The University of Washington College of Education’s Colleague project has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a national center for research and development in the use of generative artificial intelligence as a teaching tool. The program, now known as AmplifyGAIN, focuses on a chatbot assistant called Colleague AI that helps K-12 teachers create lesson plans. The $10 million grant from the Department of Education will support the development of new product features, a pilot study on Colleague AI’s impact, and training for teachers and administrators in using the tool.
AmplifyGAIN will be housed within the college’s existing AmplifyLearn.AI center, which has received multiple grants from the National Science Foundation. These grants will support improvements to Colleague AI as well as work on data science training for professionals. The new national center is bringing together higher education, private companies, K-12 school systems, and a think tank to enhance the nation’s capacity in AI research, product development, and implementation in teaching and learning.
Min Sun, director of Artificial Intelligence for Education in the UW’s College of Education and leader of the Colleague project, emphasizes the unique collaboration between various stakeholders in the education system to advance AI research and implementation. About 1,300 teachers and administrators are currently using Colleague AI, and the UW is partnering with six Washington school districts to study the tool’s impact on teacher productivity and student outcomes.
Colleague AI, the chatbot assistant developed by the UW, was initially focused on math instruction but is expanding to include science lessons as well. The tool provides K-12 educators with quicker and better lesson plans, ultimately improving teaching practices and student learning outcomes. The pilot study funded by the new grant will assess the impact of Colleague AI on teacher productivity and student outcomes, further validating the effectiveness of this AI tool in the classroom.
The AmplifyGAIN center’s efforts will involve the development of new features for Colleague AI, the implementation of a pilot study to measure its impact, and training sessions for teachers and administrators on how to effectively use the tool. These initiatives are aimed at enhancing the nation’s capacity in AI research, product development, and implementation in teaching and learning, ultimately benefiting K-12 educators and students across the country.
As the AmplifyGAIN center continues its work, it is poised to make significant contributions to the field of AI in education. By collaborating with various stakeholders in the education system, including higher education institutions, private companies, K-12 school districts, and a think tank, the center is advancing research and development in generative artificial intelligence as a teaching tool. The impact of Colleague AI on teacher productivity and student outcomes will be closely monitored, furthering the understanding of how AI can be effectively utilized in K-12 classrooms.
