In a recent Education Week Q&A, an official from the Association for Career and Technical Education discussed CTE programs moving beyond the “Googlification” of AI, its impact on culinary and HVAC programs and more.
Michael Connet, the associate deputy executive director for outreach and partnerships for the Association for Career and Technical Education, was interviewed about how the technology is being used to solve problems and create opportunities, why the CTE community has embraced greater use of AI tools and platforms, and how to guard against unintended consequences in learning environments.
When did CTE educators start thinking more deliberately about the role of AI?
I’d say early 2023, there was significant growth. That growth has been on a steady upward curve. About a year ago, I’d [estimate] about half of CTE programs had some use, be it preliminary or more advanced. Now the challenge is how you move beyond what I call the “Googlification” of AI, where it’s just used more or less as an advanced search tool.
What is an example of how CTE programs can move beyond “Googlification”?
A big problem for CTE has always been transportation to and from [school to CTE training centers]. One CTE director said they’ve been able to apply an AI-powered tool to look at all the schedules from all the sending schools and the times and availability of lab space at their center. It’s come up with recommendations [in minutes] for scheduling that otherwise would have taken hours, days, maybe even weeks to complete.
What are some examples of rising use of AI in CTE classrooms?
Culinary. You’ve got instructors who are using the technology to do makeshift food and nutrition analyses by taking a photo of a refrigerator with items that are in there and being able to concoct what recipes on a health level would be good for a person with specific dietary needs.
HVAC tech. That’s another traditional skilled-trades area using tools that basically are designed to provide predictive analytics to help monitor energy efficiency. Tools that students are now being trained on are [used with] real products that those technicians need to use. Students understand how to use [the tools) and what’s the secret sauce that’s contributing to the information that the AI is able to act upon.
AI often gets things wrong. How should schools teach students to be critical evaluators of the technology?
Continue to find ways to embed critical thinking with those applications. You’re seeing early adopters acknowledge that, and they’re successfully doing it.
There has always been an inherent tension in CTE around preparing students for jobs in local companies versus helping them develop skills to go where the most lucrative job opportunities exist. How is technology influencing that debate?
If I’m out in rural Idaho, I don’t need to think only about programs that are going to meet the needs of my local employers. If there is a remote learning opportunity in a tech field that there’s a need for nationally, then some of those career programs can be offered, whereas before, maybe they wouldn’t have been.
What about the kid who wants to stay in Idaho and work in agriculture?
A traditional farming program now needs to also talk about using drones with AI-powered sensors to teach students about soil monitoring and crop-yield optimization or sustainable farming, whereas before it was pretty perfunctory to what an individual could do physically with their hands.
Any cautionary notes about the use of AI in CTE programs?
Trust but verify. It’s so new, and a lot of us don’t really know what sits under the water line in that algorithm.
Also, how do we sensitize learners to the privacy issues and the accuracy of the information? In a very overt way; don’t just make it a side part of the conversation or something that’s handled in one module of learning within a semester-long course. Make sure it’s woven throughout programs.
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