AI and Learning

AI tools are not just sharper pencils, better paint brushes, or faster computers but new ways to interact with and construct knowledge.

At Lab we exist in a vibrant educational community that prizes inquiry and exploration. As we prepare students for a world where generative AI is commonplace, Lab is experimenting with and investing in AI that balances developing the AI literacy of our students & instructors while maintaining critical thinking skills.

Lab AI Leadership

The excitement, concern, and even trepidation surrounding such a powerful technology warrants careful study and in 2023 Lab convened the AI and Learning Committee to undertake this research.

The Committee is charged with: keeping abreast of developments in artificial intelligence; considering their implications for teaching, learning, and support for students’ social-emotional growth at the Laboratory Schools; providing recommendations on updates to Lab’s program, policies, or practices; and initiating programming to support professional development among Lab educators, awareness among parents and guardians, and skill development and aptitude among students.

Molick and Molick Framework
Introduction of Alice AI

Molick and Molick Framework

As Backwards Design has taught us, it is essential to know the goal of the lesson first and then to define how to get there. When using AI, instructors should include in their planning the pedagogical role that they want the AI to play. The Committee has found the seven approaches for AI use with students described by Molick and Molick as an essential resource for this.

The Mollick and Mollick framework helps guide an instructor to their desired end state by thinking through the role that AI can serve within a lesson. They identify seven roles:

Mentor
Tutor
Coach
Teammate
Student
Simulator
Tool

Within each role, the framework outlines the pedagogical benefits and risks of using the AI in this way, which also prompts the instructor to consider the additional teaching that will be needed in addition to using the AI. It’s also important to pair the use of the Mollick and Mollick framework with consideration of the needs of diverse learners within a class and supports they may need with AI.

Introduction of Alice AI

Alice is the result of a recommendation from the AI and Learning Committee that sought to create equitable access to AI while ensuring safeguards and meeting regulatory requirements. Alice is a chat interface, similar to ChatGPT, allowing dynamic interaction with queries and responses. Within Alice AI are the latest models from Google (Gemini) and Anthropic (Claude) offering users a way to experiment with results from different AI models.

Alice is a multimodal AI, meaning that a user can provide audio, video, text, code or standard unstructured data files (PDF) and ask queries about the data provided. While Alice can 'see and hear' this data it will only provide output as text. This decision was made to limit the potential harmful uses that could arise. Similarly, any one chat session is limited to 20 interactions at which point the AI will prompt to start a new session.

Throughout the 2024–2025 academic year faculty, staff and students used Alice in a variety of ways and this feedback is being incorporated into the future development of the platform

Committee Topics

The Committee continues to meet and study the evolving nature of AI in education. Topics that the Committee has previously addressed include:

The technology, policy and support systems needed for AI to flourish at Lab.
How AI can be used to support the needs of all learners.
Models of AI adoption from other schools and in higher education.
Emerging research on best practices around AI in instruction.

Committee Achievements

Among the Committee’s achievements to date are:

Introduction of the Alice AI platform
Hosting of a speaker series featuring AI researchers and technologists
Implementation of AI policy on use, instructional expectations and procurement
Availability of open-source, small language models for instruction

AI and Learning Committee

Brian Hewlett, Director of Information, Registrar and Compliance Services (Co-Chair)
Amy Atkinson, Librarian, Middle School (2024 Co-Chair)
Jeremy Schwartz, Computer Science, Middle School (2025 Co-Chair)
Manali Barua, Assistant Director of Admissions
Louis Coronel, Instructional Technology Specialist, Early Childhood
Craig Doran, Endpoint Manager, Information Systems
Lisa Harrison, Computer Science Instructor, Early Childhood
Jessica Herrera, AV Specialist, Information Systems

Megan Hubbard, Accommodations Coordinator
Elizabeth Hubin, Science Instructor, University High School
Ross Hunefeld, Dean of Students, Middle School
Chantal Lambrix, Fourth Grade Instructor, Lower School
Zilkia Rivera-Vazquez, Assistant Principal, University High School
Eric Rizzi, Computer Science Instructor, University High School
Jeremy Schwartz, Computer Science Instructor, Middle School
Yosef Tewolde, EdTech Specialist, Historic Campus

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