Responding to Generative AI Technologies with Research-through-Design: The Ryelands AI Lab as an Exploratory Study
This work addresses the need for educational strategies to respond to fast-evolving generative AI technologies, though it is incremental in applying existing design methods to a new context.
The study tackled the challenge of developing practical and critical competencies for generative AI technologies by designing and implementing a constructionist curriculum in a primary school, finding that a hands-on approach co-developed these competencies in students.
Generative AI technologies demand new practical and critical competencies, which call on design to respond to and foster these. We present an exploratory study guided by Research-through-Design, in which we partnered with a primary school to develop a constructionist curriculum centered on students interacting with a generative AI technology. We provide a detailed account of the design of and outputs from the curriculum and learning materials, finding centrally that the reflexive and prolonged `hands-on' approach led to a co-development of students' practical and critical competencies. From the study, we contribute guidance for designing constructionist approaches to generative AI technology education; further arguing to do so with `critical responsivity.' We then discuss how HCI researchers may leverage constructionist strategies in designing interactions with generative AI technologies; and suggest that Research-through-Design can play an important role as a `rapid response methodology' capable of reacting to fast-evolving, disruptive technologies such as generative AI.