Professor Martin Nakata, James Cook University’s deputy vice-chancellor of Indigenous education and strategy, believes Indigenous education needs an overhaul, and AI is key. Photo: James Cook University.
Queensland university leaders say AI models accounting for traditional knowledge, languages and real-world experiences can be used to overhaul education in isolated Indigenous communities and will initially assist in upskilling rangers.
Professor Martin Nakata, James Cook University’s deputy vice-chancellor of Indigenous education and strategy, believes conventional approaches have not worked and innovative ways of learning “only made possible with the transformative power of AI” are needed.
“Here in Far North Queensland, we have more than 12,000 Indigenous school students, but we’re lucky to get 33 progressing to university,” he said.
“We’ve spent decades looking at how to improve the education system … it’s like concrete, you can’t move it by continuing to do the same thing.”
Prof Nakata has been working on AI research with the university’s vice-chancellor Professor Simon Biggs. A paper has been published by the pair: From the margins to the centre: how AI can transform education from the ground up.
“AI-assisted learning has enormous potential to improve access and success for learners in regional, remote and disadvantaged communities, not only in Indigenous ranger credentialling, but across a range of JCU programs,” Prof Biggs said.
Prof Nakata said investment in minerals, biosecurity and environmental protection would be essential for future national security and economic prosperity, and the capabilities of Indigenous people would be critical to success.
“The Federal Government has a huge interest in what they call the Northern Action Plan, with billions upon billions of dollars to be spent right across northern Australia,” he said.
“They’re going to need a workforce to do this, and the only way you can do that is to improve the Indigenous education and training pipeline.
“Take the example of Indigenous rangers … they are already effectively managing the environment, but we need to expand and build on their existing capabilities.”
The professors describe upskilling First Nations rangers by blending AI knowledge with traditional culture and national education standards to create a personalised learning tool.
Rangers working in central Cape York. Photo: Supplied.
“We are trying to build an education and credentialling system that can include knowledge, experience and competencies rangers already have, but are not easily identified through the current conventions in education,” Prof Nakata said.
“We call it Learning Integrated Work. There’s no formal curriculum and what they do every day in their jobs becomes the basis for the curriculum … it’s pretty radical compared to current approaches to education.
“This model means rangers don’t have to leave their families. They don’t have to leave their jobs. They can learn while they continue to earn money to support their families.”
Prof Nakata said the use of AI was not new to Indigenous rangers because they were already using modern drone technology.
“Rangers are programming flight paths in traditional language and with the wisdom of elders,” he said.
“Our challenge will be how to capture and measure that value in our degree programs and aligning this with tertiary education quality standards.”
Trials of new ranger credentialling methods are underway.
The professors have also been speaking to Microsoft Research in Seattle and Sydney “because they have a motivation to help safeguard the world’s Indigenous languages”, Prof Nakata said.
Original Article published by Luke Mortimer on Region Tropical North Queensland.
