Researching Tiny in the classroom
Tiny's impact on student learning
Tiny is the subject of a research project run by AI dětem and the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University. It looks at how the AI assistant in Tiny can support computer science teachers and their students. The project runs from September 2025 to August 2027 and is funded by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic.
What we're testing
- Tinybots as teaching assistants for teachers and learning assistants for students in computer science lessons
- Automated assessment of open-ended answers to support formative assessment
- Tracking how students' knowledge develops, and personalising tasks to match
- A module for students' independent work outside lessons
- The safety of interactions between students and Tinybots, and differences in how groups of students use the chatbots
Why it matters
Computer science became a compulsory subject in Czech schools in 2024, but more than half of computer science lessons in primary schools are taught by teachers without a specialist qualification. Tiny helps teachers prepare lessons and gives students personalised learning paths. The research focuses on using chatbots well: supporting students’ learning rather than doing the work for them.
How the research works
We use a design-based research approach, involving 100–150 schools across different regions. Data comes from surveys, classroom observations, interviews and anonymised conversations between students and chatbots. It’s collected over three testing phases, and each phase feeds into improving the app.
Who's behind it
The research is led by AI dětem in partnership with the team of Assoc. Prof. Cyril Brom at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, and the AI development team of Assoc. Prof. Pavel Kordík.
Project TQ23000146, AI Assistants for Teaching Computer Science in Lower Secondary Schools, is co-financed with state support from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic under the SIGMA Programme.
