Inconsistent guidelines for AI use in N.S. classrooms fuel calls for provincewide policy

Inconsistent guidelines for AI use in N.S. classrooms fuel calls for provincewide policy

Expert says teachers need to be 'judicious' with how they allow their students to use AI

Jenna Poste is not opposed to artificial intelligence — in fact, she uses it all the time as someone who works in the tech industry. But as a parent, she’s highly concerned about how, when and why it’s being introduced to young people.

In Nova Scotia, there is no provincewide policy explicitly stating how AI should be used in the classroom. The provincial government says it’s up to regional centres for education to make their own rules about the technology.

“We need to have consistency,” said Poste, a member of the national advocacy group Skills Before Screens. “We should really be taking a cautious approach.

“We shouldn’t be pushing forward like we have with our other technologies. We just assume it’s going to be helpful to learning without actually having the data that supports it.”

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CBC News reached out to the regional centres for education, as well as the francophone school board, to ask about their AI policies. Their approaches vary.

For example, the Halifax and Chignecto-Central regional centres for education have guidelines in writing, while in the Cape Breton-Victoria district, use of AI varies by grade level and teachers must “use their judgement.”

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The Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education said it “follows provincial curriculum and guidance” from the Department of Education, and has an educational technology team to support teachers and school staff.

The South Shore and Tri-County regional centres for education said they are focused on ensuring students learn the fundamentals, while they are “actively monitoring the emergence of AI in education to identify potential opportunities.”

The Strait Regional Centre for Education is financing a plan to provide AI guidelines and resources for students and staff. The Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial does not currently have a policy, but has appointed a committee to develop one.

Chris Boulter is the senior executive director for Nova Scotia's Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (CBC)

Chris Boulter, senior executive director for the Department of Education, said the government strives to ensure students across the province have similar experiences no matter where they live.

Asked whether the department will develop provincewide guidelines for AI in classrooms, he said it's an "ongoing conversation." He said officials are monitoring what other jurisdictions are doing.

Boulter emphasized the department's primary focus is to ensure students have literacy, math and critical thinking skills.

"We feel that sets them up very well to use artificial intelligence to improve their learning," he said. "But again, I can't stress enough, those foundational skills have not gone away because of AI. If anything, it's caused us to really double down on our efforts."

Peter Day, president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, said many of his members have reverted to in-class assessments on paper because it’s not uncommon for students to hand in work that’s been obviously generated by a chatbot.

He said AI cannot exist in the school system without guardrails in place.

Peter Day is president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. He says many teachers have gone back to in-class assessments because some students use AI chatbots to complete their assignments. (Grey Butler/CBC)

He compared it to students being taught how to safely use a bandsaw in an industrial arts class before they're given free reins to try out the tool.

“I don’t see AI as that much different. I think we really need to be showing students how AI works and what an appropriate use for it would be.”

But in order to teach students how to use AI responsibly, Day said teachers have to feel confident in their own skills. Apart from a voluntary summer technology camp, he said there is no provincewide professional development focused solely on AI for educators.

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Boulter said professional development is currently available through regional centres for education, but work is underway to develop more learning opportunities for teachers through the province.

Johan Woodworth, an assistant professor who teaches courses on AI integration and literacy at Mount Saint Vincent University’s education program, said educators have to be “judicious” with how they allow their students to use AI.

Not only can it replace critical thinking and shortcut learning, he said, but it can also produce outputs that are biased, misleading or even factually incorrect.

Johan Woodworth is an assistant professor with Mount Saint Vincent University's education program. He teaches courses on AI integration and literacy. (Eric Wiseman/CBC)

Woodworth also insists that a provincewide policy is needed. Like Day, he said teachers need more time and resources to become familiar with the tools.

“Just knowing about a technology doesn’t mean that you could pedagogically integrate them into a classroom,” he said.

He pointed to New York City — home to the largest school district in North America — where officials recently imposed a one-year moratorium on generative AI up to Grade 8, while chatbots in schools have been banned for all grades.

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“The tech industry wants us to believe that AI in early education is not only inevitable, but that it is necessary. We do not see it that way,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a press conference in September.

Woodworth argues that a similar approach could benefit Nova Scotians, giving teachers an opportunity to catch up with the booming technology while policymakers evaluate best practices and develop rules.

Poste is pushing for that kind of pause through Skills Before Screens, which has launched a petition calling on the province to follow New York’s lead.

“I think there’s always a place you can find an opportunity where it could be beneficial. It’s just, do those benefits outweigh the risks?” Poste said.

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Celina Aalders is a TV, radio and digital reporter for CBC News Nova Scotia. She holds a master's degree in journalism and communication. Contact her with story ideas at celina.aalders@cbc.ca