We’re looking for teachers to help us evaluate the impact of AI education in secondary schools. Below you can read more about this project and (if eligible) how you can get involved.
Project background
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a broad and rapidly developing field of technology and there is significant and growing interest in the ways it might influence how we educate young people. At the Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre, AI and data literacy is one of our core research themes. We have already published a systematic literature review, a pilot teachers’ survey and developed a framework for categorising AI teaching resources, professional development and research. We are therefore excited to be working with Google DeepMind, a leading artificial intelligence research company, to carry out an independent evaluation of their AI school education programme.
Though the study of AI and data science has not been significantly incorporated across school curricula in the UK, there is a growing demand to inform and educate young people to be critical consumers and users of these tools. There is also a need to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in AI as there persists a lack of diversity in computing in school education. It is important that underrepresented groups can access AI and AI-enabling subjects and career pathways as this will impact the diversity of those designing AI systems to be fair and equitable. Many initiatives are currently taking place to prepare young people for an AI-enabled future. Understanding the impact these have on both students and teachers is crucial to preparing young people for a rapidly changing landscape.
Project aims
We are currently collaborating with two partner organisations to investigate the impact of AI education initiatives in secondary education and grow our understanding of the effect of these programmes. In particular, we are interested in whether these programmes can support the development of young people’s AI literacy and to build young people’s interest in AI-related subjects and career pathways, particularly those from underrepresented groups. Finally, we want to look at how these programmes support teachers’ self-efficacy when teaching about AI and its related fields.
How to get involved
This project will run from now until July 2024. We are looking to engage with teachers and schools across the UK. We’re looking for teachers and schools who are taking part/have taken part in STEM Learning’s ENTHUSE AI partnership activities or the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Experience AI programme (Lessons or Challenge). If you are, would you be willing to host our evaluation team to conduct a focus group with your students and an interview with your teachers? To show our thanks for your help we will give each school we visit a £100 National Book Token.
If you feel you can help, we’ve created a short form for expression of interest: