obtained by Asia Economy on the 24th, the Ministry of Education sent an official letter to AI textbook publishers and others on the 20th of last month regarding the pilot operation of the AI textbook. The letter specifies that the Ministry planned to conduct the pilot operation from "January 22 to February 21" targeting metropolitan and provincial offices of education, AIDT-adopting schools, and teachers. It also stated that the pilot operation of the AI textbook is "a task for teachers to tentatively use the AIDT to verify whether it operates normally through a series of processes and to propose improvements," and "to enhance the platform's completeness before launch."

For the AI textbook pilot operation, the AI textbooks must be prepared in advance. However, the Ministry of Education received participation applications from each publisher on January 22, the very first day of the planned pilot operation. In other words, the Ministry received participation applications from AI textbook publishers on the day the pilot operation was supposed to begin.

Provided by Assemblyman Kang Kyung-sook, Office of the Party for National Innovation

Provided by Assemblyman Kang Kyung-sook, Office of the Party for National Innovation

The pilot operation period was also changed. According to the "AIDT Learning Data Platform Pilot Operation Participation Application" sent by the Ministry of Education to AI textbook publishers, the pilot operation period was set as "February 4?21."

Accordingly, participating publishers were scheduled to carry out ▲ a simple penetration test conducted at schools with 10 gigabytes (G) infrastructure ▲ AIDT load tests by metropolitan and provincial offices of education ▲ pre-inspections at AIDT-adopting schools ▲ AIDT experience services for curriculum planning at AIDT-adopting schools. Among these, the AIDT load test involves measuring speed by simultaneously connecting 200 test accounts to devices of metropolitan and provincial offices of education, a task expected to take 1?2 days per office.

This plan was recently changed once again. In a press release issued on the 20th, the Ministry of Education stated, "The pilot operation will be conducted from February 17 to 28 for schools that have selected the AI textbook, during which the use of the AI textbook and response systems will be checked."

Originally, the pilot operation was supposed to end on the 21st, after which actual class preparations would begin. However, with the pilot operation dates changing three times, schools that decided to adopt the AI textbook will conduct the pilot operation until just before the March semester starts. The pilot operation period, initially planned for one month (January 22?February 21), was shortened to two weeks (17?28). Concerns are rising that the shortened AI textbook pilot operation period may increase confusion in the educational field.

Meanwhile, as of the 17th, the adoption rate of AI textbooks among elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide (11,921 schools) is 32.3% (3,849 schools).