Academic City empowers GES STEM teachers on AI

As part of efforts to enhance the professional development of teachers in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), the Academic City University College has partnered with the Ghana Education Service (GES) to provide training focused on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into STEM education. 

The training session formed part of the GES national and regional STEM coordinators' annual retreat themed, "Empowering STEM educators for the future".

The retreat served to evaluate the 2024 STEM work plan, strategise for 2025 and build leadership skills among the coordinators. 

Training

The training was led by a team of lecturers from the Academic City which included Dr Grace Oletu, Dr Hephzi Tagoe and Dr Bernard Mawuli Cobbinah.

The training focused on how teachers could leverage AI to help students think critically, solve problems and become more comfortable with technology.

Through interactive discussions, the session made AI easy to understand and showed how it could be used to make subjects such as maths and science more exciting and engaging.

Key activities

One of the key activities was a hands-on project led by the Biomedical Engineering Department at Academic City. Participants worked in small groups to build simple models of proteins which helped them to understand how biomedical engineers develop new ways to deliver medicines.

The activity also explained how the knowledge is used to manage diabetes with insulin, showing how STEM education could help solve real-world problems.

In reflecting on the session, Dr Oletu remarked, “The training did not only establish the relation between AI and mathematics but also enhanced the deeper understanding of how these fields can be made more engaging and accessible for students.”

She emphasised that these innovative approaches would help teachers instil a love for STEM subjects in students while enhancing their problem-solving abilities.

The Director of the Science Education Unit at the GES, Olivia Serwaa Opare, commended Academic City for the training and expressed optimism that the training would significantly strengthen STEM education across the country.

According to her, the training would empower teachers to integrate 21st-century skills into their classrooms, ultimately improving the quality of education in Ghana.