MIT MISTI: Notes from the Field
As a PhD student in the Media Lab, Randi Williams works to empower everyone with an understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI). MIT MISTI allowed her to take her research to a completely new geographical and educational setting.
“People interact with AI all of the time — in their homes, on their phones, and online — and have no idea. Around the world, algorithms are behind a lot of government decision-making and security systems, but few people fully understand how those algorithms work.”
On the continent of Africa, many countries are investing in AI research and preparing their workforce to embrace the technology. Randi went to Ghana to understand how classrooms currently conduct engineering education so that she might develop lesson plans that extend engineering curricula to cover core topics in AI.
She was inspired to make the trip after learning about MIT alum Heather Beem ’15 and Practical Education Network, a company that Beem founded in 2015 that develops and trains teachers to do hands-on science and engineering projects.
“Heather’s work is incredible because it takes into account the national curriculum, local materials, and the teachers who are delivering the content. The framework really centers teachers and students and their learning outcomes.”
For two weeks, Randi taught Computer Science and Engineering during the day in a rural town called Mallam and after school at a community center in Accra.
“The coolest thing was learning about the topics and metaphors that most resonated with students. Many different languages are spoken in this city, so students got really excited about natural language processing and we created some fun, offline games to master the key concepts.”
Additionally, Randi connected with some of PEN’s teacher trainers, AI business leaders who lived in Accra, and professors from Ashesi University, a prestigious engineering university.
This trip was very personally meaningful to Randi. As an African American with roots in slavery, Randi was very curious about Ghana’s history and culture.
“My family has been in the US for so long that I can’t trace back to a particular village or country, even. However, I know that most slaves came from West Africa so their history feels like a part of my history too.”
Randi explored historical forts, national museums, and various neighborhoods in Accra to get a sense of the country’s past and present. She noted that many of the people she met in Ghana were at first surprised by her American accent, but quickly warmed up and welcomed her as family.
Randi’s experience co-developing an AI curriculum with students and teachers has had a significant impact in the way she thinks about developing new curricula. In the near future, she hopes to return to Ashesi University to develop a two-week AI module for high school students that study there over the summer.
