Please join the Goergen Institute for Data Science for NSF National AI Institute for Student-AI Teaming, a research seminar with Sidney D’Mello, Associate Professor in the Institute of Cognitive Science and the Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Abstract: I will discuss our vision for the NSF National AI Institute for Student-AI Teaming. The Institute will: (1) develop the theories, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, and know-how for creating next-generation collaborative learning environments composed of diverse students, teachers, and AI; (2) grow a diverse workforce of future AI researchers and practitioners by engaging 5,000 middle/high school students in innovative AI education through AI-enabled pedagogies; (3) serve as a national nexus point for empowering diverse stakeholders to engage in responsible co-design of student-AI collaborative technologies. This national institute brings together a geographically distributed team of researchers from nine Universities with partners from academia, K-12 school districts, and industry to address the central challenge of how to promote deep conceptual learning via rich socio-collaborative learning experiences for all students. To meet this challenge, the Institute will reframe the role of AI in education, moving towards a future where AI is viewed as a social, collaborative partner that help students work and learn more effectively, engagingly, and equitably, while helping educators focus on what they do best: inspiring and teaching students. The Institute will adopt responsible innovation and polycultural approaches for developing ethical AI technologies by integrating foundational and use-inspired AI research across more than 12 interdisciplinary research areas spanning the computing, learning, cognitive and affective sciences. The Institute aims to lead the nation towards a future where all students routinely participate in rich and rewarding AI-enabled collaborative learning experiences that scale across a large number of classrooms, resulting in deeper student engagement and persistence in STEM, more inclusive classroom cultures, and significant improvements in learning outcomes.

Bio: Sidney D’Mello (PhD in Computer Science) is an Associate Professor in the Institute of Cognitive Science and Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is interested in the dynamic interplay between cognition and emotion while individuals and groups engage in complex real-world tasks. He applies insights gleaned from this basic research program to develop intelligent technologies that help people achieve to their fullest potential by coordinating what they think and feel with what they know and do. D’Mello has co-edited seven books and published more than 300 journal papers, book chapters, and conference proceedings (16 of which received awards at international conferences). His work has been funded by numerous grants and he currently serves(d) as associate editor for Discourse Processes and PloS ONE.