The Role of AI in Student Feedback with Daisy Christodoulou

September 29, 2026

Episode Overview

‍In this episode from the Festival of Education at Wellington College 2026, host Daniel Emmerson speaks with Daisy Christodoulou, Director of Education at No More Marking. Daisy discusses the role of artificial intelligence in educational assessment, emphasising the importance of actionable feedback over lengthy written notes, the mechanics of comparative judgment, and why handwritten work remains vital for learning. She also addresses the potential pitfalls of AI in schools and offers key guidance for school leaders navigating integration.Key Topics & Timestamps

00:00 Speed As Quality
00:36 Meet Daisy Christodoulou
01:57 Is Written Feedback Useful
02:29 Thermostat Feedback Model
03:32 Comparative Judgment Explained
04:53 AI Judges And Benefits
06:09 Avoiding The Doom Loop
10:48 Student Trust And Emotions
12:48 Fast Feedback Tradeoffs
14:59 Handwriting Versus Typing
17:14 Digitizing Handwritten Work
17:57 Assessment Tradeoffs And Standards
20:21 Advice For School Leaders
21:56 Hopes For AI In Schools

Key Takeaways & Highlights

Thermostat vs. Thermometer: Assessment feedback shouldn't just measure performance; it needs to change performance by providing actionable steps such as personalised quizzes.
Speed as Quality: A scrappy, immediate response can be significantly more effective for student improvement than a polished response delivered weeks late.
The 90/10 Rule: Integrating AI into comparative judgment (90% AI, 10% human judging) ensures every paper is reviewed multiple times while maintaining human oversight.
Cognitive Differences in Mediums: Research shows moving tests to screens can lower student outcomes compared to paper-based assessments, making handwriting recognition a vital bridge for digital reporting.
Action on Shadow AI: Leaders who delay setting AI policies risk teachers resorting to unvetted, consumer-facing tools during high-workload periods.

Resources Mentioned

No More Marking: Comparative judgment platform for student assessment. https://www.nomoremarking.com/
John Jerrim / PISA Research: Natural experiment study comparing student performance on paper vs. digital test formats. https://johnjerrim.com/papers/

Guest Contact Information

Guest: Daisy Christodoulou (Director of Education, No More Marking)
Daisy Christodoulou is the Director of Education at No More Marking, a provider of comparative judgement assessments. She works closely with schools in the UK, Australia and USA on developing new approaches to assessment, and on applications of artificial intelligence in the classroom.Before that, she was Head of Assessment at Ark Schools, a network of academy schools. She has taught English in two London comprehensives and has been part of UK government commissions on the future of teacher training and assessment.

Daisy is the author of three books about education: Seven Myths about Education (2013), Making Good Progress? The future of Assessment for Learning (2017), and Teachers vs Tech (2020).

‍

The Role of AI in Student Feedback with Daisy Christodoulou

In this episode from the Festival of Education at Wellington College 2026, host Daniel Emmerson speaks with Daisy Christodoulou, Director of Education at No More Marking. Daisy discusses the role of artificial intelligence in educational assessment, emphasising the importance of actionable feedback over lengthy written notes, the mechanics of comparative judgment, and why handwritten work remains vital for learning. She also addresses the potenti

Daisy Christodoulou

Director of Education at No More Marking

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The Role of AI in Student Feedback with Daisy Christodoulou

Published on

September 29, 2026

Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts

Daisy Christodoulou

Director of Education at No More Marking

Daisy Christodoulou is the Director of Education at No More Marking, a provider of comparative judgement assessments. She works closely with schools in the UK, Australia and USA on developing new approaches to assessment, and on applications of artificial intelligence in the classroom.Before that, she was Head of Assessment at Ark Schools, a network of academy schools. She has taught English in two London comprehensives and has been part of UK government commissions on the future of teacher training and assessment.

Episode Overview

00:00 Speed As Quality
00:36 Meet Daisy Christodoulou
01:57 Is Written Feedback Useful
02:29 Thermostat Feedback Model
03:32 Comparative Judgment Explained
04:53 AI Judges And Benefits
06:09 Avoiding The Doom Loop
10:48 Student Trust And Emotions
12:48 Fast Feedback Tradeoffs
14:59 Handwriting Versus Typing
17:14 Digitizing Handwritten Work
17:57 Assessment Tradeoffs And Standards
20:21 Advice For School Leaders
21:56 Hopes For AI In Schools

Key Takeaways & Highlights

Thermostat vs. Thermometer: Assessment feedback shouldn't just measure performance; it needs to change performance by providing actionable steps such as personalised quizzes.
Speed as Quality: A scrappy, immediate response can be significantly more effective for student improvement than a polished response delivered weeks late.
The 90/10 Rule: Integrating AI into comparative judgment (90% AI, 10% human judging) ensures every paper is reviewed multiple times while maintaining human oversight.
Cognitive Differences in Mediums: Research shows moving tests to screens can lower student outcomes compared to paper-based assessments, making handwriting recognition a vital bridge for digital reporting.
Action on Shadow AI: Leaders who delay setting AI policies risk teachers resorting to unvetted, consumer-facing tools during high-workload periods.

Resources Mentioned

No More Marking: Comparative judgment platform for student assessment. https://www.nomoremarking.com/
John Jerrim / PISA Research: Natural experiment study comparing student performance on paper vs. digital test formats. https://johnjerrim.com/papers/

Guest Contact Information

Guest: Daisy Christodoulou (Director of Education, No More Marking)
Daisy Christodoulou is the Director of Education at No More Marking, a provider of comparative judgement assessments. She works closely with schools in the UK, Australia and USA on developing new approaches to assessment, and on applications of artificial intelligence in the classroom.Before that, she was Head of Assessment at Ark Schools, a network of academy schools. She has taught English in two London comprehensives and has been part of UK government commissions on the future of teacher training and assessment.

Daisy is the author of three books about education: Seven Myths about Education (2013), Making Good Progress? The future of Assessment for Learning (2017), and Teachers vs Tech (2020).

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The Role of AI in Student Feedback with Daisy Christodoulou

Episode Overview

Key Takeaways & Highlights

Resources Mentioned

Guest Contact Information

About this Episode