RAPID: DRL AI: A Career-Driven AI Educational Program in Smart Manufacturing for Underserved High-school Students in the Alabama Black Belt Region

RAPID：DRL AI：针对阿拉巴马州黑带地区服务不足的高中生的智能制造领域职业驱动型人工智能教育计划

• 批准号: 2338987
• 负责人: Jia Liu
• 金额: $ 20万
• 依托单位: Auburn University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-12-01 至 2024-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2338987&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; DRL; AI; Career; Driven

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into advanced manufacturing has promising potential to revolutionize productivity and generate new jobs in smart manufacturing. There is an urgent need to investigate "what to teach" and "how to teach" AI in order to prepare future workforce with the necessary AI skills, as most K-12 educators and schools lack the knowledge and experience to teach students AI skills for smart manufacturing. This project will initiate an age-appropriate career-driven AI educational program for high-school students and evaluate its effectiveness. Education researchers will develop manufacturing specific AI learning modules to teach high school students about Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), the most accessible additive manufacturing (AM) process, that will be equipped with automatic real-time process monitoring, analysis and communication. Fifty rising high-school students from underserved school districts across the Black Belt region and rural low-income areas of Alabama, where 52.2% are African Americans and the median household annual income is $27,130, will be recruited to participate in a one-week summer camp. This AI in smart manufacturing education program will employ project-based learning to stimulate broader career interest among a diverse range of students. The proposal was received in response to the Dear Colleague Letter (DCL): "Rapidly Accelerating Research on Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education in Formal and Informal Settings (NSF 23-097)" and funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers.The goal of the project is investigating age-appropriate equitable AI learning and inclusive teaching in the context of smart manufacturing. The research plan includes: (1) identify AI knowledge and skills required in smart manufacturing for high-school students; (2) experiment with project-based learning (PBL) pedagogy to prepare students to explore smart manufacturing and provide professional training in AI and smart manufacturing for teachers; (3) use a mixed method design with qualitative interview and worksheet data as well as quantitative pre-post knowledge assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed AI educational intervention. In addition to the fifty underserved students, ten high-school teachers will be recruited to receive a three-day intensive professional training before the student summer camp and will facilitate the summer camp activities. These teachers will also develop a lesson plan for continuing the AI educational intervention at their respective schools. The resulting deliverables include the AI learning modules and the smart manufacturing centered PBL pedagogy. The experimental process in developing this AI intervention can be adapted for other AI educational efforts for underserved high schools. The insights gained on the effectiveness of the proposed AI educational intervention will provide valuable lessons for advancing age-appropriate, future career-oriented, and equitable AI education across different K-12 AI educational programs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

人工智能（AI）融入高级制造业具有彻底改变生产力并在智能制造中创造新的就业机会的潜力。迫切需要调查“教什么”和“如何教” AI，以便以必要的AI技能为未来的劳动力做好准备，因为大多数K-12教育者和学校都缺乏教学学生AI技能的知识和经验。该项目将启动适合高中生的职业驱动的AI教育计划，并评估其有效性。教育研究人员将开发特定的AI学习模块，以向高中生融合细丝制造（FFF），这是最容易访问的添加剂制造（AM）过程，该过程将配备自动实时过程监视，分析和沟通。来自黑带地区和阿拉巴马州农村低收入地区的五十名高中生崛起，其中52.2％是非裔美国人，中位家庭年收入为27,130美元，将招募参加一个为期一周的夏令营。这项智能制造教育计划中的AI将采用基于项目的学习来激发各种各样的学生之间的更广泛的职业兴趣。 The proposal was received in response to the Dear Colleague Letter (DCL): "Rapidly Accelerating Research on Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education in Formal and Informal Settings (NSF 23-097)" and funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and数学（STEM）以及信息与通信技术（ICT）职业。研究计划包括：（1）确定高中生智能制造中所需的AI知识和技能； （2）尝试基于项目的学习（PBL）教学法，以使学生探索智能制造业并为教师提供AI和智能制造的专业培训； （3）使用定性访谈和工作表数据的混合方法设计以及定量的前验证知识评估来评估拟议的AI教育干预措施的有效性。除了服务不足的学生外，还将招募十名高中老师，以在学生夏令营之前接受为期三天的强化专业培训，并促进夏令营的活动。这些老师还将制定一项课程计划，以继续在各自学校进行AI教育干预。由此产生的可交付成果包括AI学习模块和以智能制造为中心的PBL教学法。开发这种AI干预的实验过程可以适应其他服务不足的高中的AI教育工作。关于拟议的AI教育干预措施的有效性的见解将为跨越不同的K-11 AI教育计划的年龄符合年龄，以职业为导向和公平的AI教育提供宝贵的教训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并认为通过基金会的知识优点和广泛的crietia crietia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia criperia cripitia recteria均值得通过评估。