Open Online Course: Critical AI Perspectives for Educators
Develop the skills to assess AI’s impact on educational contexts
In this course, we will look at recent developments with AI in education from a critical perspective. “Critical” in this context does not mean “negative” but rather we will consider how AI tools are being introduced into educational contexts and the assumptions underlying those decisions.
Attempts to automate parts of teaching and learning often carry assumptions about the purpose of education, the interests of students and teachers, and the capacities of land, climate, water, and family. We will open these issues for consideration to help educators decide when and how to use, reject, or discuss AI in education and facilitate meaningful, even transformative, learning experiences.
Along the way, we’ll work with a number of technologies that are increasingly being used in education, including ChatGPT and MagicSchool, and we’ll watch two lesson sequences involving AI — one where students use a few AI tools and one where students discuss the ethical implications of AI tools.
After completing this course, educators should be able to:
- Decide how and when to use artificial intelligence tools in their classroom.
- Engage in informed discussions with middle-school and high-school students about AI, especially how students would like AI to be a part of their learning and future.
- Answer questions from students about AI, either by drawing on their own knowledge or by consulting resources.
- Define terms like dataset, training algorithm, and AI model, and map the relationship between them.
- Evaluate new education AI technologies to make judgements about what is actually new and what is merely hype.
Participation in this online course is FREE!
An optional certificate of completion is $75. Please select this option when you register as it cannot be selected once you finish the course.
Modules
A short introduction to the course and its learning objectives. We name a few different AI education tools and introduce the four “tensions” at the center of the course.
We discuss how AI technologies are trained, including the resources required in terms of data, labor, and environment. Then, we train our own model and look at visualizations of how AI models make inferences and decisions. Finally, we’ll watch our first sequence of videos, from Dave Dickinson, to see how he uses AI in his classroom and his student’s reactions.
After completing this module, educators should be able to:
- Describe, at a high level, the history of AI development and the technologies required for modern AI systems.
- Name a few examples of educational AI technologies and analyze them with regards to the core tensions in the course.
- Design and deploy their own customized chatbot tool.
This module more squarely takes on ethical questions for the use of AI in classrooms. We will introduce new case studies for how AI tools have been developed and used in educational contexts, including some of the ways they may harm students, data workers, and the classroom environment. We also see a sequence of videos from Megan Roughley’s classroom in which she facilitates a discussion with her middle-school students about the relationship they want to have with AI and the AI policy they want to set for their classroom.
After completing this module, educators should be able to:
- Describe risks associated with the introduction of AI tools to the classroom and name specific case studies that illustrate those risks.
- Facilitate conversations with their students about AI designed to elicit future-focused opinions about the relationship students want to have with technology.
In this mostly self-guided module, we will explore different applications of AI to education, including lesson planning, accessibility, assessment, and policies governing the use of AI in classrooms. Keeping with the theme of “tensions” and building on the prior knowledge from previous modules, we will approach these applications critically, asking about what skills are automated by different AI tools and how they might rearrange the classroom and its educational potential.
After completing this module, educators should be able to:
- List examples of AI tools that are used in educational contexts and evaluate whether they would like to introduce those into their own practice.
- Engage in informed conversations with other educational professionals about the potential of AI tools, distinguishing between hype and reality.
Although AI tools are often thought of as being most related to computer science and computation, many different disciplines have offered perspectives about AI. We will look at the latest AI technologies from a historical, artistic, and linguistic point of view and hear from opinions from humanities scholars about AI in education.
After completing this module, educators should be able to:
- Articulate a variety of computational and non-computational perspectives on AI.
- Evaluate new AI technologies by distinguishing between what is truly new and what is old, or can be best understood as the product of existing arrangements in education.
- Describe, in better detail, the technological environment of students’ lives.
We wrap up the course by reflecting on the different modules, returning to the tensions, and noting the understandings that might endure as part of future practice.
FAQs
1. Who can take this program?
The course was designed with middle school and high school educators in mind, but anyone who actively teaching could benefit in participating. No experience with AI is necessary to take this course.
2. What is the time commitment?
The course will take about 20 hours to complete.
3. Do the modules need to be taken consecutively and all together?
It is advisable to take each module consecutively.
4. Is there a deadline to register?
There is no deadline to register. The course is self-paced and can be started at any time.
5. Who do I contact if I need technical assistance or more information?
Please contact info.opl@ubc.ca for technical assistance or for more information about this course.
6. What platform is used?
The program is hosted on UBC Canvas.
7. Is there a recognition of achievement?
A certificate of completion is available for $75. This option must be selected at the start of the course.
8. How to register as a group
- Once you receive the link for payment, select the ‘Bulk Enrollment’ button (icon of two people next to the ‘Enroll Now’ button).
- Select the number of enrolments you want to purchase and then click the ‘Claim Seats’ button.
- On the reservation confirmation page you can change the number of seats reserved or cancel. If you want to proceed, click the ‘Claim Seats’ button.
- In the checkout window, click the ‘Purchase Seats’ button.
- View your enrollment confirmation.
- To invite students to enroll in the course using your purchase, click the ‘Invite Students to Enroll’ button. You can also invite students at another time by clicking the ‘Purchase & Enrolment’ link.
- For more information, visit: Multiple Enrollments in Canvas Catalogue
