Raising the Bar on AI Education with MIT Professor Eric Klopfer

On May 9th, Professor Eric Klopfer of MIT’s Media Lab will speak about the work of MIT's RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education) initiative. RAISE explores the transformative impact of AI on personal, civic, and professional life, emphasizing the importance of AI literacy and its integration into K-12 education. Activities within RAISE are designed to build foundational AI knowledge, critical judgment of AI solutions, and the ethical considerations necessary for responsible AI design. The presentation highlights some of the RAISE initiatives, such as the Day of AI program, aimed at fostering AI literacy among students and educators. A focus of this presentation is the policy implications of AI education research, addressing the impact of AI-assisted learning on student outcomes, the role of AI literacy in supporting students' futures, and the current policies and practices that inform the future of AI in education. The implications of research on policy policy are examined, focusing on how AI can support good pedagogical practices and the importance of integrating AI literacy across all subjects. The presentation underscores the need for collaboration between industry, academia, education, and government to empower students and teachers in an AI-powered society. It also addresses the challenges and opportunities presented by AI, such as mitigating bias, ensuring equitable access, and supporting educators in their practice.

Dr. Eric Klopfer is Professor and Director of the Scheller Teacher Education Program and The Education Arcade at MIT. He is also co-PI of MIT's RAISE initiative in AI education. His research focuses on technology and pedagogy for building understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and systems. He has special interests in games, simulations and computing as pathways to STEM learning. He is the co-author of the books, "Adventures in Modeling", "The More We Know, and “Resonant Games”, as well as author of "Augmented Learning.” His lab has produced software (from casual mobile games to MMOs to AR/VR) and platforms (including StarLogo Nova and Taleblazer) used by millions of people, as well as online courses that have reached hundreds of thousands. Klopfer is also the co-founder and past President of the non-profit Learning Games Network.