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ASB’s Participation In The MSA RAIL Project

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The American School of Bahrain joined the Middle States Association’s Responsible AI in Learning, RAIL Project to promote safe, ethical AI use in education. As one of the founding schools, ASB collaborates with MSA to create a roadmap for AI integration, focusing on literacy, safety, and ethics. This initiative empowers teachers to use AI as a tool for innovative learning, keeping the school at the forefront of technology in education.

Please share a brief background of your innovation.

As an educational institution, it is our responsibility to stay up-to-date and define the responsible and safe usage of rapidly evolving technologies such as AI. As these technologies transform various fields, especially education, we aim to adopt AI effectively, ethically, and securely, fostering a safe learning environment for all. RAIL (Responsible AI in Learning) is an initiative by the Middle States Association (MSA) aimed at redefining great learning in the age of AI technologies. The first endorsement in the RAIL initiative is in “AI Literacy, Safety, and Ethics.” Schools that pursue this endorsement from MSA will earn a digital credential to signal their responsiveness to the most significant technology since the public Internet. The Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) is a global leader in accreditation and school improvement, serving institutions for over 130 years. MSA-CESS accredits schools in more than 100 countries, ensuring they meet high standards and continuously strive for excellence. The RAIL programme takes a holistic approach to integrating AI in education, helping schools develop a comprehensive roadmap, that demonstrates how AI can be used to develop unique and safe learning experiences for all students. This roadmap begins with the school’s mission, vision, and pillars, and builds policies, procedures, implementation, and change plans based on the school’s mission statement. Our school was selected during the first round of applications, making it one of the 33 schools to kick-start the programme. Following this, MSA opened the door for late applications, bringing the final count to 50 schools. We are proud to be part of the founding RAIL cohort, which includes schools from 19 different countries around the world. Throughout the process, a team from ASB collaborated with the MSA team to create the necessary evidence pieces related to enhancing learning in the AI era. Upon completion, the school will earn an endorsement, enabling us to implement our change plans and keep our community at the forefront of AI technology integration.  A key component of the developed change plans includes encouraging teachers to use AI as an innovative learning method. By fostering this innovative approach, the program aims to ensure that educators are at the forefront of using AI to enhance educational outcomes.

How was the innovation planned?

In March 2024, MSA invited all accredited schools to participate in the inaugural cohort of RAIL (Responsible AI in Learning). Recognizing the significance of staying ahead in the rapidly evolving technological landscape, our school’s leadership team immediately seized this opportunity. We began by assembling a dedicated team of AI enthusiasts to gather the necessary evidence for the endorsement process. This initiative was planned with a strong focus on building a foundation for responsible and ethical AI integration within our educational framework.

What were the challenges faced during implementation?

One of the primary challenges we encountered was coordinating the team’s efforts amid the busy end-of-year academic schedule, which is traditionally one of the most demanding periods for any school. Balancing this workload with the requirements of the endorsement process was difficult. Additionally, understanding and compiling the necessary evidence posed a challenge, as it required us to collect and synthesize information from various departments to create a comprehensive and cohesive set of documentation.

Give us a brief assessment of your results.

After submitting our evidence, MSA will soon announce the school’s endorsement from RAIL’s MSA team. This endorsement empowers us to implement AI in our educational practices in a safe, ethical, and responsible manner. As we enter the new academic year, the positive outcomes of our efforts are already evident, particularly in the training of our new staff members. We are confident that with continued dedication, our school will remain at the forefront of ethical and innovative AI use in education, enhancing the learning experience for all.

In hindsight, what were the most valuable lessons learned while implementing the innovation? Could things have been done differently?

 The most valuable lesson we’ve learned is that innovation in AI is not merely about integrating technology into existing practices but redefining the learning experience to fully harness the potential of rapidly evolving technologies. Effective technology integration extends beyond policies and procedures; it requires a cultural shift within the school to embrace and support these changes. As we are still in the early stages of implementation, it is too soon to definitively say what could have been done differently. However, as we progress, we will actively gather feedback from our staff and teachers to refine our approach and enhance our innovative use of AI in the classroom.

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