Students heading to Stevens Point Area Senior High this fall will have a new option for classes: programming robots by using AI tools.
It’s not just about teaching tech, district officials said, but also about teaching the ethical use of those tools.
Artificial intelligence has become a more common aspect of daily life: A study this year found 77 percent of companies are currently using or considering using AI in their businesses.
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For Jeff Mlsna, the Stevens Point Area School District’s director of secondary education, that means students should be aware of and comfortable with the tech, so they can make informed decisions about using AI tools in their future careers.
“Instead of sitting back and trying to put our heads in the sand, we decided: Let’s engage our students in this,” Mlsna said.
Mlsna has helped lead the charge on the district’s AI education program, filling out grants, working with three dedicated teachers on AI curriculum and guidelines — all focused on showing students AI limitations and applications.
“We want to provide students with a base understanding of what we would call their AI literacy,” Mlsna said.
Public opinion polling has shown Americans cooling toward AI in recent years. Gallup polling this year found 52 percent of Americans said the technology does equal amounts good and harm in the world — but 39 percent of respondents said it does more harm than good compared to only 9 percent who say it does more good than harm.
Mlsna said critical thinking on AI topics is crucial.
“It’s a powerful tool,” Mlsna said. “But like every tool, it can be used the right way or it can be used the wrong way.”
The exterior of the Stevens Point Area Senior High, in Stevens Point, Wis. Photo courtesy of Stevens Point Area School District
During the first AI class offerings at SPASH this year, students will be able to use AI programming to control robots on campus. In the second and third years, the school plans to create an AI innovation lab.
Called the AI Forge, the student AI lab is intended to offer students a safe, controlled environment to experiment with coding, and even building AI platforms, Mlsna said.
The district has decided to use AI tech that doesn’t involve machine learning, helping protect students and data. Officials are planning to have an AI adviser present during the school year.
It’s all focused on helping the students safely interact with the tech, Mlsna said.
“I would rather you make a mistake when I’ve got a group of highly competent teachers around you to be able to help you walk through that, than a student trying to experiment with this all on their own on ChatGPT,” Mlsna said.
Funding for the new AI program comes from the Sentry Insurance Foundation, which Mlsna said has supported other district programs in the past. School district officials say the company offered $1.5 million grants to area schools.
Under the proposed framework, as students move from freshman to senior year, the AI offerings will grow in size and topic, according to Mlsna.
The first step will be instruction around a basic understanding of the use and challenges of AI during advisory time, he said. Once past that stage, students interested in computer science could opt for classes focused on AI tech and career paths.
Stevens Point students can even opt out of using AI, according to Mlsna, and he says many district teachers would applaud that choice.
“We’ve had students who have brought up concerns around AI,” Mlsna said. “Often they talk about data centers and the power utilization and the water utilization.”
