Evaluation of an Online Intervention to Teach Artificial Intelligence with LearningML to 10-16-Year-Old Students
Juan David Rodríguez-García, Jesús Moreno-León, Marcos Román-González, Gregório Robles
Abstract
The inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI) in education is increasingly highlighted by international organizations and governments around the world as a cornerstone to enable the adoption of AI in society. That is why we have developed LearningML, aiming to provide a platform that supports educators and students in the creation of hands-on AI projects, specifically based on machine learning techniques. In this investigation we explore how a workshop on AI and the creation of programming projects with LearningML impacts the knowledge on AI of students between 10 and 16 years. 135 participants completed all phases of the learning experience, which due to the COVID-19 pandemic had to be performed online. In order to assess the AI knowledge we created a test that includes different kinds of questions based on previous investigations and publications - resulting in a reliable assessment instrument. Our findings show that the initiative had a positive impact on participants? AI knowledge, being the enhancement especially important for those learners who initially showed less familiarity with the topic. We observe, for instance, that while previous ideas on AI revolve around the term robot, after the experience they do around solve and problem. Based on these results we suggest that LearningML can be seen as a promising platform for the teaching and learning of AI in K-12 environments. In addition, researchers and educators can make use of the new instrument we provide to evaluate future educational interventions.