RCN: NAIRR Pilot Expansion: FA2: AI EDU: Creating a Community of Practice for Building Resources and Access to AI Education

The Computing Research Association will lead a Research Coordination Network (RCN) to build and sustain a community of practice that fosters collaboration and resource-sharing among faculty engaged in artificial intelligence (AI) education nationwide. The community of practice is developing a vision and strategies for how resources like those included in the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot can be allocated to ensure that all institutions can provide comprehensive and audience-appropriate AI education.

The RCN participants contribute to the research and development required to make state-of-the-art AI education available to all students. In coordination with other NSF-funded projects, including NSF LEVEL UP AI and the NAIRR Pilot Expansion conferences, this RCN is dedicated to supporting instructors and students from all types of institutions in the U.S. (e.g., research-emerging institutions, community colleges).

The primary goal of this RCN is to develop and distribute AI educational resources and best practices for utilizing education infrastructure, including the NAIRR Pilot, to enhance AI education at the undergraduate and master's levels. Through regular community meetings and asynchronous engagement, the AI EDU RCN will address the following topics: what resources can be shared for AI education at the undergraduate and MS levels; what resources are needed to prepare faculty to include the NAIRR Pilot in AI courses across the country; what are the strategies for allocating resources in the NAIRR Pilot to faculty teaching AI courses; and what are the best practices for increasing capacity and access to AI education resources.

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.