Florida High School Students Offered AI Coursework through University of Florida Program

POSTED ON Aug 14, 2023

This school year, high school students in Florida are being offered coursework on artificial intelligence (AI), thanks to a program developed by the University of Florida and Florida public school officials.

The curriculum spans over three years and is delivered through the state’s Career and Technical Education programs, comprising of four AI Foundations courses. The objective is to provide students with the skills necessary to thrive in an AI-enabled workforce.

The University of Florida has also created a professional development program for teachers, preparing them to teach AI to students. It is worth noting that Florida is the first state to allocate funding for teacher training in advance of implementing an AI curriculum framework.

The University of Florida, in partnership with Florida public school officials, piloted the AI education program last year in three districts, which resulted in successful outcomes and an expansion to 12 districts this month.

The three-year curriculum, called AI Foundations, consists of four courses: Artificial Intelligence in the World, Applications of Artificial Intelligence, Procedural Programming, and Foundations of Machine Learning.

The first course introduces students to AI and its functions, while the second course examines how AI is used in various fields to address different issues.

The third and fourth courses delve deeper into AI applications and provide the skills necessary to obtain an entry-level job or continue education.

Juan Tover, a teacher at NeoCity Academy in Kissimmee, Florida, implemented the AI education program last year and believes that it is essential for students to learn about AI concepts, ethics, and potential problems.

Summer training bootcamps were conducted last year, serving 30 teachers from seven districts, and expanded to 150 teachers from 16 districts this summer.

Florida is the first state to provide funding for teacher training ahead of implementing an AI curriculum framework. The UF team continues to expand the AI education program, a data science curriculum, and summer camps for students as young as middle schoolers.

Researchers emphasize the importance of teachers understanding the technology before passing it on to students to prevent spreading misinformation. They believe that AI should be infused throughout the curriculum, and that teachers are gaining a clear understanding of the technology to prepare students for an ever-evolving world.

The implementation team also received funding from the Florida Department of Education through the Cybersecurity and IT Pathways Expansion grant to develop the AI framework and professional development program.

“Florida is way ahead of the curve in how the state is formalizing its AI education." – Nancy Ruzycki, Ph.D., one of the architects of the three-year coursework called AI Foundations.https://t.co/XYzlUcdFo9

— UF Materials Science | Nuclear Engineering Program (@UFMSE) August 9, 2023

Tapping into the #Artificial_Intelligence expertise at @UF , the #FL Department of Education recently added a 3yr. program of study called #AI Foundations to its Career and Technical Education Program (CTE)#AIatUF #GatorAI https://t.co/38hvvciKsN pic.twitter.com/vlhrF8WnZD

— UF ICBR (@UF_ICBR) December 1, 2022