Project Overview
A common theme among K-12 AI literacy programs is exploring the impact of AI on society. The computational action process goes a step further, empowering K-12 students to apply its tools and frameworks to create socially responsible AI. The computational action teacher guide, curriculum, and toolkit provide students with resources to evaluate the positive and negative impacts of AI and envision how they can design beneficial solutions. In a study of 101 US and international students, analysis showed that post-intervention, students were more aware of ethical considerations and what tools they can use to code AI responsibly. In addition, students actively used tools in the computational action toolkit, specifically the novel impact matrix, to articulate the positive and negative impacts of AI technologies, such as facial recognition. These and other promising results suggest that the computational action process can be a valuable addition to AI education programs, helping students examine the impact of AI on society while creating and utilizing socially responsible AI.
Other Resources
Related Publications
- The Effect of Computational Action on Students’ Computational Identity and Self-Efficacy
H. Nicole Pang, Robert Parks, Cynthia Breazeal, and Harold Abelson – 2023
This paper presents the computational action process, a curriculum and set of tools that fully flesh out the original framework, and the results of a human-subject research study on the computational action process with U.S. and international students aged 11 to 18.
- The Effect of the Computational Action Process on Students’ Software Prototype Ideas
H. Nicole Pang, Robert Parks, Cynthia Breazeal, and Harold Abelson – 2022
We report research results on a novel computational action process, a learning framework intended to emphasize purpose-driven learning in computer programming settings.
- “How can I code A.I. responsibly?”: the effect of computational action on K-12 students learning and creating socially responsible A.I.
H. Nicole Pang, Robert Parks, Cynthia Breazeal, and Harold Abelson – 2023
We present an effective tool that teaches young people about the societal impact of A.I. that goes one step further: empowering K-12 students to use tools and frameworks to create socially responsible A.I.
- From Computational Thinking to Computational Action: Envisioning computing education that both teaches and empowers
Mike Tissenbaum, Josh Sheldon, and Harold Abelson – 2019
A new framing for computing education, proposes that while learning about computing, young people should also have opportunities to create with computing.