# Curriculum Development and Practice of Application Creation Incorporating AI Functions; Learning During After-School Hours

Kimihito Takeno, Keiji Yoko, Hirotaka Mori

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Kimihito Takeno, Keiji Yoko, Hirotaka Mori. Curriculum Development and Practice of Application Creation Incorporating AI Functions; Learning During After-School Hours. IFIP World Conference on Computers in Education (WCCE), Aug 2022, Hiroshima, Japan. pp.115-123, 10.1007/978-3-031-43393-1_12. hal-05533296

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# Curriculum Development and Practice of Application Creation Incorporating AI Functions; Learning During After-School Hours

Kimihito Takeno<fnref n="1" />(✉), Keiji Yoko<fnref n="2" />, and Hirotaka Mori<fnref n="3" />

**Abstract.** There is an urgent need to develop human resources which can utilize the power of AI and data in order to enrich society through technological innovation and value creation. On the other hand, in school education, due to the framework of each subject and time limitation, it is difficult to implement a curriculum to work on application creation. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to develop and evaluate teaching materials for developing iOS applications for junior high and high school students in order to provide opportunities for interested students to learn independently during after-school hours. As a result, the students' responses on programming showed no significant change for the experienced students, but "surprise" and "feeling that I can do it" were meaningful learning opportunities for the beginners. Looking at the responses of the students regarding AI, although they knew the term AI, their perceptions varied from "humanistic", "familiar", and "coexistence with AI".

**Keywords:** Curriculum Development · Application Creation · AI · After-School Hours

# 1 Introduction

## 1.1 Background

In recent years, with the development of science and technology, AI (Artificial Intelligence) has had a great impact on our society [1, 2], and we are seeing more and more services with AI functions in all aspects of our lives. In the field of image recognition, the accuracy of AI is increasing every year, and by using deep learning, AI will surpass human recognition rate in 2015 [3]. In the school education sector, the technological development of AI will affect human activities, and therefore the learning that students acquire in school will need to change. Furthermore, with the development of technologies such as IoT and Big Data, it has become possible to incorporate highly accurate AI

<footnote n="1">¹ Shiga University, 2-5-1 Hiratsu, Otsu Shiga, Japan
kimi@edu.shiga-u.ac.jp</footnote>

<footnote n="2">² Soran Elementary School, 76-1, Doizumi-cho, Seto-shi, Aichi, Japan
kyokoo@seto-solan.ed.jp</footnote>

<footnote n="3">³ Kyoto Municipal Saikyo High School, 1 Nishinokyo-Higashinakaaicho Nakagyo-Ku, Kyoto, Japan</footnote>
into the machines around us based on large amounts of data, and AI is spreading into
our society and industries.

There are claims of a sense of crisis regarding these developments in science and
technology, including AI. Michael Osborne has predicted that nearly half of all jobs can
be replaced in the next 10–20 years due to AI [4]. Ray Kurzweil has also predicted that
AI will surpass human intelligence by 2045, and that the singularity will arrive, which
will drastically change the nature of society [5]. At the same time, Japan’s policy is also
based on Society 5.0, which aims to incorporate advanced technologies such as AI, IoT,
robotics, and big data into industry and social life to achieve economic development
and solve social problems [6]. Society 5.0 calls for the development of human resources
who can drive a new society, specifically those who can make creative discoveries and
imaginations that will be the source of technological innovation and value creation, and
those who can make the most of the power of AI and data in various fields. Therefore,
there is an urgent need to develop human resources who can utilize AI.

## 1.2 Current Status and Issues of Education on AI

Against this background, in Japan, programming education has become compulsory at the elementary school level, and programming content is increasing in junior high and high schools as well [7–9]. In particular, the high school subject Information II includes learning content about AI in the area “Information and Data Science.”

In the previous study, we identified practical examples of education on various AI topics. Nakamura and Yamamoto [10] implemented a course on regression algorithms using Python in a high school industrial course. Akiyama, Hanada, et al. and Zama, Yamamoto, et al. attempted to deepen understanding of AI through programming to create chatbots for middle school technology classes [11, 12]. Others such as Itagaki and Asamizu also provide classroom practices to deepen understanding of AI [13]. From these previous studies, it is clear that students have positive impressions of AI, a deeper understanding of AI, and a sense of the usefulness of AI and the need to learn about it through the class. At the same time, in all the studies, securing sufficient study time and setting tasks for students to work on are issues that need to be addressed.

In this way, AI-related classes are being conducted, but the number of examples is still small, and it can be pointed out that a wider variety of teaching materials is needed. One of the problems with AI-related education, in particular, is that the content is not continued in elementary, middle, and high schools. Even if a class on AI is conducted, it is completed only in that class, and it is difficult to imagine how to learn more about it and how the content learned can be connected to society. Particularly in Japan, because it is connected to university entrance examinations, students may end up superficially acquiring knowledge rather than being interested in AI development and programming development for social needs and problem solving. It has also been proven that AI can pass university entrance exams in Japan [14]. In addition, although the promotion of programming education is expected from elementary school, it is difficult to implement a curriculum by working on application creation due to the framework and time limitation of each subject in school education.
## 1.3 Purpose and Significance of this Study

Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a curriculum that enables students to create iOS applications that incorporate AI for image recognition using after-school hours so that they can learn independently without relying on time-constrained subject learning. iOS applications are pervasive in our lives, and it is easy to imagine their connection to society. The iOS application is written in a programming language called Swift. This Swift is an application for the iPad called Swift playgrounds, where you can learn basic grammar and programming concepts. This application enables elementary and junior high school students to learn programming because it is intuitive like visual programming. These materials are based on Swift, so there is a high possibility of consistent learning in elementary, middle, and high school.

In addition, since it is not possible to spend enough time on application creation in the regular curriculum practice, this study decided to use after-school hours to provide opportunities for interested students to learn independently. Also, we attempted to provide learning opportunities for students who are interested in programming by using the online environment.

# 2 Method

## 2.1 Overview of Research Methods: Development of Teaching Materials, Practice, Pedagogical Methods and Evaluation

In this study, we created four programming assignments that serve as teaching materials for novice learners to be able to create iOS applications that incorporate AI. In addition, about 10 junior high school and senior high school students who voluntarily participated in the study were asked to answer the post-survey. The participating junior and senior high school students were from high schools in Hokkaido and Kyoto, and the educational practice was conducted in an online, simultaneous interactive manner between junior and senior high school students from the two schools. The participating students were approached by teachers from the two schools and voluntarily participated in this class. The students were diverse in grade level and had varying degrees of existing knowledge and experience, but all were interested in learning more about programming. All students had no experience in creating applications.

After the instructor's explanation, the learners were encouraged to work on their own in pairs [15]. If they could not solve the problem by themselves, they would ask questions to the instructor. Two teachers and one university teacher were involved in the project. In November 2021, four 120-min sessions were held after school.

## 2.2 Overview of the Developed Curriculum

The goal of this study was to create an iOS application that incorporates AI for image recognition through the creation of a self-introduction application in four sessions. Topics 1 and 2 had the same learning content, and students learned how to use Xcode through the creation of a business card app. In Topic 3, students tried to learn about AI functionality in an animal book app. In Topic 4, students created a self-introduction app and presented
it to each other. For the AI functions, we used CoreML, a framework released by Apple in 2017 that allows users to handle machine learning without any specialized knowledge.

In the first session, we set up an elementary explanation, “Touching Xcode”, assuming that the students were using Swift for the first time (Fig. 1). Xcode is an application for working with Swift on a Mac. In the second session, students learned about button functions and screen transition functions. In the third session, the students decided to implement the AI function in the self-introduction application they were creating, and in the fourth session, they presented the application they had created (Fig. 2).

Since programming was a challenge that could not be done continuously during regular school hours, we decided to use after-school hours and set each session to 120 min, guaranteeing 480 min of programming experience over four sessions.

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /><figcaption>Fig. 1. Example code for business card application</figcaption></figure>
<figure><img src="image_5.png" /><figcaption>Fig. 2. Example code for an animal picture book application</figcaption></figure>

# 3 Educational Practices and Student Responses

## 3.1 Practice: Overview, Production, Examples of Work

The educational practice was carried out during after-school hours in November and December of 2021, connecting the two schools online. The students used their personal Macs and school loaned Macs to work on the curriculum for this study using Xcode (Fig. 3). Learners naturally shared information with their friends, making pair work highly effective for learning programming. In addition, through the activity of introducing themselves with the application, each student is trying to create an original application (Fig. 4).

<figure><img src="image_6.png" /><figcaption>Fig. 3. Educational Practice</figcaption></figure>

## 3.2 Results of the Survey

After the practice, the students were asked to respond online, but not all students responded, so the results for six students are shown. Students answered that they enjoyed
<figure><img src="image_7.png" /><figcaption>Fig. 4. Examples of students’ work</figcaption></figure>

the curriculum, and 30% of the students answered that it was difficult and 60% answered that it was not difficult. In addition, the students were asked to write freely about the curriculum they had developed.

They were asked to respond to the changes in their perception of programming and AI after participating in the educational practice (Table 1). For those who have experience in programming, there were no significant changes, but “surprise” and “feeling that I can do it too” seemed to be meaningful learning opportunities for the beginners. Looking at the responses of the students regarding AI, it seems that although they knew the term AI, their perceptions of it changed from “humanistic” to “familiar” to “coexistence with AI”.

They were also asked to respond to any difficulties or pleasures they had in educational practice (Table 2). Looking at the responses regarding the difficulties, “differences in speed of progress” and “preparation for the necessary knowledge and skills” were the most common. These are issues that need to be addressed in the future, but it may be

<table><caption>Table 1. Changing perceptions of programming and AI</caption><thead><tr><td></td><td>What were your perceptions of programming before and after your participation?</td><td>What were your perceptions of AI before and after your participation?</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>A</td><td>I was surprised to find that what I thought was all about creating something from scratch was about incorporating other people's work to create something new!</td><td>I felt that the AI was a little human, but not too human, because it could make mistakes in some simple things, and could be very accurate in some difficult things.</td></tr><tr><td>B</td><td>When I was in junior high school, I studied drawing circles and coloring in technology classes, and I thought it was difficult to do calculations and such, but this time, the range of things I could do became even wider, and I was surprised to find that I could do them too.</td><td>I had thought that only professional engineers could handle it, but listening to the explanation and trying it myself made me feel closer to it.</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>Before participating in this event, I thought it would be easy to do as long as I could speak English, but I was surprised to find out that there was a lot more to it than I thought, including mathematics, so I thought it was very profound.</td><td>Before participating, I thought it would be very difficult to make, but even though the base was provided, it was surprisingly easy to make!</td></tr><tr><td>D</td><td>I realized that programming technology is a process and not a result. I found it interesting that it is similar to music notation and mathematics in that it proceeds from top to bottom.</td><td>Even if you don't understand how AI works, you can use what's available on the Internet as it is, and you don't need to be a professional to make use of it.</td></tr><tr><td>E</td><td>Of course, I can do a lot of things, but I was able to learn and experience the detailed steps of writing the code, thinking about the procedure and confirming that it works one by one, such as what is necessary for each operation and actually attaching the buttons. It will take time, but I think I can do it, and I will be motivated to try to make it myself because I am interested in it.</td><td>I had heard about AI even before I participated in the workshop, and it did not change my perception that much. However, it was a good opportunity for me to seriously think about how I would like to live in harmony with AI.</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>I do this on a regular basis, so there is no change.</td><td>Not particularly.</td></tr></tbody></table>
possible to prepare contents that allow students to study at home or on their own. Looking at the responses about enjoyment, “immersion in the process of creation” and “sharing and working together on the creation” are some of the most popular. Although immersion can be achieved through self-learning, sharing and creating together are important learning opportunities that can be gained at school.

<table><caption>**Table 2.** Free description of problems and enjoyable experiences</caption><thead><tr><td></td><td>Please tell me what kind of problems you had.</td><td>Tell us what you enjoyed about it.</td><td>Please tell us what you would like to learn (or create) in the future.</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>A</td><td>I couldn't go once, so I fell a little behind the others and had a hard time catching up.</td><td>It was interesting to see how the code was struck and how the backstage was assembled.</td><td>This time I was using an Apple-specific language, but now I'd like to learn a language that can be used on a variety of platforms!</td></tr><tr><td>B</td><td>Errors and not knowing how to use the computer.</td><td>We showed each other our work.</td><td>Now I'm thinking it would be interesting to be able to register the bugs and other creatures I've caught or encountered, like in a Pokemon illustrated book.</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>The fact that there were English words I didn't know.</td><td>To be able to create more and more work as I type on the keyboard.</td><td>I want to create and publish Java and games.</td></tr><tr><td>D</td><td>When I tried to add a sound, it went crazy and I couldn't do it in the end. I ended up just copying and pasting the instructions. I think it is difficult to write with the previous and following sentences in mind, even if you just follow the instructions on the Internet. Also, I thought it was hard to learn because there are different versions from the ones on the Internet.</td><td>It was fun to make business cards and present them to each other. It was also fun to add images to the AI.</td><td>The AI was mostly a copy and paste, so I would like to understand what it is up to.</td></tr><tr><td>E</td><td>When there were many experienced people around, the speed became faster and it was hard to keep up. Also, there were a lot of unfamiliar commands that I couldn't use, and I had to do a lot of work around them, which took a lot of time.</td><td>As the number of times I developed apps increased, I felt a sense of accomplishment in that even if my work didn't work well in the latter half of this workshop, I was able to guess the reason and fix it on my own, and I was able to help others who seemed to be having trouble for the same reason. It was fun to actually play with what I had created on the actual machine!</td><td>I want to make something that can do more than just add buttons and change pages, and make something that I like. I would also like to be able to use my experience to help people around me who are in trouble.</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>How to operate a Mac</td><td>Writing and running code.</td><td>Algorithms for left over calculations, something that combines IoT and AI.</td></tr></tbody></table>

## 4 Conclusion

In this study, we tried to provide practical learning opportunities for AI human resource development, which has been attracting attention in recent years, in school education beyond the framework of existing subject instruction. Therefore, we attempted to develop teaching materials and educational practices for developing iOS applications for junior high and high school students in order to provide opportunities for interested students to learn independently using the online environment and after-school hours. The results of the study showed the following.

1. In order to enable novice learners to create iOS applications that incorporate AI, we have created programming assignments that serve as teaching materials for all four sessions.

2. By using the developed curriculum in an online environment and after-school hours, we were able to provide students with meaningful learning opportunities.

3. The results of the teaching practice also showed that preparing content that allows students to study on their own is important in order to provide more fulfilling learning opportunities.
In 2021, Swift programming will be available on the iPad, as announced by Apple. It can be predicted that the GIGA school initiative will make programming and app development more accessible. Therefore, we would like to propose an integrated Swift learning system for elementary, middle, and high school students. The GIGA initiative is the Japanese government's policy to give one tablet to every child in grades 1 through 9. Looking at the share of each company's tablets in Japan, 1/3 of the role is occupied by Apple's iPad. In high schools, a similar policy will begin in 2022, but the share of Apple may expand. Apple Swift also has an advantage in the ease with which you can publish your own applications to the world.

**Acknowledgement.** This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers 20K02910, 22K02629.

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