Date
Publisher
arXiv
Generative AI technologies demand new practical and critical competencies,
which call on design to respond to and foster these. We present an exploratory
study guided by Research-through-Design, in which we partnered with a primary
school to develop a constructionist curriculum centered on students interacting
with a generative AI technology. We provide a detailed account of the design of
and outputs from the curriculum and learning materials, finding centrally that
the reflexive and prolonged `hands-on' approach led to a co-development of
students' practical and critical competencies. From the study, we contribute
guidance for designing constructionist approaches to generative AI technology
education; further arguing to do so with `critical responsivity.' We then
discuss how HCI researchers may leverage constructionist strategies in
designing interactions with generative AI technologies; and suggest that
Research-through-Design can play an important role as a `rapid response
methodology' capable of reacting to fast-evolving, disruptive technologies such
as generative AI.
Study at a glance
- Question: How can a hands-on curriculum help primary school students develop practical and critical skills with generative AI?
- Setting and data: A primary school with students interacting with a generative AI technology
- Method: Exploratory curriculum design study (Research-through-Design)
Why it matters
Generative AI technologies demand new practical and critical competencies, calling on design to respond to and foster these. Addressing this need requires approaches capable of reacting to fast-evolving, disruptive technologies.
Key findings
- In a primary school, sustained, reflective hands-on activities with generative AI were linked to students developing practical skills and critical thinking together.
- Generative AI tools demand that learners develop new practical skills alongside critical understanding.
- Hands-on, project-based strategies can support the design of user interactions with generative AI technologies.
Summary drafted with AI from the paper’s abstract and may contain errors. See the full paper for details.
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