Collaborative Research: CUE-M: LEVEL UP AI: Developing Strategies to Increase Capacity and Inclusion in AI Education

The Computing Research Association (CRA) and New Mexico State University in collaboration with Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society (IEEE-CS) will convene LEVEL UP AI to build consensus on strategies to increase capacity Artificial Intelligence (AI) education and to expand AI curriculum and infrastructure. With the increasing demand for AI professionals, faculty, and researchers, there is an imperative to develop a shared vision that includes expectations and plans for an expanded AI curriculum, the infrastructure needed to deliver a quality AI education experience, and the strategies, principles, and resources that are required to advance AI education. LEVEL UP AI adopts a 2-phase process: (1) a series of virtual roundtable discussions to gather multiple perspectives around issues of increased capacity in AI education, followed by (2) in-person workshops to develop community, consensus, and action. The outcomes of the 2-day in-person workshops are to create community and action for a common vision to mobilize stakeholders to increase capacity in AI education. The expected outcomes of the project include (1) reports that articulate the vision and its supporting arguments, (2) best practices for strategies to increase capacity in AI education, (3) infrastructure resource categories and types that ensure expansion of AI education, and (4) processes and metrics for assessing capacity and quality in AI education. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.