NSF FF: Planning: A Networked Approach to Develop STEM Learning Modules for AI Literacy in Middle School Enhancing AI Literacy

Award ID: 2627493

This FINDERS Foundry award assists middle school students, families, and teachers build clear, safe, and practical habits for using AI in science learning. As AI becomes common in daily life, many adults and children feel unsure about how to use it well or judge its accuracy. This planning project will gather input from teachers and parents to design a future curriculum that blends AI literacy with core STEM lessons. The project will explore simple, flexible learning modules that fit into middle school science classes and homelearning routines. Families and educators will help shape the direction so the materials match real concerns and everyday classroom needs. By helping students learn how AI works and how to use it responsibly, the project supports longterm STEM readiness and gives communities a clear roadmap for guiding safe, ethical AI use. This FINDERS Foundry award establishes a co-designed, systematic, ethical, and developmentally appropriate framework for AI literacy in middle school science by engaging teachers and parents in a participatory design process. The project will gather educator and caregiver input to inform a Phase2 STEMintegrated curriculum framework, flexible AIeducation modules aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) storylines, and familyfacing resources that support ethical and effective AI use at home. Planning activities will leverage Participatory Action Research and Group Level Assessment methods to identify needs, gaps, and implementation challenges across school and home contexts. The project will characterize how middlegrade learners interact with AI, what supports educators require to guide responsible use, and how parent perspectives can shape adoption and sustainability. The intellectual contribution includes modeling how targeted AI instruction can shift students from simple outputseeking behavior toward evidencesupported reasoning and researchoriented AI engagement. Broader impacts include preparing a communityinformed roadmap that equips educators, districts, and families with coherent guidance for navigating AI responsibly. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Lindsay Portnoy