Florida Students Teach AI in Innovative Math Study

Norfolk, Virginia – Generative artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT, is reshaping education. However, two sixth-grade math classes in Florida recently took part in a study that flipped the script, allowing students to teach AI.

Dr. Jinhee Kim, an Old Dominion University professor, co-authored this research, which experimented with a different AI concept. “Usually, we think about AI as a tutor shepherding students’ learning process,” Dr. Kim explained. “But I wanted to try something else, so I collaborated with the University of Florida to design AI that the students could teach instead — a less-knowledgeable peer.”

This initiative was part of a broader research agenda that Dr. Kim began during graduate school with robots. Now she teams up with graduate assistant Kay “Rita” Detrick to explore subjects like emotional support AI for stressed students and the physiological responses of students interacting with AI.

For the math class study, the research team created a “teachable agent” that requested assistance with various math problems. Observers noted excitement and engagement in the classroom, with students eager to use the AI tool at home.

According to surveys, students found that explaining concepts to the AI clarified their understanding and fostered a sense of responsibility and ownership over their learning process. “When they were in charge of teaching someone who asked for more details, it felt friendly and non-intimidating,” Dr. Kim said.

Describing her specialty as “human-AI interaction in education,” Dr. Kim is analyzing how students engage with AI and developing technology based on emerging best practices. “The more I conduct research in the field of AI in education, the more curious I become about the type of education this country and the international community aspire to achieve,” she noted.

Both Dr. Kim and Detrick stress the significance of promoting AI literacy and critical thinking alongside technological integration in education. “A lot of educators don’t have and aren’t getting training on how to use it or how to integrate it,” Detrick said. “It’s being stuck in wherever it seems to make sense.”

Their research aims to assess the use of AI in educational settings and build effective frameworks for its application. One recent project analyzed graduate students learning English as a second language using a customized generative AI for academic writing.

Students in this project had high expectations for their AI experiences. They sought assistance in analyzing varied sources of information, assessing the relevance of generated content, and creating personalized work. However, they recognized their own need for logic and the ability to question AI’s assumptions.

“We have to emphasize creating ethical AI while highlighting the importance of AI literacy among students,” stated Dr. Kim. “Humans are going to be the primary users of AI, not the other way around.”

Whether students critically analyze AI-generated content or merely copy and paste it depends on how well they understand AI’s capabilities, Detrick added. “It comes down to whether a student thoughtfully considers AI output or just copies it.”

Looking ahead, researchers anticipate that AI can aid in fostering this literacy. Dr. Kim is developing a virtual classroom that simulates classroom management for pre-service teachers. “AI tools for education must be crafted in collaboration with educators, students, and researchers,” Detrick emphasized.

In conclusion, both researchers hope to influence the growing ecosystem of educational AI, ensuring it remains grounded in human-centered principles that enhance learning. “Educational goals should be well-established first, so we can design educationally relevant AI technology,” Dr. Kim stated.