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Implementing a 15-week AI-education program with under-resourced families across 13 global communities Tara Chklovski 1* , Richard Jung 1 , Janet Bih Fofang 2 and Pamela Gonzales 3 1 Iridescent, California, USA 2 Tassah Academy, Yaounde, Cameroon 3 Bolivia Tech Hub, La Paz, Bolivia {Tara, Richard}@Iridescentlearning.org, [email protected], [email protected] Abstract The AI Family Challenge (AIFC) was a 15-week program implemented with 7500 3rd-8th grade students and their families in under-resourced com- munities across 13 countries. Families learned to develop AI-based prototypes that solved problems in their communities. The goal of the program was to determine whether AI was of interest to such communities and what the impact of such an ex- perience was on them. Pre and post surveys were conducted, as well as interviews with participants in the US, Bolivia and Cameroon. Other data was collected through student projects and online stu- dent responses to multiple choice questions. Results show that 95% of the sites completed the 15-week program. This, as well as the survey and interview data show that under-resourced commu- nities are curious to learn about AI and what role their children can play in an AI-powered future. After AIFC, 92% of parents believed their child was able to explain AI to others and 89% believed their child was capable of producing an AI appli- cation. Findings indicate the need to improve par- ent training materials, connect technical mentors to sites, and improve the curriculum to be more hands- on and engaging, and better illustrative of the con- cepts. 1 Introduction As AI is rapidly integrated into our society and workplace, this change is increasingly being called the 4th Industrial Revolution. Characterized by exponential rates of discovery and adoption, this revolution combines digital, physical, and biological systems. And, like the revolutions of the steam engine, electricity, and computers that preceded it, AI will unlock tremendous growth and productivity. At the same time, it threatens to accelerate existing in- come and access gaps [Frey and Osborne, 2015]. Low income and under-resourced communities are already be- ing left behind by the technology revolution [Google, 2016; * Contact Author Iridescent, 2018]. In a technology-dominant future, these communities are at an even greater risk of failure. There are three drivers of this risk. First, there is a greater demand in occupations that require problem-solving, intu- ition, persuasion, and creativity, and there isn’t enough sup- ply of these skills. Second, the interest to learn new skills required for higher wage jobs isn’t enough. Third, there is a widespread fear of AI fueled by media stories around er- rant self-driving cars and “robots taking over jobs” [Winick, 2018]. Fear dampens curiosity and the willingness to learn. A survey of 1,500 parents of elementary and middle school students, commissioned by Iridescent [Iridescent, 2018], found 80% of parents in the United States believe AI will replace too many jobs (not just low-skilled jobs), less than 20% understand where and how AI technologies are currently used, 60% of low-income parents have no interest in learn- ing about AI, and less than 25% of children from low-income families have access to technology programs. Workforce readiness requires increasing cognitive capacity through education and job training – both slow-moving pro- cesses, that create a race between technology and education [Goldin and Katz, 2007]. Education organizations need to im- plement grass-roots programs that immediately help under- resourced communities change their attitudes towards AI and support development of skills such as problem identification, problem solving, collaboration and lifelong learning. The authors launched and implemented the AI Family Challenge in 2018 across 71 sites in 13 countries, engaging 7500 under-resourced 3rd-8th grade students and their par- ents. This study outlines the research questions, curriculum, findings from pre-and post surveys and interviews conducted with parents across the global cohort, as well as insights from implementations in Bolivia and Cameroon. 2 Background Hidi and Renninger’s research describes four phases in the development and deepening of learner interest: triggered sit- uational interest (temporary interest that arises spontaneously due to environmental factors), maintained situational inter- est, emerging (less-developed) self-driven interest, and well- developed, self-driven interest [Hidi and Renninger, 2006]. Research conducted by [Ericsson, 2006] has shown that after 50 hours of training and experience people attain an accept- able level of performance for most everyday activities such as

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Implementing a 15-week AI-education program with under-resourced familiesacross 13 global communities

Tara Chklovski1∗ , Richard Jung1 , Janet Bih Fofang2 and Pamela Gonzales31 Iridescent, California, USA

2Tassah Academy, Yaounde, Cameroon3 Bolivia Tech Hub, La Paz, Bolivia

{Tara, Richard}@Iridescentlearning.org, [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract

The AI Family Challenge (AIFC) was a 15-weekprogram implemented with ∼7500 3rd-8th gradestudents and their families in under-resourced com-munities across 13 countries. Families learned todevelop AI-based prototypes that solved problemsin their communities. The goal of the program wasto determine whether AI was of interest to suchcommunities and what the impact of such an ex-perience was on them. Pre and post surveys wereconducted, as well as interviews with participantsin the US, Bolivia and Cameroon. Other data wascollected through student projects and online stu-dent responses to multiple choice questions.Results show that 95% of the sites completed the15-week program. This, as well as the survey andinterview data show that under-resourced commu-nities are curious to learn about AI and what roletheir children can play in an AI-powered future.After AIFC, 92% of parents believed their childwas able to explain AI to others and 89% believedtheir child was capable of producing an AI appli-cation. Findings indicate the need to improve par-ent training materials, connect technical mentors tosites, and improve the curriculum to be more hands-on and engaging, and better illustrative of the con-cepts.

1 IntroductionAs AI is rapidly integrated into our society and workplace,this change is increasingly being called the 4th IndustrialRevolution. Characterized by exponential rates of discoveryand adoption, this revolution combines digital, physical, andbiological systems. And, like the revolutions of the steamengine, electricity, and computers that preceded it, AI willunlock tremendous growth and productivity.

At the same time, it threatens to accelerate existing in-come and access gaps [Frey and Osborne, 2015]. Lowincome and under-resourced communities are already be-ing left behind by the technology revolution [Google, 2016;

∗Contact Author

Iridescent, 2018]. In a technology-dominant future, thesecommunities are at an even greater risk of failure.

There are three drivers of this risk. First, there is a greaterdemand in occupations that require problem-solving, intu-ition, persuasion, and creativity, and there isn’t enough sup-ply of these skills. Second, the interest to learn new skillsrequired for higher wage jobs isn’t enough. Third, there isa widespread fear of AI fueled by media stories around er-rant self-driving cars and “robots taking over jobs” [Winick,2018]. Fear dampens curiosity and the willingness to learn.

A survey of 1,500 parents of elementary and middle schoolstudents, commissioned by Iridescent [Iridescent, 2018],found 80% of parents in the United States believe AI willreplace too many jobs (not just low-skilled jobs), less than20% understand where and how AI technologies are currentlyused, ∼60% of low-income parents have no interest in learn-ing about AI, and less than 25% of children from low-incomefamilies have access to technology programs.

Workforce readiness requires increasing cognitive capacitythrough education and job training – both slow-moving pro-cesses, that create a race between technology and education[Goldin and Katz, 2007]. Education organizations need to im-plement grass-roots programs that immediately help under-resourced communities change their attitudes towards AI andsupport development of skills such as problem identification,problem solving, collaboration and lifelong learning.

The authors launched and implemented the AI FamilyChallenge in 2018 across 71 sites in 13 countries, engaging∼7500 under-resourced 3rd-8th grade students and their par-ents. This study outlines the research questions, curriculum,findings from pre-and post surveys and interviews conductedwith parents across the global cohort, as well as insights fromimplementations in Bolivia and Cameroon.

2 BackgroundHidi and Renninger’s research describes four phases in thedevelopment and deepening of learner interest: triggered sit-uational interest (temporary interest that arises spontaneouslydue to environmental factors), maintained situational inter-est, emerging (less-developed) self-driven interest, and well-developed, self-driven interest [Hidi and Renninger, 2006].Research conducted by [Ericsson, 2006] has shown that after∼50 hours of training and experience people attain an accept-able level of performance for most everyday activities such as

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Figure 1: Poverty and Employment, 2018 Human Development Index data, UNDP.

typing, playing tennis, or driving a car.Areas for exploration are determining the level of perfor-

mance achieved after 40-50 hours of problem solving andidentifying the length of training needed to achieve a well-developed, self-driven interest in solving real-world problemsusing engineering and technology. Engineering and tech-nology programs such as FIRST Robotics and Technovationhave shown that it is possible to retain a student’s interestover a sustained period of time (6-12 weeks) if the programis team-based, part of a global competition, and supported bya mentor [Melchior et al., 2018]. Technovation in particularhas been effective in engaging girls in technology by present-ing the challenge - ”Solve a problem in your community bydeveloping a mobile app” [Hubbard et al., 2018].

Finally, there is a significant body of research demonstrat-ing the long-term positive impact of parental engagement onstudent academic and career performance. An area for ex-ploration is around family co-learning models that go beyondshort-duration activities in museums and science centers.

Building on this research, the AI Family Challenge soughtto answer the following questions:

• Research Question 1: Are under-resourced families in-terested and willing to participate in an AI-Educationprogram?

• Research Question 2: What elements of an AI-Education program enable families to apply their newfound AI-awareness and interest to real problems?

• Research Question 3: What elements of an AI-Education program enable families to deepen curiosityand interest in AI technologies?

• Research Question 4: How do under-resourced familiesperceive AI and what is their understanding of AI? Howdoes it change through participation in such a program?

3 MethodsThe AI Family Challenge was implemented by Iridescent, aglobal education nonprofit, in partnership with communitypartners in 13 countries. The following section outlines therecruitment, adoption, curriculum, training, methods of im-plementation, data collection, and analysis.

3.1 RecruitmentIridescent recruited participants through its network of globalpartners and by offering a financial incentive ($5000 USD).Funds covered materials for activities, internet hotspots, t-shirts, and dinner for the families. 74 sites (out of 80 ap-plicants) across 13 countries (Bolivia, Cameroon, Ethiopia,India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia, SouthAfrica, Spain, USA and Uzbekistan) were invited to partic-ipate. Most of these sites were schools, libraries, or com-munity organizations offering after-school programs. Selec-tion criterion required that the sites engage under-resourcedcommunities, engage parents (not just students), had accessto computers, and 1-2 staff members who could spend 60+hours training for and leading the program.

3.2 AdoptionThree sites dropped out from the 74 sites that started. 30sites were in the United States, 2 in Spain, and 39 from coun-tries that had an average Human Development Index (HDI) of0.63. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)defines HDI as the ability of an individual to lead a long,healthy life and have access to education that enables themto have a decent standard of living. Participating country in-dices are as follows (Figure 1): Ethiopia = 0.46, Nigeria =0.53, Pakistan = 0.56, Cameroon = 0.58, India = 0.64, Bolivia= 0.69, South Africa = 0.70, Uzbekistan = 0.71, Malaysia =

4

computer onboard the car collects data through different sensors. The algorithm (created by the engineer) uses this data to make the car act in a particular way. The family is then challenged to “engineer” an “algorithm” that takes specific actions on an electrical game-board circuit, based on certain inputs. Through this experience, families realize that an algorithm can be improved if it is not working well enough, and that the process of improvement is iterative and continuous. Sites were given the option to implement 3 of the 8 units over the summer. Following the 8 introductory hands-on design challenges, the families would go through 10 project-based lessons introducing concepts of data, machine learning and training models to recognize images, text, emotions and numbers through an IBM-Watson based platform Machine Learning for Kids. In parallel the 10 units introduced strategies of identifying meaningful problems in local communities and creating AI-based prototypes to address these problems. The Iridescent team trained staff members from each of the participating sites on the curriculum through a series of online webinars (10 hrs across 6 months months), while providing access to detailed lesson plans and customizable slide-decks. Following the training, site educators and facilitators recruited ~7500 3rd-8th grade students and their families, and engaged them in the AI Family Challenge program, meeting once a week for two hours over 15 weeks.

Figure 2 Families in Bolivia learning about parallel Figure 3 Families in Cameroon learning about control systems processing through a hands-on challenge. in a robot Data Collection - Four types of quantitative and qualitative data was collected to assess the impact of the program - pre and post surveys with parents, 34 interviews with participants from the US (12), Bolivia (11) and Cameroon (11), student responses to multiple choice questions, and judges scores on families’ project submissions. The US, Bolivia and Cameroon were chosen as regions representative of a large number of sites (US = 30) and representative of many countries with similar income, education and employment indicators. All program participants signed consent forms which explained in simple language why and what type of data was being collected, and how it was going to be used to improve the program. The sign test was used to determine the statistical difference of survey results taken before and after the program for each family.

Results & Findings Pre and Post Surveys Each site conducted pre and post surveys with the families. 2398 pre-surveys and 534 post-surveys were collected and analyzed. 464 surveys were paired and findings are presented below. 63% of guardians that came with the students were mothers, grandmothers, aunts and older sisters. 30% of respondents were South Asians, 20% Latin American or Hispanic, 18% White, 9% Central Asian, and 8% Middle Eastern. Parents were positively inclined in almost all survey measures before and after AIFC, suggesting that participants were already predisposed to AIFC’s program objectives. For instance, more parents believed that STEM could make the world a better place with 96% believing this after AIFC compared to 90%. In addition 97.4% of parents believed that new technology would change the jobs their children had (Figure 4). Parents responded favorably to their child’s knowledge, curiosity and ability around AI after AIFC. 92% believed

Figure 2Families in Bolivia learning about parallel systems processing

through a hands-on challenge

4

computer onboard the car collects data through different sensors. The algorithm (created by the engineer) uses this data to make the car act in a particular way. The family is then challenged to “engineer” an “algorithm” that takes specific actions on an electrical game-board circuit, based on certain inputs. Through this experience, families realize that an algorithm can be improved if it is not working well enough, and that the process of improvement is iterative and continuous. Sites were given the option to implement 3 of the 8 units over the summer. Following the 8 introductory hands-on design challenges, the families would go through 10 project-based lessons introducing concepts of data, machine learning and training models to recognize images, text, emotions and numbers through an IBM-Watson based platform Machine Learning for Kids. In parallel the 10 units introduced strategies of identifying meaningful problems in local communities and creating AI-based prototypes to address these problems. The Iridescent team trained staff members from each of the participating sites on the curriculum through a series of online webinars (10 hrs across 6 months months), while providing access to detailed lesson plans and customizable slide-decks. Following the training, site educators and facilitators recruited ~7500 3rd-8th grade students and their families, and engaged them in the AI Family Challenge program, meeting once a week for two hours over 15 weeks.

Figure 2 Families in Bolivia learning about parallel Figure 3 Families in Cameroon learning about control systems processing through a hands-on challenge. in a robot Data Collection - Four types of quantitative and qualitative data was collected to assess the impact of the program - pre and post surveys with parents, 34 interviews with participants from the US (12), Bolivia (11) and Cameroon (11), student responses to multiple choice questions, and judges scores on families’ project submissions. The US, Bolivia and Cameroon were chosen as regions representative of a large number of sites (US = 30) and representative of many countries with similar income, education and employment indicators. All program participants signed consent forms which explained in simple language why and what type of data was being collected, and how it was going to be used to improve the program. The sign test was used to determine the statistical difference of survey results taken before and after the program for each family.

Results & Findings Pre and Post Surveys Each site conducted pre and post surveys with the families. 2398 pre-surveys and 534 post-surveys were collected and analyzed. 464 surveys were paired and findings are presented below. 63% of guardians that came with the students were mothers, grandmothers, aunts and older sisters. 30% of respondents were South Asians, 20% Latin American or Hispanic, 18% White, 9% Central Asian, and 8% Middle Eastern. Parents were positively inclined in almost all survey measures before and after AIFC, suggesting that participants were already predisposed to AIFC’s program objectives. For instance, more parents believed that STEM could make the world a better place with 96% believing this after AIFC compared to 90%. In addition 97.4% of parents believed that new technology would change the jobs their children had (Figure 4). Parents responded favorably to their child’s knowledge, curiosity and ability around AI after AIFC. 92% believed

Figure 3Families in Cameroon learning about control in a robot

0.80, Spain = 0.89, United States = 0.92. Somalia and Pales-tine do not have an HDI.

3.3 Curriculum and Training

Sites were given access to an online curriculum(https://www.curiositymachine.org/aichallenge) consist-ing of 8 initial, hands-on challenges that used simplematerials (Figures 2 and 3). Families learned to work withopen-ended prompts and do rapid prototyping, troubleshoot-ing and redesign. These units introduced AI concepts suchas Neural Networks, parallel processing, algorithms usedin self-driving cars and industrial robots. Families watchedvideos of an expert explaining the concept, following whichthey applied their understanding in a hands-on way. Forinstance, in the self-driving car design challenge, familieslearned that the computer onboard the car collects datathrough sensors. The algorithm (created by the engineer)uses this data to make the car act in a particular way. Thefamily was then challenged to “engineer” an “algorithm” thattakes specific actions on an electrical game-board circuit,based on certain inputs. Through this experience, familiesrealized that an algorithm can be improved if it is not workingwell, and that the process of improvement is iterative andcontinuous. Following the 8 initial design challenges, thefamilies went through 10 lessons introducing concepts ofdata, machine learning and training models to recognizeimages, text and emotions through an IBM-Watson basedplatform Machine Learning for Kids. The 10 units alsointroduced strategies of identifying meaningful communityproblems and creating AI-based prototypes to address theseproblems.

The Iridescent team trained site staff members on the cur-riculum through online webinars (10 hrs/6 months), whileproviding access to detailed lesson plans and customizableslide-decks. Following the training, site educators and facili-tators recruited ∼7500 3rd-8th grade students and their fami-lies, and engaged them in the AI Family Challenge program,meeting once a week for two hours over 15 weeks. Educatorswere able to adapt the curriculum to suit their local audiencesand learning abilities.

3.4 Data Collection and AnalysisFour types of quantitative and qualitative data was collectedto assess program impact - pre and post surveys with par-ents, 34 interviews with participants from the US (12), Bo-livia (11) and Cameroon (11), student responses to multiplechoice questions, and judges’ scores on families’ prototypes.The US, Bolivia and Cameroon were chosen as regions rep-resentative of a large number of sites (US = 30) and of coun-tries with similar income, education and employment indica-tors. All program participants signed consent forms whichexplained in simple language why and what type of data wasbeing collected. The sign test was used to determine the sta-tistical difference of survey results taken before and after theprogram for each family.

4 Results and Findings4.1 Pre and Post SurveysEach site conducted pre and post surveys with the families.2398 pre-surveys and 534 post-surveys were collected andanalyzed. 464 surveys were paired and findings are presentedbelow. 6% of guardians that came with the students weremothers, grandmothers, aunts and older sisters. 30% of re-spondents were South Asians, 20% Latin American or His-panic, 18% White, 9% Central Asian, and 8% Middle East-ern.

Parents were positively inclined in almost all survey mea-sures before AIFC, suggesting that participants were alreadypredisposed to AIFC’s program objectives. For instance, 90%of parents already believed that STEM could make the worlda better place, and this increased to 96% after AIFC. In ad-dition 97% of parents believed that new technology wouldchange the jobs their children had (Figure 4).

Parents responded favorably to their child’s knowledge, cu-riosity and ability around AI after AIFC. 92% believed theirchild was able to explain AI to others and curious to continuelearning. And 89% believed their child was capable of pro-ducing an AI app in the future (Figure 5).

Parents showed gains in their own confidence to learn newtechnologies after AIFC, especially in their feelings and atti-tudes (Figure 6). However, they did not feel capable of sup-porting their child’s learning of technological content at home(Figure 7).

5.2 9.3 6.7

44.0 38.832.1

48.5 50.459.7

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

My child can explain how AIworks to others.

My child could produce anAI application in the future.

My child is interested inlearning more about AI.

Child's AI Capacity

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

8.9

23.023.4

68.1 74.0

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Pre Post

I believe that new technology will change the types of jobs that my child will do in the future.

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

Net ChangeNegative = 14.0%Positive = 20.0%No Change = 66.0%Not Significant

Figure 4Parents’ attitudes towards technology’s impact on jobs

5.2 9.3 6.7

44.0 38.832.1

48.5 50.459.7

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

My child can explain how AIworks to others.

My child could produce anAI application in the future.

My child is interested inlearning more about AI.

Child's AI Capacity

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

8.9

23.023.4

68.1 74.0

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Pre Post

I believe that new technology will change the types of jobs that my child will do in the future.

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

Net ChangeNegative = 14.0%Positive = 20.0%No Change = 66.0%Not Significant

Figure 5Parents’ evaluation of their child’s changes in AI knowledge

0.411.9 7.2

34.535.3

51.1 57.0

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Pre Post

Although challenging, learning to use new computer programs, games or apps is enjoyable.

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

Net ChangeNegative = 19.1%Positive = 29.2%No Change = 51.7%p<0.05

2.614.5 9.8

28.9 37.4

54.9 50.2

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Pre Post

I am confident in my ability to support my child’s learning in science and engineering at home. .

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

Net ChangeNegative = 25.0%Positive = 24.6%No Change = 50.4%Not Significant

Figure 6Parents’ attitudes towards learning new technologies

themselves

0.411.9 7.2

34.535.3

51.1 57.0

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Pre Post

Although challenging, learning to use new computer programs, games or apps is enjoyable.

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

Net ChangeNegative = 19.1%Positive = 29.2%No Change = 51.7%p<0.05

2.614.5 9.8

28.9 37.4

54.9 50.2

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Pre Post

I am confident in my ability to support my child’s learning in science and engineering at home. .

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

Net ChangeNegative = 25.0%Positive = 24.6%No Change = 50.4%Not Significant

Figure 7Parents’ evaluation of their own abilities to support their childs

learning at home

3.0 5.214.7 14.9

29.7 24.6

31.0 33.8

21.6 21.6

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Pre Post

New ideas and new projects sometimes distract my child from previous ones.

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

Net ChangeNegative = 31.5%Positive = 29.3%No Change = 39.2%Not Significant

3.2 4.1

22.6 16.4

39.040.1

34.7 39.2

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Pre Post

My child is at their best when doing something that is complex or challenging.

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

Net ChangeNegative = 25.0%Positive = 30.0%No Change = 45.0%Not Significant

Figure 8Parents’ evaluation of child’s persistence

3.0 5.214.7 14.9

29.7 24.6

31.0 33.8

21.6 21.6

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Pre Post

New ideas and new projects sometimes distract my child from previous ones.

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

Net ChangeNegative = 31.5%Positive = 29.3%No Change = 39.2%Not Significant

3.2 4.1

22.6 16.4

39.040.1

34.7 39.2

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Pre Post

My child is at their best when doing something that is complex or challenging.

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

Net ChangeNegative = 25.0%Positive = 30.0%No Change = 45.0%Not Significant

Figure 9Parents’ evaluation of their child’s focus

1.8 1.3 4.1 7.08.219.9 12.2 8.6

90.0 77.6 82.6 84.3

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

With other parents, Ilike to discuss how to

make things betterfor our children.

I come up with ideasfor making things

better for children inthe neighborhood.

I like to participate atmeetings where I can

help put ideas forimprovement into

action.

I like to encourageothers to volunteer

for school, church, orneighborhood

events.

Leadership

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

0.040.09

0.13 0.15

0.25 0.280.34

0.19

0.49

0.6932.4

14.3

6.6 5.2 4.1 3.4 1.7 1.5 2.6

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Quiz Scoring Rate and % of Students

Average Scoring Rate % of Students

No. of students= 652

Figure 10Parents’ interest in community

1.8 1.3 4.1 7.08.219.9 12.2 8.6

90.0 77.6 82.6 84.3

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

With other parents, Ilike to discuss how to

make things betterfor our children.

I come up with ideasfor making things

better for children inthe neighborhood.

I like to participate atmeetings where I can

help put ideas forimprovement into

action.

I like to encourageothers to volunteer

for school, church, orneighborhood

events.

Leadership

Not at all Not much Somewhat Mostly Very Much

0.040.09

0.13 0.15

0.25 0.280.34

0.19

0.49

0.6932.4

14.3

6.6 5.2 4.1 3.4 1.7 1.5 2.6

28.2

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

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35.0

0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.80

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Perc

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ge o

f Stu

dent

s

Scor

ing

Rate

Number of Lessons Taken

Quiz Scoring Rate and % of Students

Average Scoring Rate % of Students

No. of students= 652

Figure 11Students’ scores vs number of completed lessons engagement

Although parents felt that their children responded wellto challenges, they did feel that their children got distracted(Figures 8 and 9). This could be due to the subject matter notbeing age-appropriate, program execution, curriculum deliv-ery, or insufficient training for parents to help them keep theirchildren engaged.

After AIFC, parents appeared to be strongly positive aboutcommunity engagement – galvanizing support to improve theenvironment for their children (84%), implementing solutions(83%) or developing new solutions (78%) (Figure 10).

Of particular interest is that Bolivian parents expressedstronger interest (96%, n = 8) in community leadership incomparison to Cameroon (58%, n = 7).

4.2 InterviewsThe authors conducted 34 interviews with families in the US,Cameroon, and Bolivia. There were three types of familiesthat were interviewed - those who completed the program,those who submitted prototypes for judging and those whodropped out. Families who submitted had much higher com-petitive drive compared to those who didn’t. The familieswho submitted wanted to win the global competition.

Universal themes across the three countries and socio-economic groups were that parents wanted their children towork on something that they were passionate about, leadingthem to happiness and success; AIFC was a way for parentsto learn more about their children as well as themselves; andparents appreciated increasing their own problem-solving andtechnological abilities at the same time as their child. For all,the biggest barrier to participation was time.

The interviews with Cameroonian families emphasizedtheir interest and skills in doing hands-on activities, in con-trast to the Bolivian and American families. The site leaderfrom Cameroon reiterated how families had to rely on mak-ing things themselves, as they couldn’t afford store-boughtthings. For instance, children learned to make their owntoys, instead of purchasing. In addition, as a majority of thepopulation depended on agriculture (62%), families (includ-ing children) needed to devote significant time collecting re-sources and ensuring meals for the next day. Children were acontributing part of the economy. Hence, family participation

in the AI Family Challenge on the weekend was an indicatorof the strong interest to learn about AI and to participate innew learning experiences. The site leader from Cameroon,a woman, indicated that seeing a female leading the groupmotivated more women and girls to participate.

4.3 Multiple-Choice Quiz ResultsStudents tested their understanding of concepts through mul-tiple choice questions on the curriculum platform. If theyselected the wrong answer, they were prompted to try again.Thus a high score indicated fewer attempts made to get thecorrect answer. Figure 11 shows that students who completedmore lessons deepened their understanding of the conceptsand scored higher (n = 652). The exception was for Lesson8 where the question was “Which of the following tasks can amachine learning model be used for?” This suggests that thecurriculum could be improved to help learners differentiatewhen machine learning models should be used. The scoreswere also low for Lesson 1, Q1: “Pick the best definition ofartificial intelligence”. Following this lesson, many studentsdiscontinued the program, or stopped answering the ques-tions. This suggests that the curriculum could be enhancedto retain interest, as well as improving the question interfaceto encourage continued submissions.

4.4 Judges Scores207 families submitted their prototypes and pitches for re-view. Each submission was virtually scored by 3 judges whowent through a training on the rubric. Points were awardedfor: the innovation in addressing a meaningful problem, theuse of AI, prototype, quality of the pitch, creativity and fea-sibility. Some of the highest scoring submissions includedimage recognition systems: to find and eradicate an inva-sive species in Lake Titicaca, to analyze drawings to see ifchildren were experiencing bullying, and to monitor publicpools for signs of drowning. Figure 12 shows that judgesawarded high scores to most of the projects (average score= 42, n = 176). Figure 13 shows the average change frompre to post survey for each family against the judges’ scorefor their project. There is only a slight positive gain in howthe families perceive their growth. This is consistent with the

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overall pre and post paired parent survey findings of the fam-ilies being already strongly aligned with the program values.

5 DiscussionAnalysis of the AI Family Challenge data shows that under-resourced communities are interested in learning about AI,and participating in a multi-week family education program,provided certain logistical needs are met. This addressed thefirst research question - “Are under-resourced families inter-ested and willing to participate in an AI-Education program?”Key aspects of the program that kept the families coming backwere: the opportunity to learn together as a family, doinghands-on activities, learning new concepts, terms and tech-nologies, and connecting with other families. One of the sitesin La Paz, Bolivia engaged families who cleaned shoes for aliving (individuals earning ∼$3/day). This group has tradi-tionally been ostracized by society and as a result they reallyvalued the social interactions with other groups during thesessions - to the point where the site leader had difficulty inkeeping their attention [Castilo, 2016].

Only about 8% of families submitted prototypes for review.Data analysis shed light on the second research question iden-tifying factors that would enable participants to apply theirknowledge to real problems. The analysis showed the needfor more training for parents to help their child find mean-ingful problems, and manage their child’s frustration throughthe product development stages. The site leader from Boliviamentioned that families at a higher socioeconomic level had aharder time finding meaningful problems. However, familiesfrom a lower socioeconomic level did not have the skills fordeveloping and testing prototypes.

Data from the multiple choice questions, quality of the pro-totypes, and the interviews, showed that both the families andsite facilitators needed better analogies and explanations tounderstand the main concepts, and more guidance to deter-mine which problems were suited to machine learning basedsolutions.The site leader from Cameroon mentioned usingneuroscience analogies, or “this is what is happening in yourbrain”, to help families contextualize Neural Networks and

Machine Learning. A potential programmatic solution couldbe to connect technical mentors with site facilitators and fam-ilies and provide technical guidance.

Data analysis showed that the families already had a highlevel of interest in AI. However they did not have access toopportunities to learn more about AI, and this was the gapthat the AI Family Challenge filled. The 30 hours of dosageis most likely enough to maintain situational interest (sup-ported by environmental factors) but not enough to developself-driven interest [Hidi and Renninger, 2006]. Further workneeds to be done towards the third research question (“Whatwould enable participants to deepen curiosity and interest inAI?”) mapping the lifecycle of interest over 3-5 years, identi-fying what combination of social, technical and environmen-tal support is needed to develop self-driven interest. Throughthis analysis we will be able to determine whether the parent’sperceptions of their child’s increased interest and abilities wasaccurate and what support is needed to continue deepeningboth.

6 Future WorkThere are three areas of future work:

1. Firstly, the data collection instruments need to be im-proved to shed light on the fourth research question offamilies’ initial understanding of AI and how it changedthrough the program.

2. Secondly, the data collection instruments need to mea-sure participant empowerment in a better way. We an-ticipate using Kabeer’s framework of:

• Resources: Increased access to material, human,and social resources

• Agency: Increased abilities, participation, voice,and influence in the family, workplace, school,community

• Achievements: Meaningful improvements in well-being and life outcomes that result from increasingagency and education [Kabeer, 1999].

3. And finally, more work needs to be done to determinewhat program elements (type of activities, dosage, typeof technical mentoring, frequency and type of positivefeedback) result in families continuing to learn on theirown.

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[Goldin and Katz, 2007] Claudia Goldin and Lawrence .FKatz. The race between education and technology: theevolution of us educational wage differentials, 1890 to2005. Technical report, National Bureau of Economic Re-search, 2007.

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[Hubbard et al., 2018] Aleata Hubbard, Laura Gluck, andJoseph Green. Technovation 2018 evaluation final report.https://iridescentlearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/WestEd Technovation-Evaluation-Final-Report-1.pdf,2018.

[Iridescent, 2018] Iridescent. Family interest in artificial in-telligence. http://iridescentlearning.org/2018/06/family-interest-in-artificial-intelligence/, 2018.

[Kabeer, 1999] Naila Kabeer. Resources, agency, achieve-ments: Reflections on the measurement of women’s em-powerment. Development and change, 30(3):435–464,1999.

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