AI education

Middle Schoolers’ Feedback Informs New Approach to AI-based Museum Exhibits

dgivens8 — Fri, 30 May 2025 18:14:41 +0000

Middle Schoolers’ Feedback Informs New Approach to AI-based Museum Exhibits dgivens8 Fri, 05/30/2025 - 14:14

Researchers at Georgia Tech are creating accessible museum exhibits that explain artificial intelligence (AI) to middle school students, including the LuminAI interactive AI-based dance partner developed by Regents' Professor Brian Magerko.

Ph.D. students Yasmine Belghith and Atefeh Mahdavi co-led a study in a museum setting that observed how middle schoolers interact with the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT.

“It’s important for museums, especially science museums, to start incorporating these kinds of exhibits about AI and about using AI so the general population can have that avenue to interact with it and transfer that knowledge to everyday tools,” Belghith said.

Belghith and Mahdavi conducted their study with nine focus groups of 24 students at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. The team used the findings to inform their design of AI exhibits that the museum could display as early as 2025.

Belghith is a Ph.D. student in human-centered computing. Her advisor is Assistant Professor Jessica Roberts in the School of Interactive Computing. Magerko advises Mahdavi, a Ph.D. student in digital media in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication.

Belghith and Mahdavi presented a paper about their study in May at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) 2024 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Their work is part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant dedicated to fostering AI literacy among middle schoolers in informal environments.

Expanding Accessibility

While there are existing efforts to reach students in the classroom, the researchers believe AI education is most accessible in informal learning environments like museums.

“There’s a need today for everybody to have some sort of AI literacy,” Belghith said. “Many middle schoolers will not be taking computer science courses or pursuing computer science careers, so there needs to be interventions to teach them what they should know about AI.”

The researchers found that most of the middle schoolers interacted with ChatGPT to either test its knowledge by prompting it to answer questions or socialize with it by having human-like conversations.

Others fit the mold of “content explorers.” They did not engage with the AI aspect of ChatGPT and focused more on the content it produced.

Mahdavi said regardless of their approach, students would get “tunnel vision” in their interactions instead of exploring more of the AI’s capabilities.

“If they go in a certain direction, they will continue to explore that,” Mahdavi said. “One thing we can learn from this is to nudge kids and show them there are other things you can do with AI tools or get them to think about it another way.”

The researchers also paid attention to what was missing in the students’ responses, which Mahdavi said was just as important as what they did talk about.

“None of them mentioned anything about ethics or what could be problematic about AI,” she said. “That told us there’s something they aren’t thinking about but should be. We take that into account as we think about future exhibits.”

Making an Impact

The researchers visited the Museum of Science and Industry June 1-2 to conduct the first trial run of three AI-based exhibits they’ve created. One of them is LuminAI, which was developed in Magerko’s Expressive Machinery Lab.

LuminAI is an interactive art installation that allows people to engage in collaborative movement with an AI dance partner. Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State recently held the first performance of AI avatars dancing with human partners in front of a live audience.

Duri Long, a former Georgia Tech Ph.D. student who is now an assistant professor at Northwestern University, designed the second exhibit. KnowledgeNet is an interactive tabletop exhibit in which visitors build semantic networks by adding different characteristics to characters that interact together.

The third exhibit, Data Bites, prompts users to build datasets of pizzas and sandwiches. Their selections train a machine-learning classifier in real time.

Belghith said the exhibits fostered conversations about AI between parents and children.

“The exhibit prototypes successfully engaged children in creative activities,” she said. “Many parents had to pull their kids away to continue their museum tour because the kids wanted more time to try different creations or dance moves.”

Summary sentence

Partnering with Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, Researchers at Georgia Tech are creating accessible museum exhibits that explain artificial intelligence (AI) to middle school students.

Summary

Ph.D. students Yasmine Belghith and Atefeh Mahdavi co-led a study in a museum setting that observed how middle schoolers interact with the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT.

Dateline

Fri, 06/21/2024 - 12:00

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Nathan Deen

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675196

Source updated

Wed, 07/17/2024 - 10:05

Georgia Tech Leads the Way in AI Literacy with OpenAI Academy Collaboration

admin — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:03:39 +0000

Georgia Tech Leads the Way in AI Literacy with OpenAI Academy Collaboration admin Thu, 03/27/2025 - 09:03

The demand for AI education is clear, and Georgia Tech, along with the new OpenAI Academy, is poised to meet this need by offering opportunities and resources to advance public knowledge in this emerging field.

This exciting new partnership between Georgia Tech and the OpenAI Academy is aimed at advancing AI education. This collaboration is part of the academy's initiative to create a publicly available, free online resource hub designed to support AI literacy and provide access to essential tools, best practices, and peer insights for effective and responsible AI use.

The OpenAI Academy, which initially focused on in-person programs for developers and technical users, is now expanding its reach to a broader community. This includes educators, students, and small business owners. The goal is to unlock new opportunities for learning, economic mobility, growth, and innovation by empowering more people to confidently use AI.

The new online hub will feature an expanding library of on-demand content, including educational materials created by partners like Common Sense Media. In the coming months, the academy will continue to grow its offerings, adding new resources and in-person AI literacy workshops. These workshops will be hosted in collaboration with higher education institutions such as Georgia Tech and Miami Dade College.

As part of Tech AI Fest 2025, Georgia Tech hosted an AI literacy workshop Tuesday, March 25. This event was Georgia Tech’s premier AI gathering, bringing together researchers, industry professionals, policymakers, and students for discussions on the latest advancements in artificial intelligence. The workshop, held at the East Architecture Building, provided hands-on learning experiences and showcased the practical applications of AI in various fields.

The partnership between Georgia Tech and OpenAI Academy underscores Tech's commitment to advancing AI education and ensuring that AI literacy is accessible to everyone. By participating in this initiative, the Institute aims to provide learners with the confidence and skills needed to thrive in an AI-powered economy, ultimately benefiting local communities and fostering innovation.

Summary sentence

New OpenAI Academy at Georgia Tech offers education and resources to advance public knowledge in one of the top fields globally.

Summary

Georgia Tech has teamed up with OpenAI Academy to transform AI literacy through an innovative online resource hub and dynamic hands-on workshops. This pioneering initiative aims to democratize AI education, reaching a diverse audience that includes educators, students, job-seekers, and nonprofit leaders. The collaboration kicks off with an exciting AI literacy workshop at Tech AI Fest 2025, where participants will engage in practical learning experiences and explore cutting-edge AI applications. By making AI education accessible and empowering individuals to thrive in an AI-driven economy, Georgia Tech is leading the charge in shaping the future of technology and innovation.

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Thu, 03/27/2025 - 12:00

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expanding library

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Thu, 03/27/2025 - 09:03

Georgia Tech Leads the Way in AI Literacy with OpenAI Academy Collaboration

admin — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 01:05:41 +0000

Georgia Tech Leads the Way in AI Literacy with OpenAI Academy Collaboration admin Tue, 03/25/2025 - 21:05

This exciting new partnership between Georgia Tech and the OpenAI Academy is aimed at advancing AI education. This collaboration is part of the academy's initiative to create a publicly available, free online resource hub designed to support AI literacy and provide access to essential tools, best practices, and peer insights for effective and responsible AI use.

As part of Tech AI Fest 2025, Georgia Tech hosted an AI literacy workshop Tuesday, March 25. This event was Georgia Tech’s premier AI gathering, bringing together researchers, industry professionals, policymakers, and students for discussions on the latest advancements in artificial intelligence. The workshop, held at the East Architecture Building, provided hands-on learning experiences and showcased the practical applications of AI in various fields.

Summary sentence

New OpenAI Academy at Georgia Tech offers education and resources to advance public knowledge in one of the top fields globally.

Summary

Dateline

Tue, 03/25/2025 - 12:00

media@gatech.edu

Contact

Georgia Tech Media Relations

Institute Communications

Keywords

Georgia Tech

OpenAI Academy

AI literacy

AI education

Tech AI Fest 2025

online resource hub

Workshops

hands-on learning

innovation

economic mobility

community learning

Educators

students

job-seekers

nonprofit leaders

small business owners

AI-powered economy

partnership

expanding library

on-demand content

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Tue, 03/25/2025 - 21:04

Advancing AI in the Classroom

admin — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 13:54:41 +0000

Advancing AI in the Classroom admin Tue, 12/10/2024 - 08:54

Michael Washington has been teaching high school math for two decades, but in 2021, he found himself on the other side of the (virtual) classroom as a first-year master’s computer science student at Georgia Tech.

As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in curriculums at all levels of instruction, Washington saw an opportunity to assist his school, Greater Atlanta Christian (GAC), in harnessing its capabilities to help students. During his time at Tech, the Chicago native helped GAC enhance its large language model, which he says acts as an instructional “extension” of the teacher.

“For a period during the pandemic, our classes were online, and all of that recorded data was able to be used to develop this LLM, and we continue to add to it. For my class, the model can mimic my teaching style, and it’s available to my students whenever they need it,” he said.

AI’s role in the classroom is fluid, but Washington wants his students to interact with it as a tutor and not an all-powerful calculator.

“Just like it would be wrong of a tutor to simply give the student the right answer, we have trained the model to walk our students through a problem step-by-step to ensure they understand how they arrived at that answer,” he said.

Like his students, Washington has been striking a balance between schoolwork and his personal life for the past three years, often studying and completing homework assignments at night or on weekends. Along with the knowledge he gained from the coursework, Washington says he came away from the program with a refreshed outlook on instruction.

“My professors were all so helpful. This experience made me reevaluate myself as a teacher, and in a way, I leave the program with more empathy for students. I realized that sometimes I may need to explain things differently or go back over something to make sure everyone is following along,” Washington said.

Washington becomes a Double Jacket with his master’s in computer science after earning an M.S. in electrical engineering from the Institute in 1998. He holds an undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University. After his first Tech degree, Washington began working as an engineer with Motorola, but after three years in the field, he pursued his passion in teaching and went on to earn a master’s in education from Georgia State University.

When he’s not in the classroom, Washington spends time with his wife and two children. With one child in middle school and another preparing to graduate from high school, he hopes to inspire them to continue seeking opportunities to learn.

Subtitle

As a high school math teacher, Michael Washington is using his degree to bring artificial intelligence to his students.

Summary sentence

As a high school math teacher, Michael Washington is using his degree to bring artificial intelligence to his students.

Summary

As a high school math teacher, Michael Washington is using his degree to bring artificial intelligence to his students.

Dateline

Tue, 12/10/2024 - 12:00

Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu

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Tue, 12/10/2024 - 08:54

AI4GA Lays Groundwork for NSF-funded Nationwide K-12 AI Curriculum

admin — Tue, 28 May 2024 15:20:41 +0000

AI4GA Lays Groundwork for NSF-funded Nationwide K-12 AI Curriculum admin Tue, 05/28/2024 - 11:20

Working on a multi-institutional team of investigators, Georgia Tech researchers have helped the state of Georgia become the epicenter for developing K-12 AI educational curriculum nationwide.

The new curriculum introduced by Artificial Intelligence for Georgia (AI4GA) has taught middle school students to use and understand AI. It’s also equipped middle school teachers to teach the foundations of AI.

AI4GA is a branch of a larger initiative, the Artificial Intelligence for K-12 (AI4K12). Funded by the National Science Foundation and led by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Florida, AI4K12 is developing national K-12 guidelines for AI education.

Bryan Cox, the Kapor research fellow in Georgia Tech’s Constellation Center for Equity in Computing, drove a transformative computer science education initiative when he worked at the Georgia Department of Education. Though he is no longer with the DOE, he persuaded the principal investigators of AI4K12 to use Georgia as their testing ground. He became a lead principal investigator for AI4GA.

“We’re using AI4GA as a springboard to contextualize the need for AI literacy in populations that have the potential to be negatively impacted by AI agents,” Cox said.

Judith Uchidiuno, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing, began working on the AI4K12 project as a post-doctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon under lead PI Dave Touretzky. Joining the faculty at Georgia Tech enabled her to be an in-the-classroom researcher for AI4GA. She started her Play and Learn Lab at Georgia Tech and hired two research assistants devoted to AI4GA.

Focusing on students from underprivileged backgrounds in urban, suburban, and rural communities, Uchidiuno said her team has worked with over a dozen Atlanta-based schools to develop an AI curriculum. The results have been promising.

“Over the past three years, over 1,500 students have learned AI due to the work we’re doing with teachers,” Uchidiuno said. “We are empowering teachers through AI. They now know they have the expertise to teach this curriculum.”

AI4GA is in its final semester of NSF funding, and the researchers have made their curriculum and teacher training publicly available. The principal investigators from Carnegie Mellon and the University of Florida will use the curriculum as a baseline for AI4K12.

STARTING STUDENTS YOUNG

Though AI is a complex subject, the researchers argue middle schoolers aren’t too young to learn about how it works and the social implications that come with it.

“Kids are interacting with it whether people like it or not,” Uchidiuno said. “Many of them already have smart devices. Some children have parents with smart cars. More and more students are using ChatGPT.

“They don’t have much understanding of the impact or the implications of using AI, especially data and privacy. If we want to prepare students who will one day build these technologies, we need to start them young and at least give them some critical thinking skills.”

Will Gelder, a master’s student in Uchidiuno’s lab, helped analyze data exploring the benefits of co-designing the teaching curriculum with teachers based on months of working with students and learning how they understand AI. Rebecca Yu, a research scientist in Uchidiuno’s lab, collected data to determine which parts of the curriculum were effective or ineffective.

Through the BridgeUP STEM Program at Georgia Tech, Uchidiuno worked with high school students to design video games that demonstrate their knowledge of AI based on the AI4GA curriculum. Students designed the games using various maker materials in 2D and 3D representations, and the games are currently in various stages of development by student developers at the Play and Learn Lab.

“The students love creative projects that let them express their creative thoughts,” Gelder said. “Students love the opportunity to break out markers or crayons and design their dream robot and whatever functions they can think of.”

Yu said her research shows that many students demonstrate the ability to understand advanced concepts of AI through these creative projects.

“To teach the concept of algorithms, we have students use crayons to draw different colors to mimic all the possibilities a computer is considering in its decision-making,” Yu said.

“Many other curricula like ours don’t go in-depth about the technical concepts, but AI4GA does. We show that with appropriate levels of scaffolding and instructions, they can learn them even without mathematical or programming backgrounds.”

EMPOWERING TEACHERS

Cox cast a wide net to recruit middle school teachers with diverse student groups. A former student of his answered the call.

Amber Jones, a Georgia Tech alumna, taught at a school primarily consisting of Black and Latinx students. She taught a computer science course that covered building websites, using Excel, and basic coding.

Jones said many students didn’t understand the value and applications of what her course was teaching until she transitioned to the AI4GA curriculum.

“AI for Georgia curriculum felt like every other lesson tied right back to the general academics,” Jones said. “I could say, ‘Remember how you said you weren’t going to ever use y equals mx plus b? Well, every time you use Siri, she's running y equals mx plus b.’ I saw them drawing the connections and not only drawing them but looking for them.”

Connecting AI back to their other classes, favorite social media platforms, and digital devices helped students understand the concepts and fostered interest in the curriculum.

Jones’s participation in the program also propelled her career forward. She now works as a consultant teaching AI to middle school students.

“I’m kind of niche in my experiences,” Jones said. “So, when someone says, ‘Hey, we also want to do something with a young population that involves computer science,’ I’m in a small pool of people that can be looked to for guidance.”

AI4GA quickly cultivated a new group of experts within a short timeframe.

“They’ve made their classes their own,” Cox said. “They add their own tweaks. Over the course of the project, the teachers were engaged in cultivating the lessons for their experience and their context based on the identity of their students.”

Summary sentence

Working on a multi-institutional team of investigators, Georgia Tech researchers have helped the state of Georgia become the epicenter for developing K-12 AI educational curriculum nationwide.

Summary

Dateline

Tue, 05/21/2024 - 12:00

ndeen6@gatech.edu

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Nathan Deen

Communications Officer

School of Interactive Computing

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artificial intelligence (AI)

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Computer Science/Information Technology and Security

Education

Mercury ID

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Source updated

Tue, 05/28/2024 - 11:20

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Middle Schoolers’ Feedback Informs New Approach to AI-based Museum Exhibits

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Georgia Tech Leads the Way in AI Literacy with OpenAI Academy Collaboration

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Georgia Tech Leads the Way in AI Literacy with OpenAI Academy Collaboration

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Advancing AI in the Classroom

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AI4GA Lays Groundwork for NSF-funded Nationwide K-12 AI Curriculum

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