In this project, we are evaluating the impact of a range of different AI educational initiatives for secondary school students in the UK. The initiatives have all been funded by Google DeepMind, a leading AI company, as part of their two-year AI school engagement programme. We were delighted to have been selected by Google DeepMind to conduct an independent evaluation of this exciting programme, which aims to support the next generation of AI leaders and to build a more diverse and inclusive AI ecosystem.
There is a rapidly growing demand for resources that inform and educate young people about AI, and many initiatives are emerging that aim to prepare young people for an AI-enabled future. The goal of this evaluation project is to explore the impact of different AI education initiatives on students and teachers, and help to build the evidence base around AI education for young people, with a particular focus on those from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the AI field.
The project is running for two years, and involves the evaluation of seven different initiatives which introduce AI (or STEM more generally) to young people in the UK aged 11-18 years old.
The evaluation project began with the development of a high-level Theory of Change (ToC) and evaluation strategy. A survey was then distributed to students and teachers before and after taking part in their respective programmes designed to measure their attitudes to and awareness of AI. We additionally conducted an implementation evaluation through interviews and focus groups to explore the experiences of students and teachers. Finally, we are analysing the reach of the programme and the demographics of the participants.
This work is being funded by Google DeepMind, a leading AI research company, who selected the Research Centre to carry out an independent evaluation of their AI school education programme. We are grateful for their support and excited to be working with them and their partner organisations to build the evidence base around AI education.