Key points:
A new commission made up of policymakers, educational leaders, business leaders and education stakeholders from 16 states is addressing the role of ai in education from kindergarten through postsecondary programs, focusing on preparing ai and policy development.
The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Commission on artificial intelligence in Education is chaired by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and co-chaired by Brad D. Smith, president of Marshall University (WV) and former CEO of Intuit.
The commission will review research and industry data and hear from education experts as it develops recommendations for Southern states on the use of ai in teaching and learning, developing ai-related policies, and preparing the students for careers in ai.
Top of mind for commission members after the group's initial meeting was how to ensure that ai is thoughtfully incorporated into K-12 and postsecondary curricula in a way that prepares students for success in a workforce. that will demand ai skills and knowledge for jobs that largely do not yet exist.
“This is not the time of Rosie the Robot taking over jobs – there will be jobs. The question is: will we have people equipped to fill those jobs? SREB President Dr. Stephen Pruitt said during a conference to discuss the group's first meeting.
The first meeting of the commission generated discussions about what exactly ai looks like at different levels of education and how to integrate it in a useful and feasible way for students, educators and stakeholders.
“We have a plan for what it would look like to implement this technology in different fields of education and what types of relationships are created with the workforce. We have a plan and we are ready to move forward on that plan,” said Calvin McNeil, Advanced Placement computer science instructor at the University of Florida.
Engaging industry members is a critical part of the commission's success in outlining what mastering ai skills looks like at the K-12 and post-secondary levels.
“One of the best things, educationally and legislatively, is to have industries actively involved and know what they're looking for, so we can go back to the schools and know what needs to be taught,” said Charles Appleby, Senior Advisor to the Workforce Development Coordinating Council of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.
Ultimately, the group's common goal is to ensure that students are not left behind in a rapidly evolving workforce that is increasingly focused on ai knowledge.
“All of us here, from various perspectives, recognize the importance and critical nature of this technology. Our task is to balance risks and opportunities in the education space,” said Senator Katie Fry Hester of Maryland. “When thinking about education, ai can be used to tailor education to each student, improve mundane tasks, and look at large data sets and identify trends. But we want to do all that in a very careful way and make sure that the ai we use is fair and unbiased. We want to ensure that student data remains secure. We want to ensure that in our teachers' work, ai enhances, rather than replaces, the role of teachers. “I think this is the right group to do that.”
“We are really preparing our institutions to prepare people for a world that has changed. They say that around 60 percent of our jobs will be affected by ai. Well, how do we use that technology to better prepare students for a world that will be very different from the world we currently find ourselves in? said Jim Purcell, executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.
“We are bringing together industry, students and parents, and we are going to take advantage of what ai offers, which is a unique tool that we can use to upskill for the workplace. “Students end up in a position where they can meet the needs of the labor market,” said Stanton Greenawalt, professor of cybersecurity at Horry-Georgetown Technical College in South Carolina.
Ensuring that all students have access to ai skills development will play an important role in equity and access if ai skills frameworks reach students across all trajectories, particularly as education is key to economic mobility.
“In Florida, we have developed frameworks for learning standards through our CTE division. In this division, students are learning high-level concepts, allowing them to be employable as we talk about this new Industrial Revolution 4.0, where there are jobs that have not yet been created,” said Nancy Ruzycki, associate professor of instruction and director. of Undergraduate Laboratories at the University of Florida. “So what skills do they need to learn and how do we help them prepare? Helping people enter the ai process provides equity and access for all students.”
ai-education” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Find a complete list of commission members here.
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