OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich — West Ottawa High School is pioneering artificial intelligence education with a new AI Foundations course that's teaching students how to responsibly use and critically evaluate AI tools.
The semester-long course marks just the second time the district has offered the innovative program.
"We had a high demand for it," said said Todd Tulgestke, Associate Superintendent for Innovation and 6-12 Education. "When we talk about the literacy skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening, AI is kind of that next, that fifth literacy skill that we need to teach students how to use in an ethical, responsible and effective way."
The class is co-taught by teachers Josie Cheney and Shanna Meyer, covering concepts like crafting precise prompts, evaluating outputs and the importance of keeping a human in the loop.
The curriculum also emphasizes critical thinking, especially regarding AI's limitations and potential for misinformation.
"We want to talk about the realities of what AI is out in the real world," Meyer explained. "And, how easily someone can get the wrong idea with those deep fakes, and how scary that part of the AI world can be."
Senior Lilliana Gitler has already experienced AI's fallibility firsthand.
"I think my biggest takeaway was that it's not always right and actually makes a lot of mistakes, so it's really important to fact check," Gitler said.
Despite these limitations, students are finding practical applications for AI in their academic work.
Student Lukas Woudwyk has integrated AI into his daily routine.
"There's so many uses for it. Like, instead of Googling something, I will, like, ask ChatGPT on my phone something," Woudwyk said.
Gitler uses AI as a tutoring tool for her online classes, while senior Leah Desanctis is excited about enhancing her career.
"In the future, I want to be an elementary teacher, so I see myself using it to generate creative lesson plans and personalized lesson plans to fit every student's learning type," Desanctis said. "I think nowadays it's almost considered like a little behind if you don't have some knowledge of AI and how to use it."
The teachers emphasize that AI tools should supplement, not replace, human knowledge and creativity.
Students receive both math and English credits for completing the course.
"I definitely think it's a great resource to have, because I think if you use it right, there's a lot of different things that it can help you with," Woudwyk said. "It'll be like, a necessary trait that a lot of people will need."
District leaders view the course as preparation for students' post-graduation success.
"It'll be a class that continues to evolve and change, but we're excited about the skills that students are taking away," Tulgestke said. "They're going to be farther ahead when they go to college or careers than students not taking this course will be."
The district is already exploring ways to expand AI integration into other grade levels as the technology continues to reshape education and the workforce.
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