Dear Learner,
You have been asked to participate in the AI Education Research Program conducted by Professor of Media Arts and Sciences Cynthia Breazeal (principal investigator - PI); Open Learning Principal Research Scientist Dr. Aikaterini (Katerina) Bagiati and Research Scientist Dr. Andrés F. Salazar-Gómez; and Media Arts and Science Research Scientist Fellow Dr. Sharifa Alghowinem, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). You were selected as a possible participant in this study because you are a U.S. Air Force (USAF) employee, personnel from one or more DoD aligned Federal agencies and/or uniformed personnel from key US allies and/or NATO partner nations participating as a student, or an AI expert leading discussion forums or live events in the AI Education Program offered by MIT.
Refusal to participate in the study will not affect your experience in the AI Education Program or influence future relationships with MIT. You will still be invited to complete all the digital surveys, but the data you provide will only be used internally by the research group, and not be included in any possible future publication.
Please use the following link that will take you to the first short online questionnaire (expected completion time: ~10 min). If you decide to participate in the research study, please respond with “Yes” to the consent form. Otherwise please respond with “No”. Then proceed with completing the first questionnaire.
Please complete the first questionnaire before you start taking any courses.
The information below provides a summary of the research. Your participation in this research is voluntary and you can withdraw at any time.
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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand and evaluate the learning experience of students participating in the AI Education Program to advance and guide the design of future leading-edge AI education programs. Findings of this study are expected to further guide a potential future scale-up version of said program, as well as inform development of other similar future educational programs.
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Study Procedures: Your participation will consist of completing 2 electronic surveys through the duration of the program. As it is considered useful and appropriate, you may be invited to participate in a focus group discussion or a post-program interview where you will be asked to discuss your experience as a learner in the program. More specifically, the surveys, focus group discussion, and possible interview consists of reviewing your experience in our AI Education Program, its content, curriculum, pedagogy, methodology, and technology used.
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Risks & Potential Discomfort: There are no foreseeable risks related to your participation in this research. The probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort are not greater than what you would ordinarily encounter in your daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests.
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Keep in mind the Department of Defense may access records to ensure subject protection (32 CFR 219.116 (b)(5)).
For additional questions in regards to the study, you may contact Dr. Aikaterini (Katerina) Bagiati at abagiati@mit.edu, or Dr. Andrés F. Salazar-Gómez at salacho@mit.edu
Thank you,
The Research Group
For an independent opinion regarding the research and the rights of research participants, you may contact the MIT COUHES office (Mailing Address: 77 Massachusetts Avenue Room E25-143B Cambridge, MA 02139, Telephone: 617/253-6787, Fax: 617/253-8420, e-mail: couhes@mit.edu