AI in My Life: Extending Transition Year Deliberative Workshops Nationally
Year Awarded
2021
Amount
€49,563
- Organisation:Dublin City University (DCU)
- Audience:Transition Year Students
- Format:Informal Education
- Location:Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow, Online
Project Summary
The ‘AI in My Life’ programme series encourages Transition Year students to evaluate the social, ethical and privacy implications of AI, and consider the exciting range of careers available in AI. The workshops are currently being offered to 20 schools in disadvantaged communities via the DCU Access service.
In 2022 researchers and public engagement professionals from the Research Centres ADAPT and Lero will expand the series to schools nationally establishing a clear pathway to future sustainability. The team will: convert current content into online teacher-led resources; create additional resources on cyberbullying and data protection; and introduce an intergenerational learning aspect to engage parents/guardians. Resources will be refined through co-creation with teachers, students and parents/guardians. By partnering with Third Level Access services, this project will grow to engage 1,500 students (and their parents) from a minimum of 50 schools in disadvantaged communities across the country.
Teachers will be empowered to deliver these workshops thanks to an online toolkit of interactive resources and train-the-trainer workshops. Teachers will build a capacity to facilitate classroom conversations around emerging STEM innovation in AI. The series will culminate in an AI careers showcase that will explore the multidisciplinary nature of AI and its impact on current and future society.
Through the extended programme participants will have greater:
-understanding of AI, its impact and the importance of balancing the use of technology and digital privacy.
-awareness about cyberbullying and data protection.
-confidence in participating in public discourse about STEM.
-propensity to consider STEM subjects at all levels.