Designing learning experiences based on visual art practice for youth’s AI literacy with a focus on critical thinking competency

Abstract

With the deepening integration of Artificial intelligence (AI) in the lives of today's youth, its negative impacts have gained societal attention. Consequently, several policies have regulated AI usage among the youth. However, given that digital natives already share an intimate relationship with AI, merely restricting its use may not be a solution. Instead, it is necessary to educate the youth to think critically about AI and foster autonomy in AI usage. Critical thinking competency is defined as the ability to critically interpret, understand, analyze, evaluate, and examine AI, considering the various aspects of AI, and consequently, become a more responsible user while reflecting on one's own AI experiences. Although recent attempts have educated the youth by focusing on delivering technical skills related AI, it is also necessary to provide opportunities to develop critical thinking competency and reflect on their lives through learning experience.

In this context, this thesis aims to design a comprehensive learning experience to foster critical thinking competencies. To this end, I applied a approach "art-based learning", which is effective in teaching critical thinking capabilities. The process began with a series of literature reviews in the fields of education and design to comprehend the concept of critical thinking competency in relation to AI and opportunities of art-based learning. This step was followed by an exploration of the essential competencies users should possess for critical thinking about AI in the future, achieved by uncovering user expectations and apprehensions concerning future human-AI interactions. This phase consisted of the prototyping and detailed evaluation of future human-AI interaction scenarios through user studies, emphasizing AI's role in engaging with users. Subsequently, the research defined educational objectives aimed at enhancing critical thinking competencies regarding AI by assessing youth AI literacy levels. Moving forward, both formal and informal learning experiences were designed in the forms of school curriculum and exhibitions, designed through collaborative workshops. An empirical investigation was then undertaken for each learning experience to gauge their effectiveness and impact. The insights from these processes were consolidated, leading to the derivation of implications for designing youth-centered learning experiences. These implications are contributed to the realms of setting educational objectives, designing art-based learning interventions, educating learners, and evaluating critical thinking competencies. Collectively, these stages represent a holistic strategy to integrate critical thinking competency more profoundly into AI education, with a particular emphasis on opportunites of art-based learning.

This thesis will provide new insight into implications related to the education, design, and HCI fields that will be useful for AI educators, HCI researchers, developers, and designers interested in AI literacy education, including critical thinking competency. There are three contributions in detail. First, this thesis presents the significance of youth’s critical thinking competency and explores the roles of art in educational context. Second, the thesis designs formal and informal learning experience, including school curriculum and exhibition that foster critical thinking competency about AI. Finally, the thesis proposes implications for designing youth-centered learning experiences for fostering critical thinking competency about AI. Looking out on a society in which AI has become a center of youth culture, education, and daily life, I hope, through a multifaceted education approach, to help the youth effectively collaborate with AI and grow into critical and responsible users.