#822: Learning About AI Through Game Design: Middle School Students’ Experiences with an AI Curriculum

This study explores middle school students’ learning experiences of AI concepts through a formal AI curriculum that culminated in the design of AI-based games. Fifty-two middle school students from a private school in the Midwestern United States completed the curriculum across seven class sessions. We analyzed students’ pre- and post-survey responses alongside interviews to examine changes in their attitudes toward AI, motivation for learning AI, and conceptual understanding of AI functions. While Wilcoxon tests revealed no significant differences, individual variations allowed for the identification of high- and low-gain students. We examined these students’ interviews to explore how they described AI concepts in the designs of their AI-based games. Our preliminary findings reveal slight differences in conceptual depth between groups. These differences point to the value of design-based approaches in fostering multiple pathways of AI learning in K–12 settings.