GenAI in High School Classrooms Study

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Investigators

Simon Wermie
Principal Investigator, Department of Computer Science
wermies@myumanitoba.ca

Dr. Celine Latulipe
Advisor, Department of Computer Science
celine.latulipe@umanitoba.ca

Recruitment

We are looking for secondary school teachers and administrators from the Portage La Prairie School Division to participate in the three phases of research outlined above on how to leverage generative artificial intelligence as a learning tool, for high school curricula. The principal investigator for this study is Simon Wermie, who is doing this research as part of his undergraduate Honours thesis in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Manitoba. Simon is also a former student in the Portage La Prairie School Division. This research is being conducted under the supervision of Dr. Celine Latulipe, within the Human Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Manitoba. Our goal is to explore and ideate with Manitoban teachers on how generative intelligence could be used in high schools as a learning tool, specifically how it could be used by students during the learning process. Furthermore, our motivation stems from the growing interest and increased accessibility of artificially generative tools, like ChatGPT, as well as the potential applications of these tools in a learning environment.In this interview, Simon will ask you questions about your concerns, experiences and ideas related to students’ use of generative artificial intelligence in the high school classroom. Phase one of the study will consist of a 30-minute interview and be no longer than an hour. The interview will be on University of Manitoba Zoom and will be recorded. For your time, you will be given a CAD$20 e-Transfer as compensation. Phase 2 of the study involves completing a brief, anonymous, online survey. There is no compensation for completing this survey. Phase 3 of the study will be a followup interview similar to Phase 1, recorded on Zoom and with CAD $20 e-Transfer as compensation.

We hope to publish our findings in a conference or journal about technology in education, as well as present lesson plans on a website for Manitoban teachers on how they could use generative AI in the classroom.If you have any questions, please reach out to me at: wermies@myumanitoba.ca.

This research has been approved by the University of Manitoba Research Ethics Board, Fort Garry Campus. If you have any concerns or complaints about this project you may contact any of the above-named persons or the Human Ethics Coordinator at 204-474-7122 or humanethics@umanitoba.ca.

Consent Form

Phase 1 Interview Consent Form

Phase 2: Survey & Consent Form

Phase 3: Interview Consent Form

Study is now complete.

Final Report

Summary of Results: While teachers are generally optimistic about incorporating GAI into the classroom, they remain concerned about academic integrity, misinformation, lack of teacher training, and equitable access. A key recommendation is for CS educators to actively support high school teachers by providing adaptable frameworks, pedagogically grounded tools, and hands-on professional development that increases teacher confidence and competence. Additionally, ethical concerns such as data privacy, tool transparency, and potential biases require urgent attention by policymakers and post-secondary educators alike. Future work should focus on cross-disciplinary collaboration between CS educators and teachers to develop practical and ethical approaches to using GAI as an effective learning tool.