$10 million grant to fund national GenAI center at UGA, transform middle school STEM education
The Mary Frances Early College of Education received a five-year, $10 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences to establish a research and development center that will provide national leadership on best practices for using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in schools, strengthening competence in GenAI in middle school science classrooms.
In collaboration with Vanderbilt University, Educational Testing Service, and Albany State University, the National Center on Generative AI for Uplifting STEM+C Education (GENIUS Center) will facilitate the teaching and learning of science through development of GenAI learning agents to both improve competence in STEM subjects and demonstrate how to use GenAI tools responsibly.
Led by Xiaoming Zhai, an associate professor in the College’s Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education, the GENIUS Center research team will conduct studies at middle schools in both urban and rural settings across five states to evaluate the current uses of AI in classrooms, as well as determine what features to incorporate into a GenAI learning agent. Findings will inform the development of a tool, called GenAgent, and conclude with a pilot test of GenAgent in middle school science classrooms.