At West Ottawa High School this year, an innovative new class called “AI Foundations for College and Careers” is paving the way for the future of learning and working through the use of AI in everyday life. For many, this brand-new AI class came out of nowhere, although AI classes are emerging in many schools and districts. Some wonder if this will be the norm in education, as the world seems to be increasingly oriented around AI with new systems emerging and disappearing, and even the emergence of robots with AI capabilities. Will this just be a short-lived trend, or will it become the future of education at WO?
When asked what the purpose of this class is, Sr. Nicholas Mock said, “To learn about what AI has and how it works. And use it only in that class only. It’s more English-using prompts, nothing really math involved.” This is done in a way that teaches the student that AI is a tool and not a cheating device as generative AI can be used in increasingly many ways. Mock also responded with “We use Google Gemini and ChatGPT, and we use it in different ways, like we actually made it make it our own avatar, but the AI we use for that avatar looks similar to us, but not the same.” Class Instructor Shanna Meyer Said, “The purpose of this class was to give students a foundational knowledge and to be a responsible and ethical user of AI.” This class is more about the ability to learn and understand AI, rather than just use it for convenience, as is the common misconception.
Whether students and staff embrace it or not, this class can be the class of the future, as stated by Meyer: “AI is here to stay, but I don’t think the way we are doing this class this semester will stay this way. I think it will evolve, I think it will change, and teach students that it is a tool.” This is an intriguing subject, as many students have begun to AI at some point in their high school career and even in college. It has become the norm to see someone asking questions on ChatGPT, for example. Meyer, Cheney, and many others in the field of education believe it is essential to at least gain a basic understanding of using such AI tools, rather than simply to ask questions and receive answers.
These teachers believe in this class working and evolving, as both Meyer and Cheney attended GVSU for a new certification to teach their students about AI. They both believe this is an essential subject for students, as it enables them to acquire knowledge in class and utilize it in the workforce as well as in post-high school educational settings. As said by Cheney, “Having a foundational understanding of AI prompting and being able to leverage it in their workflow is going to be a baseline expectation in hiring.” Many AI advocates believe that in the future, having a baseline understanding of using AI will pave the way for jobs in general. AI Foundations for College and Careers is designed to help students both now and in the future, and will continue to do so as both AI and the world of education continue to evolve.
