A Novel Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Course for Secondary School Students

Joyce Mahon; Keith Quille; Brian Mac Namee; Brett A. Becker

doi:10.1145/3478432.3499073

A Novel Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Course for Secondary School Students

Joyce Mahon, Keith Quille, Brian Mac Namee, Brett A. Becker

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

We present an overview of a "Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence"course that is part of a large online course platform for upper second level students. We take a novel approach to teaching fundamental AI concepts that does not require code, and assumes little prior knowledge including only basic mathematics. The design ethos is for students to gain an understanding of how algorithms can "learn". Many misconceptions exist about this term with respect to AI and can lead to confusion and more serious misconceptions, particularly for students who engage with AI-enabled tools regularly. This approach aims to provide insights into how AI actually works, to demystify and remove barriers to more advanced learning, and to emphasize the important roles of ethics and bias in AI. We took several steps to engage students, including videos narrated by a final-year second-level student (US 12th grade). We present design and logistics particulars on this course which is currently being taken by ∼7,000 students in Ireland. We believe this will be of value to other educators and the wider community.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Pages	1155
Number of pages	1
ISBN (Electronic)	9781450390712
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3478432.3499073
Publication status	Published - 3 Mar 2022
Event	53rd Annual ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, SIGCSE 2022 - Virtual, Online, United States Duration: 3 Mar 2022 → 5 Mar 2022

Publication series

Name	SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2

Conference

Conference	53rd Annual ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, SIGCSE 2022
Country/Territory	United States
City	Virtual, Online
Period	3/03/22 → 5/03/22

Keywords

ai
artificial intelligence
computing education k-12
machine learning
outreach

Access to Document

10.1145/3478432.3499073Licence: Unspecified

Cite this

Mahon, J., Quille, K., Mac Namee, B., & Becker, B. A. (2022). A Novel Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Course for Secondary School Students. In SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2 (pp. 1155). (SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2). Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). https://doi.org/10.1145/3478432.3499073

Mahon, Joyce ; Quille, Keith ; Mac Namee, Brian et al. / A Novel Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Course for Secondary School Students. SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), 2022. pp. 1155 (SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2).

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abstract = "We present an overview of a {"}Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence{"}course that is part of a large online course platform for upper second level students. We take a novel approach to teaching fundamental AI concepts that does not require code, and assumes little prior knowledge including only basic mathematics. The design ethos is for students to gain an understanding of how algorithms can {"}learn{"}. Many misconceptions exist about this term with respect to AI and can lead to confusion and more serious misconceptions, particularly for students who engage with AI-enabled tools regularly. This approach aims to provide insights into how AI actually works, to demystify and remove barriers to more advanced learning, and to emphasize the important roles of ethics and bias in AI. We took several steps to engage students, including videos narrated by a final-year second-level student (US 12th grade). We present design and logistics particulars on this course which is currently being taken by ∼7,000 students in Ireland. We believe this will be of value to other educators and the wider community.",

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Mahon, J, Quille, K, Mac Namee, B & Becker, BA 2022, A Novel Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Course for Secondary School Students. in SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2. SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), pp. 1155, 53rd Annual ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, SIGCSE 2022, Virtual, Online, United States, 3/03/22. https://doi.org/10.1145/3478432.3499073

A Novel Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Course for Secondary School Students. / Mahon, Joyce; Quille, Keith; Mac Namee, Brian et al.
SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), 2022. p. 1155 (SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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Mahon J, Quille K, Mac Namee B, Becker BA. A Novel Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Course for Secondary School Students. In SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). 2022. p. 1155. (SIGCSE 2022 - Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V.2). doi: 10.1145/3478432.3499073

A Novel Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Course for Secondary School Students

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Keywords

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