Scaling an immersive, co-designed elementary AI curriculum to empower teachers and students to engage with AI through locally relevant, inquiry-based learning.
PRIMARYAI is a multi-state research and development project that will scale up a proven evidence-based AI curriculum for over 5,000 upper-elementary students in rural communities that have been historically underserved in STEM education. Building on prior NSF-funded work, the project integrates AI concepts–such as computer vision, machine learning, and AI planning–into elementary science through immersive, problem-based learning experiences. This project employs collaborative co-design with rural teachers, leading to students work on locally significant and relevant science problems. PRIMARYAI aims to strengthen students’ AI literacy, interest in STEM, and capacity to engage in their future workplaces or fields.
The project supports teachers through sustained professional development, participatory design, and an online community portal that provides curricular resources and collaboration tools. Research activities will examine how teachers adapt AI instruction, how students engage with AI concepts, and which design features support equitable participation and learning outcomes. By working across rural communities in Alabama, Indiana, and North Carolina, PRIMARYAI generates actionable knowledge about how to broaden access to high-quality AI education at the elementary level, contributing to a more inclusive and socially responsive vision of AI learning in K–12 education.