AI for Education’s Post

This week we continue to celebrate the remarkable female educators and leaders in our Women in AI + Education community doing the frontline work in Higher Education around the world. Colleges and Universities face the urgent task of preparing both faculty and students to critically engage with AI while navigating complex questions of academic integrity, research ethics, career readiness, and pedagogical transformation. Which is why we are excited that our Higher Education spotlight series includes: • Faculty leaders creating frameworks for ethical AI principles, addressing crucial concerns like data privacy, bias, and equity of access • Instructional designers developing workshops on AI adoption that focus on assessment and practical tool use • Faculty leading cross-campus AI task forces and communities of practice to ensure foundational AI literacy across disciplines • Writing instructors teaching students to recognize bias and properly cite AI use in academic work • Researchers developing AI-powered tutoring systems that have impacted hundreds of thousands of students across multiple countries • Library professionals helping cultivate critical thinking around our evolving information ecosystem • International educators designing micro-certification courses for UNESCO to build faculty capacity in GenAI We continue to be amazed and inspired by the innovative ways our community collaborates to advance responsible AI adoption in their diverse settings. Check out the link in the comments to check out the complete list and more details on their work, as well as how to sign up to be part of the community. And look out for tomorrow's post, where we’ll be spotlighting community members from the EdTech sector. Thanks to our higher ed spotlight members: Casandra Silva Sibilin, Shelli Wynants, Tonya Whitaker, MA, Doreen Mayrell, Dr Kay Oddone, Meghan Killeen, Tiffany Petricini, Sadia Gondal, Maha Bali, Renah Wolzinger, Ed.D., Lorna Gonzalez, Ph.D., Chelsy Hooper, Katie Datko, Michelle Fischthal, Jaime L. Bissa, Ph.D., Ewelina Lacey, Elizabeth Reilley, Lori Robbins, Rose E Wang, Luisa Baum, Sara R. #ailiteracy #GenAI #highered #responsibleai #women

🤖 Unpacking crucial conversations on AI in schools 💬 I was honoured to be part of the STEM Learning UK AI roundtable, where we discussed the challenges for teachers, and possible strategies to adapt our practices in an age of AI. All set to be shared with the Department for Education.🚀 Interesting discussions around what level of understanding is needed by students. We expect them to know how to use a calculator, but not how to build one. Yet it is not so clear with AI. Should students be taught to become AI builders and prompt engineers, or just consumers? Perhaps they need a combination of skills? 🤖👩💻 And where does coding sit now? An important skill but one being ever more frequently undertaken by AI. Yes, there may always be a place for human ratification of code, but ultimately, will we be able to comprehend all the decisions that an AI might make? And what ethical dilemmas would this raise? 🤔 We explored AI integration in primary education, ensuring safety first, but leaving scope for experimentation. Grateful for the enriching conversations with Chris Goodall, Olivia Rodrigues, and Séverine Trouillet FRSA. We also considered gender imbalance in STEM, with fascinating insights into uptake levels in UK all-girls/co-ed schools from Jonathan O'Donnell, and the contrasting picture outside the UK shared by Pete Rai. Whilst we unlocked many further questions, events like this ensure progress in navigating the ever-changing educational landscape.🚀 #AIEducation #EdTech #STEMEducation #FutureOfLearning

Last week, our Women in AI + ED Community came together again for a special "Back to School" focused networking session. A few highlights from our discussion: 1. Deborah Domingues Murphy, MSLS, MSEd discussed how she approaches building AI literacy with her fellow teachers. 2. Kristina Peterson demonstrated how she has started applying GenAI tools in her classroom. 3. In our breakout sessions, there was a general agreement of the importance of shifting away from the rhetoric that "AI is only for cheating." While academic integrity has always been and should remain a priority in our schools, we discussed how the hyper focus on cheating is obscuring the larger discussions we need to be having around AI and Education. What strikes me most about our community is that we're not just talking about the future of education - we're actively shaping it. From K12 to Higher Ed, our members are driving meaningful change and collaboration across the education ecosystem. To all the female thought leaders, educators, builders, and innovators in our community: your insights and dedication are invaluable as we navigate the exciting intersection of AI and education. Interested in joining our thriving community of female-identifying leaders in AI and education? Link in the comments to learn more and join. Thanks as always to our amazing volunteers Grace Cruz, Morgan Taylor, Lucy Hutchinson, Misty Trevino, and Samantha Armstrong! AI for Education #WomenInAI #EdTech #AIinEducation #BackToSchool

AI is reshaping STEM education, and David Ross’s new Getting Smart Blog captures insights from leaders across the country on how this transformation is unfolding. From Texas to Hawaii, educators like Steven Zipkes and Casey Agena, Ed.D are blending AI with project-based learning and reimagining math pathways to empower students as creators and problem-solvers. As states adapt standards and embrace AI, leaders emphasize that equity and accessibility remain critical priorities. On a national level, initiatives like the @GENIUS Center aim to bridge achievement gaps by providing AI-powered learning tools and professional development for teachers. National leaders such as David L. Dimmett, Ed.D. and Erika Shugart highlight that preparing educators for AI integration is vital to the future of STEM. Explore how AI is shaping STEM education, empowering students, and transforming teaching: https://lnkd.in/gpe9PuPR Project Lead The Way | National Science Teaching Association | Code.org | Institute of Education Sciences | Hawaii State Department of Education #GettingSmart #GettingSmartBlog #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #AIinEducation #STEM #EdTech #Equity #EducationInnovation

Go Amanda Bickerstaff and your team! Keep this news coming. I'm excited about the new #NSF AI Education Act introduced by Senators Cantwell and Moran. As a professor specializing in AI education, I find this bill aligns closely with my professional focus and teaching experiences. The bill’s initiative to create AI "playbooks" accessible for all classrooms, including those in economically challenged and rural areas, is particularly important. In my role, I’m seeing how vital good resources are for opening up education to everyone. The NSF-funded fellowships for educators to deepen their AI knowledge also match my ongoing commitment to continuously improving my teaching skills. Best of all, increasing access to AI tools in under resourced communities, such as rural schools and MSI colleges, is another aspect of the bill that I strongly support. When teaching courses like AI Literacies with Design Thinking and AI in Business, I know how transformative AI can be in education. I literally see it in students faces and work. It’s great to see these efforts gaining momentum, and I’m optimistic about the positive impact they will have on our educational system. Let’s keep pushing for broad AI literacy to ensure a bright and inclusive future for all students. #AIforEducation #AIinSchools #EdTech #FutureOfLearning #AIProfessionalDevelopment #STEMEducation

Big news! WestEd experts Dr. Ann Edwards and Dr. Drew Nucci will co-lead a new $10 million research and development center on the use of GenAI in math and science education. Funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, AmplifyGAIN will conduct exploratory studies to examine how teachers use GenAI for mathematics and science teaching and learning. The center will use insights from the studies to develop, test, and revise Colleague AI, an AI assistant developed to help teachers save time by helping them: 📔 Prepare improved lesson materials 📙 Build and conduct formative classroom assessments 📘 Provide personalized feedback to students. ✅ The center will also conduct a pilot study to assess the promise of Colleague AI for improving math and science education outcomes. “As we witness the transformative influence of GenAI in our lives and classrooms, it has become increasingly clear that targeted research to guide our use of this powerful technology is essential,” said Edwards, director of mathematics at WestEd. “AmplifyGAIN is seizing on the opportunities and challenges of this moment to provide national leadership on how GenAI tools can be best developed and used by math and science educators to improve equity and drive student outcomes.” Dr. Min Sun, professor of educational policy, organization, and leadership in the UW College of Education, and AmplifyGAIN director and principal investigator, said “We’ve already arrived at a tipping point in how this technology is changing the landscape of education. AmplifyGAIN will study the promises and barriers for teachers to effectively use GenAI in teaching and learning, develop specialized AI technologies designed with and for teachers, and study the effects of using Gen AI tools in reducing teacher workload stress and improving their work efficiency to ultimately enhance student learning outcomes.”  We're very excited to be collaborating with some amazing researchers with the ultimate goal of providing educators with evidence-based information to help them successfully navigate the new era of genAI in education. #Classroom #Teachers #GenAI #STEM

Last week I had the opportunity (twice!) to present with the amazing Jamie Patti, faculty member and Assistant Chair of English at Pueblo Community College, who shared her college's experience piloting BoodleBox this semester. Jamie highlighted how faculty and staff at Pueblo Community College used BoodleBox to: 1. Reimagine assignments by transforming writing assignments into hands-on activities that demonstrate critical/creative thinking. For example, they've used BoodleBox to generate instructions and images for assignments that encourage students to go beyond simply writing and engage in more active learning. 2. Support learning by providing students with immediate access to a greater variety of effective tools and strategies for learning challenging course material. Jamie shared how students in their BIO 1010 class are using BoodleBox to transform lecture notes into personalized study guides, and students in ENG 1022 are using it for individualized research coaching. 3. Help students become AI-savvy by understanding and practicing using AI effectively, responsibly, and ethically. Jamie emphasized the importance of instructors working alongside students to teach them how to use AI responsibly and ethically, and how BoodleBox's collaborative AI features provide a valuable tool for this. 4. Enhance student-AI collaboration. Jamie shared how EMS students are using AI simulations in BoodleBox to role-play with AI bots acting as patients, providing valuable experience in real-world scenarios. Jamie also discussed how staff and faculty saved time and effort with administrative tasks. She shared examples of how her colleagues used BoodleBox to generate performance plan goals, draft email replies, and support ADA compliance. Pueblo Community College's implementation of responsible AI in the classroom and for classwork positions them at the forefront of AI in education, showcasing the Colorado Community College System's forward-thinking approach to preparing students for an AI-enabled world. We're proud at BoodleBox to support innovative educators like Jamie and her colleagues, impressive institutions like Pueblo Community College and the Colorado Community College System, and visionary leaders like Tina Parscal, PhD Katherine Stevenson Frank Vazquez Chato Hazelbaker, Ed.D Patrick Maille who are paving the way for responsible AI in higher education. For those interested, I've included the slides from our presentation below, which feature Jamie's valuable lessons learned for AI adoption. #AIinEducation #BoodleBox #CollaborativeAI #HigherEd #TeachingExcellence

Over these past 4 days AI for Education highlighted the work of 115 members from 21 countries who are doing the important and necessary work of ensuring that our education ecosystem can respond to this technical transformation. Today’s spotlight were the impact-focused leaders working across the research, nonprofit, and training spaces as they concluded their week of celebrating the remarkable women in the AI for Education community. Among this diverse group you'll find: • Leaders and educators creating AI literacy programs specifically for underserved communities • Researchers documenting the impact of AI tools on student learning outcomes • Leaders building frameworks for ethical AI character design in children's media • Founders providing free AI education resources to make learning accessible regardless of location and international trainers developing culturally-responsive AI literacy programs • Youth advocates empowering students to become digital safety ambassadors • Researchers studying AI trustworthiness and fraud detection • Program designers creating evidence-based leadership programs for responsible AI adoption We hope you check out all of today's and this week’s spotlighted members and their work in the link: https://lnkd.in/gjHADxW7 A HUGE thanks to all the women in the community, and beyond who are leading responsible AI adoption from the ground up, one classroom, one project, and one student at a time. A very special shout-out to the AI for Education team and Lindy Matthews, PMP for leaning in to help get the list shared in a short turnaround. Amanda Bickerstaff #GenAI #ailiteracy #responsibleAI #womeninAI

AI is here to stay. It is imperative that we prepare our students ...and teachers for it! This is a great first step. #stemeducation #Learning with AI

Important to understand the role of federal and state governments in guiding AI in education considering data topics, instructional topics, integration into digital literacy skills training for students, as well as adequate training for educators and leaders. Contact me as I assist our partners and state leaders in understanding AI roadmaps. CDW