AI4T - Artificial Intelligence for and by Teachers

AI4T - "Artificial Intelligence for and by teachers" is a three-year experimental initiative that began in 2021 and ended in 2024, aiming to explore and support the use of artificial intelligence in secondary education in France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Slovenia. Coordinated by France Education International, the project brings together the education ministries of the five participating countries, as well as public organizations, research centers, and universities.

Throughout the project, the AI4T partnership implemented innovative training methods for teachers with great success. Designed and tested in the 5 participating countries, the project focuses on a professional training course that reached a total of 1,005 teachers from 302 European schools. It specifically targets teachers of students aged 14 to 17 with expertise in foreign languages, mathematics, or science. The created educational resources, including a MOOC and an Open Textbook, as well as hybrid training sessions, are now available to the public to address the challenges of AI in education.

To ensure quality training, the impact of the training course was analyzed at national and transnational levels with a quantitative and qualitative evaluation strategy on a test group and a control group. In total, 738 teachers, 204 principals, and 7,551 students completed evaluation questionnaires, and 88 teachers and 18 school principals participated in semi-structured interviews. Thanks to this participatory approach, following an initial trial phase in 2022 and its preliminary results, the resources were improved and proposed in classrooms for a several-month experience in 2023/2024.

The partnership is now proud of the results achieved and the interest shown in this project at European and global levels. The AI4T MOOC and Open Textbook are currently being translated by countries outside the partnership, allowing new teachers to become more confident users of AI-based resources, which will help them improve their practices.

Tools created as training resources

The training course is structured around a MOOC and an Open Textbook as a complementary resource. Based on the use of AI, the MOOC was designed drawing on the Class'code MOOC created by the National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (INRIA).

These two digital educational resources were designed and created by the AI4T partnership to allow teachers to discover the main elements of AI in education and make informed decisions about the proposed tools. Translated into each of the languages of the participating countries, they are now available to any interested person or organization.

Teacher training: The AI4T MOOC

The MOOC is organized into 4 modules and offers a wide range of formats and content: texts, videos, activities, practical exercises for a concrete understanding of the basics of AI and the challenges of AI tools in education.

All AI4T MOOC resources are accessible in the five languages (English, French, German, Italian, and Slovenian) of the consortium. The project's objective of providing a coherent set of resources on AI in education has been achieved, and the MOOC content is ready for use. The online MOOC can be easily transferred to other environments – national platforms (for example, the French Fun MOOC platform or the Slovenian ARNES MOOC platform).

AI4T, an Open Textbook

The Open Textbook is complementary to the MOOC and is also designed for more advanced teachers or educators/mentors.

The first edition of the manual was published in October 2022. It covers six areas and addresses the context of AI, which is becoming one of the most important areas to know and consider in education. Following the arrival of generative AI, a second edition was produced with new chapters, graphics, and videos in January 2024. The manual has already been disseminated in the five languages of the consortium and can be easily translated or updated in other languages.

The impact of the project

The evaluation of the project's impact on participants (teachers and students) allowed for a comprehensive understanding of teachers' experiences in the professional learning journey, highlighting key factors that illustrate the influence of the training course on them. It also provided a complete picture of the school environment in terms of AI, including the technical infrastructure of schools, AI policy within schools, and students' attitudes towards AI.

In terms of results, the majority of teachers were satisfied with the online resources (MOOC, manual) and guided sessions (webinars and/or face-to-face). The impact analysis (conducted only in countries with large samples, i.e., Italy, France, and Slovenia) revealed that the professional training course was particularly effective in improving teachers' knowledge of AI. In Italy, it also strengthened teachers' perception of the ease of use of AI. However, the impact of the MOOC and open textbook was limited to a better theoretical understanding of the tools. Teachers indicated that these resources did not impact their use of AI tools in the classroom, despite some teachers' willingness to use them more.

The context

Our society is evolving, new technologies are emerging, and challenges in the field of education are increasing. The European Union, through various working groups such as the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission, has created working tools, manuals, and guides to facilitate the transition and allow member states to align their orientations. These reflections led to a founding event for the European Union: the birth of the world's first legal framework on AI: the AI Act.

The AI Act is the very first legal framework on AI, which addresses the risks of AI and allows Europe to play a leading role on a global scale. It aims to provide AI developers with clear requirements and obligations regarding specific uses of AI. It is part of a broader set of policy measures to support the development of trustworthy AI, which also includes the AI Innovation Package and the Coordinated Plan on AI. Together, these measures will ensure the safety and fundamental rights of people and businesses regarding AI. They will also strengthen AI adoption, investment, and innovation across the EU.

The AI Act is the world's first comprehensive legal framework on AI. The aim of the new rules is to foster trustworthy AI in Europe and beyond, ensuring that AI systems respect fundamental rights, safety, and ethical principles while addressing the risks associated with very powerful AI models with considerable impact.

For its part, the Council of Europe adopted an international treaty on May 17, 2024, aimed at ensuring AI that respects fundamental rights.