Considerable work needed by public school board before AI roll out
The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board’s information and communications technology department is seeking “all hands on deck” to expand the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
That was the message shared with members of the board’s program review committee Tuesday, courtesy of a presentation by staff.
Information and communications technology executive officer Dan Fitzgerald noted board staff are already utilizing AI via Microsoft 365 Copilot, a licensed and secure Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT), artificial neural networks that are used in natural language processing tasks.
Fitzgerald said the program helps facilitate collaboration and streamlines communication through such applications as simplifying document creation, completing repetitive tasks, summarizing meetings and providing easy follow ups.
Fitzgerald shared a number of benefits to the board; the slide deck for the presentation was curated using AI.
“It can be a really powerful tool from the educators’ side,” said Fitzgerald, pointing to the curation of data as a prime example.
Vikki Ernst, principal of program, teaching and learning added there are many areas where AI can be beneficial to the board. These include staffing, budgeting, scheduling, student enrolment, academic performance, demographic trends, equitable and efficient distribution of resources and integration of other applications such as EDSBY, an award-winning software system used to support student learning.
Ernst added AI can also be used to detect early signs of academic and behaviour issues in students, providing prompt intervention and targeted support, potentially preventing problems from escalating and improving overall student outcomes.
However, there are also a number of challenges and ethical considerations, said Fitzgerald.
These include data privacy concerns, algorithm bias and stereotypes — AI “feeds” on the information given — ensuring AI tools compliment human judgment and interaction and the cost of training staff, infrastructure upgrades and licensing.
“It’s also crucial that we teach students how to use it correctly,” said Fitzgerald, pointing to concerns raised over cheating and plagiarism. “As with anything new, there’s always a fear … AI just causes the ground to shift beneath us as we use it … We need all hands on deck in regards to development and programming.”
Some professional development has already taken place. Staff have attended several events, including the Dell Technologies Education Summit.
The board’s AI working group plans to attend the Ontario Technology AI in Education Conference at the end of May. The information and communications technology department is also connecting with other school boards and developing critical partnerships to assist with system development.
Associate director Drew McNaughton explained considerable work still remains before any significant roll out can begin.
“We need all hands on deck in regards to development and programming,” said Fitzgerald.
“This is the beginning. This is the Commodore 64 of AI. And it’s only going to get exponentially bigger with every integration you use. We’re just on the brink of moving into this world.”
The information and communications technology department plans to return to the program review committee in the fall.