Team4Tech just concluded its first Experience AI cohort, engaging six global nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working to advance their organization’s foundational understanding in artificial intelligence. An educational programme developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Google DeepMind, Experience AI offers cutting-edge resources on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for teachers and students aged 11-14.
Through Team4Tech’s Experience AI Cohort, NGO leaders strengthen their understanding of the Experience AI lesson plans and resources to confidently deliver training to more teachers and students within their learning communities. The Experience AI resources are research-informed, collaboratively built with industry experts, and intentionally designed to be inclusive and representative of people from diverse backgrounds.
Twenty participants from the following six NGOs participated in this cohort:
- EducAid Sierra Leone
- Far Away Friends
- Literacy in Northern Ghana (LING)
- Rising Hope Girls’ Educational Foundation
- Ulalo
- WorldBeing
Collectively, participants from the cohort are expected to go on to train 195 teachers and 8,600 learners.
Global Cohort Builds Foundational AI Literacy and Skills
Over the six-week cohort, participants engaged in a blended learning model. Before each session, participants completed self-paced modules aligned to the Experience AI educator training sessions through Team4Tech’s Community of Practice. These modules prepared participants for the synchronous sessions and included core Experience AI content, discussion prompts, and check-for-understanding questions. Participants also attended weekly, 90-minute virtual meetings for six weeks. During each meeting, participants collaborated to share their experiences with using the learning materials as well as common challenges and solutions when rolling out Experience AI.
Through the self-paced work and synchronous meetings, participants explored AI fundamentals, ethical and responsible use of AI, how limited datasets can lead to bias in AI, and real-world applications of AI models. Team4Tech facilitated live reviews of core AI topics and Experience AI student activities. Expert facilitators led in-depth discussions of how to apply the learning content to participants’ specific learning contexts. Team4Tech also invited guest speakers from several of the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s partners to provide additional insights to the cohort.
Delivering Actionable Resources to Gain Significant Knowledge
This global cohort gave participants access to:
- Structured coursework and research-informed learning resources from Experience AI
- Ready-to-use materials to implement with their teachers and learners
- Ongoing mentorship and support from Team4Tech staff
- Opportunities to collaborate with the other nonprofits in the cohort
- Shared insights from guest speakers, experienced with leading training in similar regional contexts
Participants greatly valued the accessibility of Experience AI resources, which are intentionally designed for teachers of any skill background to effectively teach the content. When prompted to share a highlight of their cohort experience, one participant chose, “the simplicity of the AI concepts and the practical exercises used in demonstrating the different aspects of the AI/ML concepts for students and teachers.”
Participants also called out the value of the Experience AI cohort resources in preparing learners for safe, responsible AI use. As one participant noted, “All the aspects [of the cohort] are valuable, but the most [important] one[s] for me are AI literacy and using AI responsibly and the aspect that has to do with verification of AI information.”
By the end of the cohort, participants demonstrated a 20% increase in knowledge acquisition of foundational AI/ML skills as measured from the pre- and post-assessment, with some participants increasing their scores by 50 percentage points.
85% of participants reported a substantial improvement in their understanding of foundational AI concepts and ML knowledge as a result of participating in the cohort training sessions. In addition to AI content, a core learning outcome of the Experience AI educator training is also increased confidence in delivering AI lessons and training to students and teachers. As a result of the cohort, participant attitudes shifted significantly, with 100% reporting a substantial improvement in their confidence in delivering AI lessons and training.
Looking to the Future with AI Literacy
We are proud to partner with the Raspberry Pi Foundation on this initiative and celebrate the commitment of this cohort towards AI literacy. Team4Tech will follow up with the participating NGOs in the next six months to gather updates on the number of additional students and teachers trained, as well as the implementation of cohort resources shared. We’re looking forward to continuing our partnership with the launch of additional Experience AI cohorts, and our next one will serve education organizations in the US.
This project is one example of how Team4Tech is building the capacity and accelerating the impact of community-based organizations worldwide. Explore our accelerator programming to learn more.