Congratulations to Gayithri Jayathirtha, assistant professor of Curriculum and Instruction, who has won a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to better understand artificial intelligence (AI) literacy development within computing classrooms. Her project, "Co-Designing, Implementing, and Researching Computing Learning Experiences about AI (CIRCLE-AI)" has been awarded a five-year, $715,000 grant.
Specifically, Jayathirtha says CIRCLE-AI will "explore and develop the fundamental computing concepts underlying AI such as problem-solving, algorithms, and data science and create applications by writing programs." The work will be situated in introductory high school computing classrooms, involving students from a wide range of rural and urban regions of Alabama, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon and Wisconsin. As a crucial component of the project, Jayathirtha will partner with supporting teachers to co-design CIRCLE-AI curricular materials and professional development sessions.
The highly selective CAREER award recognizes early-career faculty with the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or institution.
