Human Flourishing in the Age of AI
We hope you and your students are enjoying an exciting first week of school at UTS! We look forward to seeing many of you tonight at the Welcome Back Social, which promises to be a wonderful gathering for our community.
As the school year begins, the impact of generative artificial intelligence on education is one of the most pressing issues on our minds. UTS is stepping forward to shape this conversation in middle and secondary school education, exploring key questions such as: How will we know students have successfully learned? How can we prepare students to use AI ethically? What does it mean to safeguard human cognition?
Our philosophy, guided by the UTS Strategic Plan, is that human flourishing comes first. AI is valuable in education when it deepens the learning and well-being of our students. Amid rapid technological change, agility is a strategic capability, and we are committed to building our institutional capacity to learn and adapt continuously.
UTS is uniquely positioned to lead this work. Our academic reputation and resources are bolstered by our research orientation through the Eureka! Research Institute at UTS – one of a few research institutes based on site at a school in Canada – as well as our University of Toronto affiliation and partnership with U of T’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
To further the strategic, ethical and innovative integration of AI across the curriculum, Dr. Janet Kurusanather has joined the UTS community as the director of learning, ethics and AI. She will support staff and students in learning that serves them for the future, working in tandem with UTS teacher Matthew DeClerico, MSc, as the strategic lead, future learning and innovation.
They are guiding our school forward with three operational practices: cultivating the ethical use of AI among students and staff, building high AI literacy that relies on informed human judgement and ensuring our curriculum design leads to learning and intellectual growth in the AI era.
As the school year begins, Student AI Use Expectations have also been shared with your children. They outline the responsibilities of students to be respectful, accountable and to have integrity when using AI. Students are expected not to use AI for assignments unless they have been directed by their teacher to do so, and to always follow their teacher’s instructions about how AI can be used.
A Position Paper on Artificial Intelligence at UTS will be shared with parents prior to Curriculum Night on September 22.
We are committed to using the considerable resources and expertise available to UTS to lead the way forward in the age of AI. The critical thinking, collaborative and problem-solving skills that UTS nurtures in our students are vital for the future, and in helping to ensure the power of AI is harnessed to make a positive difference in the world.