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Submission proposal 5th Crossing Boundaries 2023, Kaunas, Lithuania
AI Pioneers: Developing a Community of Practice for Artificial Intelligence
(AI) and Vocational Education and Training
Abstract
This paper examines the implications of VET and for VET of digital and sustainable socio-
economic development. It examines the dual challenge of AI as a tool for teaching and
training in VET but also as a subject for learning in VET. It quotes UNESCO (2022) in saying
AI has the potential to accelerate the process of achieving the global education goals through
reducing barriers to accessing learning, automating management processes, and optimising
methods to improve learning outcomes.*It. Looks at current advances in AI including their
potential impact on work organisation, work tasks and business proceses and the potential and
challenge for education and the research and social challenges this poses for research in
Vocational education and Training. The research suggests everyone needs to be able to
recognize AI and its influence on people and systems, and be proactive as a user and citizen.
VET students should have the opportunity to use AI and big data to solve problems, for
instance maintaining systems in the mechatronic occupations. Thirdly, VET dual students
(higher level apprentices) should become skilled in computer science for developing AI
systems.* The paper goes on to examine the new skills and competencies needed by VET
teachers and trainers and professional development requirements. It concludes with the aims
of the Erasmus Plus AI Pioneers project to develop a community of practice around AI in
VET.
Authors: Graham Attwell, graham10@mac.com, Pontydysgu; Ludger Deitmer, deitmer@uni-
bremen.de, Institut Technik und Bildung, University of Bremen; George Bekiaridis,
george.bekiaridis@gmail.com, Active Citizens Partnership
Corresponding Author: Graham Attwell
Graham Attwell is the founder and Director of Pontydysgu. He is an experienced researcher
and developer and is an expert in digitalisation and Labour Market Information. He is a
specialist in the use* of technology for teaching and learning and for knowledge development.
He is experienced in modularisation, the recognition of prior learning and in work based and*
vocational education. He is experienced in the development of flexible programmes and
formats of learning including micro-modules or learning bites and MOOCs. He has recently
developed a MOOC for AI for VET, through the Taccle AI Erasmus + project.
George Bekiaridis is Chief Executive of Active Citizens Partnership. Has long experience of
working with European funded and transnational projects. He is specialised in research and
development into digital pedagogies and technology enhanced learning, the recognition of
informal learning, the training of teachers and trainers and development of open-source
Copyrighted material Crossing Boundaries 2023 Kaunas, Lithuania
2
software for education and Open Educational Resources. George Bekiaridis participated as
researcher in Taccle AI and AI@School projects.
Ludger Deitmer’s research interests focus on work-based learning in technical occupations,
design of in-company training, evaluation the quality of apprenticeship, the governance of
regional VET systems, and enhancing innovation by training. He participated in the Taccle AI
and in the AI and school Erasmus+ projects. For Taccle AI he analysed project cases studies
in 8 VET colleges as well as undertaking an AI literature review and the development of
policy recommendations.
Ethics Statement: There are no ethical implications to this research
Funding Information: This research is being supported by the European Commission Erasmus
+ AI Pioneers project.
1AI, Education and VET
This paper examines the implications of VET and for VET of digital and sustainable
socio-economic development. It examines the dual challenge of AI as a tool for teaching and
training in VET but also as a subject for learning in VET. The paper is based on the work of a
European consortium of VET researchers and developers on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
VET. Having initially developed a strategic partnership with funding from the EU Erasmus
Plus programme, an expanded partnership has been successful in gaining EU support for a
large-scale project, AI Pioneers, which started in January 2023.
1.1 The potential of AI for Education
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be defined as a computer system that has been designed to
interact with the world in ways we think of as human and intelligent. Ample data, cheap
computing and AI algorithms mean technology that can learn very quickly. The
transformative power of AI cuts across all economic and social sectors, including education.
UNESCO (2022) says AI has the potential to accelerate the process of achieving the global
education goals through reducing barriers to accessing learning, automating management
processes, and optimising methods to improve learning outcomes.*
A European Joint Research Council policy foresight report (Tuomi, 2018) suggests that
"in the next few years AI will change learning, teaching, and education. The speed of
technological change will be very fast, and it will create high pressure to transform
educational practices, institutions, and policies." They say it is therefore important to
understand the potential impact of AI on learning, teaching, and education, as well as on
policy development.
1.2 Large Language models
The current advances in AI, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs) such as*
ChatGPT or Robotic, are based on processing large volumes of data from the internet.
Machine learning enables a machine or system to produce meaningful results without being
specifically told beforehand what to do. As a result, tasks that were previously performed by
human activity are now potentially dependent on AI aided automated systems. It has been
suggested that just as automation has threatened lower skilled work, the new AI system may
automate skilled work (Lowrey, 2023). While such AI systems have much potential in
3
education, for instance reducing the amount of administrative work teachers have to
undertake, and developing curriculum and learning materials, ChatGPT has been seen by
some as a challenge particularly for traditional forms of assessment (Khalil, 2023).
2The Research challenge
The rapid development and implementation of AI poses a series of research and social
challenges for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education. These include:
What changes are needed to curricula to deal with the increasing use of AI in all areas of
society?
How will AI change working practices and the knowledge and skills required in different
occupations?
What is the relation between human intelligence and skill and Artificial Intelligence?
How can humans work together with machines?
How can we ensure that the development of AI is not just the preserve of very large
multinational companies?
What are the ecological impacts of AI?
What are the competencies and skills required for VET and Adult Education teachers and
trainers?
How can we* organise sufficient opportunities for VET teachers and trainers?
How can we use AI effectively for teaching and training and for extending opportunities
and access to education and train
What will be the impact of Large Language Models on assessment and evaluation?
How can we ensure that we provide equal opportunities for research and development of
AI?
How do we address the ethical issues raised by AI not just in society and work but also in
education?
What policies are required to deal with the challenges of AI?
A major challenge for research and development is the very spread of developments in
this area. ChatGPT, which was only released in November already has more than one million
signed up users. Perhaps one immediate challenge is how we can use AI in our research and
development activities
3Changing work and business processes
The introduction of AI based systems is leading to changing work and business processes
spanning many industries, with changing requirements for professional skills of skilled labour
(Verma, E.2023).* This is often accompanied by the fear that human labour will be replaced
on a large scale and professions and occupations can lose meaning and importance for
structuring vocational education and training. In the scientific discourse, the view prevails that
professional activities will change significantly, which means that some jobs will be lost,
initially routine activities, but also new professions or new ranges of activities in existing
occupations will emerge. There is not necessarily a complete substitution taking place, but the
use of AI-based systems lead to the redesign of work. The increase in efficiency and
productivity are driving factors for companies in industry, supply, manufacturing and
software design to follow up such developments. From the employee's point of view, there are
positive sides to the introduction of AI, for instance relief from physically demanding work or
4
tiring routine tasks, or cognitive support for undertaking complex tasks. However, the social
and ethical impact of AI is under debate: What is an AI system allowed to do and what is it
not allowed to do? Who should participate in AI-based projects and development? Who is
responsible for the consequences of AI-based applications? (Lufkin, 2017)*
It has been suggested that workers should be equipped with at least basic knowledge
about AI, both to help ensure their own employability but also their ability to shape the* future
of work* like we do want to have. Vocational education and training can be a key element in
dealing with AI technologies. Given these important and rapid shifts, it is time to consider
what VET students (apprentices, trainees, technicians) need to know about AI technology.
Firstly, our research suggests everyone needs to be able to recognize AI and its influence on
people and systems, and be proactive as a user and citizen. Second, VET students should have
the opportunity to use AI and big data to solve problems, for instance maintaining systems in
the mechatronic occupations. And thirdly, VET dual students (higher level apprentices)
should become skilled in computer science for developing AI systems.*
Recognizing AI is an initiative by leading computer scientists that have identified five big
ideas that VET students should know about AI (AI4K12, 2020):*
· * Computers perceive the world using sensors. Examples include speech recognition and
computer vision; emerging issues include the nature of intelligence and the limitations of
human and computer perception.*
·* * Agents maintain representations of the world and use them for reasoning. Examples
include types of algorithms, the work they do and their limitations.*
·* * Computers can learn from data. Examples include types of machine learning - yet
there are concerns about issues such as bias in training data.**
·* Intelligent agents require many types of knowledge to interact naturally with humans.
Examples include interacting with digital assistants, chatbots and robots. Emerging issues
involve the nature of consciousness and limitations of AI interaction.**
· * AI applications can impact society in both positive and negative ways. Emerging
issues include the use, fairness and transparency of algorithms and likely social impacts.*
4Vocational Education and Training and the European Digital Education Action
Plan
The education sector finds itself in a double tension. On the one hand, it is responsible for
preparing young people for the changing world of work. On the other hand, educational
institutions and teachers and trainers are under pressure to adapt to* adopt digital technologies.
This is particularly the case in vocational training. Teachers and trainers in VET are
responsible for training the workforce of the future, which will include the development and
use of AI systems and for whom knowledge is linked to a new understanding of the work
processes. For example collaborative robotics can allow workers to undertake more complex
tasks than before. These pressures are leading to the development of new projects in the
vocational schools including the extension of the curriculum around AI, but the resulting
freeing up of time from the existing school curricula.*
The Taccle AI project undertook a series of case studies in vocational schools and the
workplace in different European countries.This resulted in the following policy
recommendations: (Attwell, Deitmer et.al. 2021) :
*
I. * * * * * Update of VET curricula by including AI topics.*
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Artificial intelligence has the potential to change many areas of life. It is therefore
important that (young) people are fully informed about the potential benefits and limitations
of AI for digital learning. In addition, apprentices need knowledge of how to use the latest AI-
based applications in their occupational areas. The discussion of ethical and legal issues must
be given special priority including data privacy.*
2. * * * * Incorporate teaching competences for AI for VET teachers and trainers. If we
incorporate AI in VET curricula it is self-evident that we need to include it in training
programmes for VET teachers and trainers as well. The extent to which the topic of AI should
find its way in depends on the respective area of learning / vocational field. Nevertheless, it is
important that VET teachers and trainers have a basic knowledge of AI in order to assess
developments in the labour market and new trends in educational technologies. Knowledge
about AI should also be sought beyond professional activities, as AI also affects the everyday
lives of VET teachers and trainers.
3.* * * * Encourage and support the development, searchability and sharing of Open
Educational Resources for AI in VET. Due to the speed of the digital transformation, it is
useful to bundle competences and share knowledge under VET teachers and trainers. In the
field of education, the sharing of Open Educational Resources can support new learning
programmes on AI and digital learning.
4.* * * * Encourage and support the development of online programmes of Continuing
Professional Development for AI in VET. Digital transformation opens up the opportunity to
make learning more flexible. This is also true for the Continuing Professional Development of
teachers and trainers. Applications for digital interaction such as forums, Massive Online
Courses (Moocs), chat groups or shared comments can promote exchange between VET
stakeholders.
5. * * * * Support collaboration between industries, VET schools and training centres. This
is in order to develop new training projects in the use of AI in different occupations in order
to update their own knowledge and competences in the use of AI in different occupations. In
addition to sharing knowledge between educational institutions, it is crucial that all
stakeholders involved in VET work more closely together. Educational institutions need to
know from companies how the latest technologies are already affecting their business in order
to know what to teach.
*
At a European level the Digital Education Action Plan (European Commission, 2021)*
has adopted two strategic priorities. The first is to support the development of a high-
performing digital education ecosystem and the second to address the need to enhance digital
competences for the digital transformation. It is stated that a high performing digital education
ecosystem will increasingly include the use of AI at all levels including for teaching and
learning. The action plan says that “digital technology, when deployed skilfully and
effectively by educators, can fully support the agenda of high quality and inclusive education
and training for all learners”.
The Taccle AI and Vocational Education and Training project has identified additional
competences for AI based on the European Commission DigCompEdu framework of
competencies for educational practitioners (Attwell, Deitmer et.al. 2020).
*
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5VET Teachers and Trainers
The initial Erasmus+ project, AI and VET, was mainly directed towards researching the
use of AI by VET teachers and trainers and at developing their confidence and competence in
AI. This included research on the changing labour markets and the implications of AI for
VET curricula as well as the practices of teachers and trainers. A survey and interviews
(Roppertz, 2020) with teachers and trainers found little resistance to the use of AI in their
teaching practice, but there is still massive demand for the professional development
opportunities and* for examples of how they could teach AI .
The use of AI in VET differs from AI in general education in that it has a dual focus:
school learning and workplace learning. AI can be used in VET for teaching and learning, for
example using chatbots (like GPT3 or others) for example to extend formative e-assessment
and feedback as well as personalised learning. But AI is also a subject for VET, as it is
increasingly adopted in different occupational competences and practices.
However, it is one thing to identify the competencies needed, it is another to provide
sufficient opportunities for professional development to ensure ALL VET teachers and
trainers are supported in updating their competences.*
In this regard we recognise that traditional training courses for Professional Development
may not be sufficient to meet the needs.Therefore, we would urge an approach supporting
more flexible and innovative opportunities for Professional Development including in
particular blended and online learning programmes.*
These considerations have led us to develop the following recommendations.
• Incorporate competences for AI into all initial training programmes for VET teachers
and trainers
• Encourage and support the development, searchability and sharing of Open Educational
Resources for AI in VET
• Encourage and support the development of online programmes of Continuing
Professional Development for AI in VET
• Support collaboration between industries; craft trade; VET schools and training centres
to develop new projects and curricula and* in the use of AI in different occupations.
To provide professional development opportunities for teachers and trainers, the AI and
VET project developed a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The MOOC was flexible,
initially running online for three months, and now freely open to participants. In the initial
three months, nearly 500 people signed up, with almost equal numbers for the English and
German language versions.
A key issue in researching and supporting the use of AI in education and training is the
issue of ethics. The AI and VET project produced a research report (Attwell, Bekiadis et al,
2021), drawing attention to issues like bias, the lack of transparency in algorithms and
unequal access to digital content and resources. The European Commission has recently
launched a set of ethical guidelines for educators on the use of AI and data in education
(European Commission, 2022). Work on this area will continue in the new AI Pioneers
project.
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6Exemplar Case Study of an AI Project In VET
The topic of the project was Deep Reinforcement Learning –“= artificial intelligence”
and implementation of an agent in the game “Sonic the Hedgehog” (Attwell, Deitmer et at
2021). Sonic is a computer game from the Japanese publisher, Sega. The goals for the project
were:*
(1) To acquire an understanding of artificial intelligence and neural networks*
(2) To gain advanced knowledge of the Python programming language*
(3) The AI should master different levels independently.*
Trainees of the vocational school course for “information technology assistants”
(German: “Informationstechnische(r) Assistent(in)”) took part in the second year of training
within the framework of the learning field “Planning, implementing and evaluating projects”
(practice). The total time required was 160 hours per school year.*
What did trainees learn in the project? The trainees were able to acquire both technical
and social skills in the course of this project. On the one hand, they learned project-oriented
work in a group; they set themselves goals and divided and organised their work
independently. On the other hand, they independently dealt with a programming language
(Python) that was new to them and learned its basics to the extent that they were able to
understand, modify, and create programs. In addition, the trainees have dealt with the basics
of neural networks and different terms of machine learning, so that they were able to present
the basics to their fellow students and explain the terms.*
Reflection and Recommendations for other teachers: Since the students have to deal with
the topic of artificial intelligence in their future work, it makes sense to deal with it. in the
vocational school. In the project documentation, the students report that it was surprisingly
easy to acquire basic knowledge about AI. However, they emphasise that the deeper
immersion in the subject matter was an obstacle, as more complex mathematical knowledge
would have been necessary. This sometimes led to lower motivation and productivity.
Overall, however, the students report that the choice of project was a good decision and that
they have gained an advanced understanding of AI and its practical implementation.
When asked about what needs to happen on the part of the school and the teachers so that
such projects can be practised regularly, the teacher* reported that, on the one hand,
appropriate further training for the teachers is necessary. Besides the transfer of knowledge
about AI, the joint development of teaching concepts should be more important. In addition,
existing teaching materials should be jointly reviewed and classified. The teacher
recommends that the students have a say in choosing the appropriate topic. Students need
motivation and perseverance to work in project groups, so it is an advantage if the project
tasks are linked to the students’ interests. In addition, clear evaluation criteria should be
established and communicated transparently.
Conclusion: AI Pioneers
The questions and issues emerging from the previous research and activities in the AI and
VET project are being taken forward in the new AI Pioneers large scale Erasmus+ project
launched in January 2023 and running to December* 2025. The project directly addresses the
issues of capacity, both systemic and institutional, through working with teachers and trainers,
educational planners, stakeholders, and policy makers in Adult Education and Vocational
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Education and Training, to identify, develop and pilot use cases of artificial intelligence in
education and training including considering their impact on data, privacy, ethics and EU
values. The project will develop a supplement to the DigCompEdu Framework for the skills
and competences related to the use of AI in education. It will also produce recommendations,
toolkits and implementation guidelines on the role and use of artificial intelligence. Central to
the project is the development of a network of AI pioneers as a Community of Practice.*
Online communities of practice (CoPs) can be a valuable resource for AI pioneers in
education who are interested in exploring the use of artificial intelligence and machine
learning in the classroom. Such CoPs can provide a platform for educators to collaborate and
share best practices, resources, and experiences related to the use of AI in education. * By
participating in online CoPs, AI pioneers can gain access to a wider range of perspectives and
expertise and stay up to date on the latest trends and best practices in the field of AI. They can
also collaborate on projects and initiatives, and receive feedback and support from other
members of the community. In addition, participation in online CoPs can help participants to
strengthen their commitment to their profession by fostering a sense of community and shared
purpose. By connecting with other like-minded individuals who are passionate about AI, AI
pioneers can feel more inspired and motivated to continue their own professional growth and
development.
The term Pioneers is taken from DigCompEdu (Redecker, 2017) and is defined as
follows: “Pioneers question the adequacy of contemporary digital and pedagogical practices,
of which they themselves are Leaders. They are concerned about the constraints or drawbacks
of these practices and driven by the impulse to innovate education even further. Pioneers
experiment with highly innovative and complex digital technologies and/ or develop novel
pedagogical approaches. Pioneers are a unique and rare species. They lead innovation and are
a role model for younger teachers.”
That such innovation is necessary has been amply illustrated by the challenges and debate
not just in the education community but in popular media by the release of ChatGPT and the
forthcoming Bard application.
References:
AI4K12 (2020) 5 Big Ideas in AI, The Artificial Intelligence (AI) for K-12 initiative,
https://ai4k12.org/
*
Attwell, G., Bekiaridis, G, Deitmer, L., Perini, M., Roppertz, S., Stieglitz, D., & Tutlys,
V. (2021) Artificial Intelligence & Vocational Education and Training. How to shape the
future. Policy recommendations
http://taccleai.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/TaccleAI_Recommendations_UK_compressed.
pdf, accessed 13 November 2022
Attwell, G., Bekiaridis, G., Deitmer, L., Perini, M., Roppertz, S., & Tutlys, V. (2020).
Artificial Intelligence in Policies, Processes and Practices of Vocational Education and
Training.*
http://taccleai.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/TaccleAI_FullReport_IO1_2021.pdf
9
European Commission (2021) Digital Education Action Plan,
https://education.ec.europa.eu/focus-topics/digital-education/action-plan
European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture,
Ethical guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and data in teaching and learning
for educators, Publications Office of the European Union, 2022,
https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/153756
Khalil, M. (2023) Will ChatGPT get you caught? Rethinking of Plagiarism Detection,
ResearchGate,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368358895_Will_ChatGPT_get_you_caught_Rethi
nking_of_Plagiarism_Detection*
*
Lowrey, A. (2023) How ChatGPT Will Destabilize White-Collar Work, The Atlantic,
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/chatgpt-ai-economy-automation-jobs/
672767/, accessed 15 February 2023
Lufkin, B (2017) Why the biggest challenge facing AI is an ethical one, BBC Future,
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170307-the-ethical-challenge-facing-artificial-
intelligence
Redecker, C. (2017) European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators:
DigCompEdu. Punie, Y. (ed). Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg
Roppertz, S. (2020) Artificial Intelligence and Vocational Education and Training:
Perspective of VET teachers Survey Results,
https://taccleai.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TaccleAI_SurveyResults_eng.pdf
*
Tuomi, I. (2018) The Impact of Artificial Intelligence On Learning, European Joint
Research Council, https://www.scribd.com/document/606487891/Jrc113226-Jrcb4-the-
Impact-of-Artificial-Intelligence-on-Learning-Final-2, accessed 13 November 2022.
*
UNESCO (2022) What you need to know about digital learning and transformation of
education, https://www.unesco.org/en/education/digital/need-know, accessed 13 November
2022.
Verma, E. (2022) How AI and Automation Are Changing the Nature of Work,
https://www.simplilearn.com/how-ai-and-automation-are-changing-the-nature-of-work-article