Ember, the AI-enhanced student assessment project by ESCP Assistant Professor Vitor Lima, is shortlisted for international education award

ESCP Business School is proud to announce that Ember AI-Enhanced Student Assessment, an innovative project led by Assistant Professor Vitor Lima, has been shortlisted for the Innovation in Business Education Award at the prestigious QS Reimagine Education Awards 2025.

Harnessing generative AI to transform assessment

Launched in 2024, Ember integrates Generative AI in higher education to transform how students are assessed. Acting as an AI-powered teaching assistant, Ember evaluates student group presentations on pressing real-world topics, such as customer experience and AI ethics.

What makes Ember unique is its multimodal AI analysis: combining voice, visuals, and professor notes with detailed rubrics, it delivers immediate, consistent, and evidence-based feedback. This helps students better understand their strengths, improve performance, and engage in deeper critical thinking.

This initiative originated from the course “Working with Robots and AI” within the Master in Management program, reflecting a critical and practical exploration of AI’s implications.

“The Ember project exemplifies the future of higher education assessment, integrating AI responsibly and innovatively to enhance pedagogical outcomes, ensuring transparency, fairness, and scalability in educational experiences.”

Vitor Lima Vitor Lima
Assistant Professor of Marketing of ESCP Business School

Why Ember stands out

Ember represents a leap forward compared to traditional grading tools like Turnitin or standard LMS systems. Its distinctive features include:

  • Real-time multimodal analysis of speech, slides, and professor notes.
  • Customised, persistent AI prompts for objective evaluations.
  • Compliance with GDPR and the European AI Act, ensuring ethical and transparent use of AI.
  • Scalability potential, including digital twin avatars for tutoring and exam preparation.

Early evidence at ESCP shows significant improvements in student engagement and presentation quality due to timely, detailed feedback and transparent rubric-based assessment.

“Many thanks to all the folks at ESCP Business School who helped me with this submission, and to the school’s directors for their continuous support of these AI initiatives, such as this one with OpenAI.

Vitor Lima Vitor Lima
Assistant Professor of Marketing of ESCP Business School

A step toward global impact

Designed for scalability, Ember is adaptable across programmes, campuses, and institutions. Its intuitive voice interface and rubric-driven feedback make it accessible to diverse learners, reinforcing ESCP’s mission of inclusive and responsible innovation.

By embedding ethics, accountability, and transparency at its core, Ember sets a benchmark for responsible AI in higher education.

ESCP leads the way for AI in higher education

This recognition reinforces ESCP’s position as a global leader in business education innovation. As AI continues to shape the future of learning, projects like Ember show how technology can be harnessed to benefit both students and faculty.

Relevant link

Lima is among the 1,000 AI Champions at ESCP Business School who participated in the proof-of-concept phase in the ESCP and OpenAI collaboration. To learn more about the initiative and other AI use cases at ESCP

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