ITS Trains 1,000 AI Ambassadors to Bring Ethical, Practical AI to Classrooms
Surabaya - Over three focused days ending Sunday, October 26, the Faculty of Intelligent Electrical and Informatics Technology (FTEIC) at the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology ran a large-scale training program for 1,000 AI Ambassadors drawn from elementary, middle, and high schools across the city.
The goal was clear: help young learners and their teachers use AI responsibly and productively, not as a shortcut. Many students still copy AI-generated answers without critique. This program moved them toward better habits, backed by a government synergy grant to scale the effort.
Who Took Part
The initiative brought together 900 students and 260 teachers:
- 300 elementary students + 100 teachers
- 300 middle school students + 100 teachers
- 300 high school students + 60 teachers
This student-teacher pairing matters. It builds shared language, shared practice, and shared expectations that carry back to each school.
What They Learned
Training covered three practical modules paced from first contact with AI to hands-on use:
- AI Is Around You - where students spot AI in daily life and how it actually works.
- Teachable Machine with Google - a simple way to build and test models in the browser. Try it here: Teachable Machine.
- AI Playground - applying popular tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini with prompts that require reasoning and self-checks.
Students also completed quizzes after sessions to lock in concepts and practice evaluation, not just output generation.
Ethics First, Then Output
According to Prof. Dr. I Ketut Eddy Purnama, Head of the 2025 1,000 AI Ambassadors Training Program, too many learners use AI as an answer engine. The team's response: teach risk, set norms, and build habits that improve learning. The target is simple: use AI as a study partner, not a crutch.
Echoing this, Prof. Dr. Diana Purwitasari, Dean of FTEIC, encouraged students to use accessible tools from any reliable AI site and to build steady routines. Small, consistent steps make AI useful for everyday learning tasks.
Competitions and School-Level Impact
After training, ambassadors will compete by school level. Scores will determine winners, but the real deliverable is sharing back: each ambassador is expected to pass on what they learned to peers and teachers on campus.
This creates a simple loop-train, practice, present-so the effect doesn't end in the classroom where the training took place.
How Educators Can Apply This Model
- Set a clear AI code of conduct: cite sources, critique outputs, and document what the student did versus what AI did.
- Assign "compare-and-critique" tasks where students analyze AI answers, correct errors, and explain changes.
- Pair student leaders with teachers to run short workshops (30-45 minutes) per grade or subject team.
- Use quick checks: a 5-question quiz after each AI lesson to keep standards tight.
- Run a monthly challenge: best prompt, best revision, best data labeling. Publish winners school-wide.
- Track progress in a simple log: tool used, prompt, output, what improved, what to try next.
Broader Outcomes
The program supports SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) by making AI literacy practical and accessible, especially for early learners and their teachers. The focus is equitable access, clear ethics, and useful classroom routines that stick.
Want Ready-to-Use AI Course Paths for Educators?
For structured options by role and skill level, see curated tracks here: AI courses by job. Use these to plan semester-long modules or quick PD sessions.
Your membership also unlocks:
