Back in August 2023, at the start of the very first school year after the release of ChatGPT, International School of Panama launched AI@School. Developed in partnership with the leading organization in this sector, Digital Promise, this micro-credential is, to this day, the only one offered by any international school on this crucial topic.
Designed to help pioneers explore the potential of generative artificial intelligence in an educational context, this professional learning opportunity rapidly and organically grew into a discovery process for the entire school as teachers, staff, and administrators trialed, shared, and evaluated both commercial tools and “in-house”, custom-designed solutions.
As the potential benefits and “risks” of AI integration became clearer and clearer, a core team started to craft appropriate guidelines for our school: “AI Core Values” aligned with our Innovative Spirit, Commitment to Excellence, Compassion and Integrity, Strength in Diversity, and Lasting Impact.
Responsible AI in Learning Endorsement
The next logical step was for ISP to join the “Founding Fifty” schools embarking in Middle States Association’s Responsible AI in Learning endorsement, which was successfully completed earlier this month.
Founded over 125 years ago, MSA is a globally recognized accreditation organization working with over 3,000 schools all over the world. With their help, the newly created AI Steering Committee was able to articulate a comprehensive strategy grounded in our unique identity and informed by extensive research (with AI assistance!).
Reflecting on our mission and “ISP Way”, and borrowing from the UNESCO’s frameworks, as well as from many governmental guiding documents, professional reports, and leading organizations’ models (including EDSAFE AI, Teach AI,) this team drafted, collected feedback, and iterated on a series of documents clarifying our philosophy.
This is how we are providing guidelines for AI adaptation, and detailing an agile plan ready for final review by our Board of Trustees.
A Unique Approach of Responsible AI in Learning Endorsement
As these documents indicate, “We envision a future where our school community members respond to the risks and opportunities of AI as technologically literate and compassionate global citizens shaping a more equitable, sustainable, and human future.”
Far from a simple “AI policy”, this approach aims to leverage the full potential of artificial intelligence, all while preventing its risks. Starting with “Portraits”, which describe what we believe learners and global citizens will look like in a future where AI is pervasive, our strategy derives the necessary systems and processes needed to make this vision a reality.
What makes it so unique is, first, how comprehensive it is. Rooted in an understanding of the technology behind AI’s prowess, and agile by design, with built-in update mechanisms and the flexibility needed to adapt to ongoing progress; this strategy covers often overlooked aspects of AI integration, such as its age-appropriateness, environmental impact, or the necessary, continuous audit and evaluation of our use cases.
Second, this strategy also stands out in that it encompasses all members of our school community – not only students, or even teachers, but also staff, parents, and school leaders. AI’s potential and risks might look different for each of them, but we believe that effective and responsible AI adaptation is necessary for all of us, whether this technology impacts pedagogical or organizational practices.
Finally, while it contains clear policies and enforcement mechanisms, our strategy focuses on AI competencies, and on the training and ecosystem needed to nurture them.
Our Vision in Action
From Elementary students engaging in personalized play-based activities to Middle and High School students interviewing the atmosphere or receiving automated feedback on digitally drawn scientific models, AI technologies are already leveraged across all divisions at ISP. Thanks to our RAIL strategy, this Innovative Spirit – already celebrated in both national and international conferences – will be further encouraged, and continuously guided to ensure we model excellent AI literacy for our students.
More than AI integration, we believe that this moment in time calls for AI adaptation. Thus, while the democratization of generative AI raised immediate concerns of academic misconduct, we see such issues as a symptom of the limitations of “old school” education, and as a challenge to keep reinventing it.
Conversely, if teaching and learning need to adapt to our new AI reality, the opposite is just as true. To the extent that these technologies were not developed with students in mind, their introduction in an educational setting requires expert use and modifications – and indeed on-campus R&D.
Last, but certainly not least, AI adaptation is imperative because our children live in a world where artificial intelligence is becoming more prevalent by the day. For that reason, foundational AI literacy has become part of our Middle School curriculum starting this year – ensuring students learn about AI before they start interacting and learning with it.
As always, these exploratory units will be grounded in our school’s philosophy, and based on high-quality resources developed by reputable organizations, such as the AI Education Project or Common Sense Education.
