Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi introduces HarvardX CompSci Course

Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi are proud to be launching a new Computer Science subject for students in Years 9, 10 and 11. From the 2023-2024 academic year, Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi students can opt to take our new subject, Artificial Intelligence and Innovation (AIAI), alongside the IGCSE programme. The subject integrates content from HarvardX, an online learning initiative from Harvard University, delivered as part of a project-based curriculum developed by Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi that provides students cutting-edge knowledge in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

We spoke to Tom Lee, Senior School Computer Science teacher, who is developing and rolling out this new subject at Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi. Mr Lee was recently awarded the prestigious Education in Motion Pioneering Spirit Grant to enable him to implement this new programme.

Tom Lee
Senior School Computer Science Teacher

Q: Please give us a broad outline of the AIAI course.

Artificial intelligence is here, and it is more accessible now than ever before, including the ability to learn how to write code for our own models. I wanted to create a course that leverages the technology available to us to build amazing projects and gives our students an opportunity to explore, design and implement a solution to problems that we face every day. That’s what AIAI is about; it’s teaching students the fundamentals of programming, problem-solving and artificial intelligence in a project-based course. 

Students start their journey in Year 9, learning the fundamentals of the Python programming language, and they continue in Year 10, mastering the language before moving onto data structures and object-oriented programming. They then learn the fundamentals of TinyML, which uses machine learning algorithms in embedded devices. Afterwards, students will develop and deploy their own machine learning projects. In Year 11, students research and apply for a Pioneering Spirit Grant, and they work on the project as a team, delivering a final product based on innovation, service and making a difference to our community.

Q: Why did you want to implement this course?

The main reason is because I feel that a subject such as Computer Science should be project-based instead of test-based. In my few years as a software engineer working in Silicon Valley, I’ve never had to take a test on paper. We worked in teams and on projects, building functional pieces of software for clients. This project-based approach actually fits the IBDP course much better, as students will be required to complete an internal assessment project for Computer Science, as well as their CAS project(s). Therefore, project-management is a very useful skill for Years 12 and 13 and beyond.

Q: What qualifications will students receive as a result of this subject?

Students will be officially enrolled in the HarvardX TinyML course online through edX, an online platform that offers free and paid courses from some of the top universities in the world. After completing the assignments, students will receive a certificate from HarvardX.

Q: Does this mean students will not take IGCSE Computer Science? What are the drawbacks of this?

We will continue to offer the IGCSE Computer Science course in addition to the AIAI course. However, Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi students who have been with the College from Year 9 already have almost all the coding skills that will be taught at the IGCSE level; thus, I believe that they will not be stretched and challenged by the IGCSE Computer Science course. What they will “miss”, in a sense, is the theoretical knowledge of topics such as hardware devices or computer networking. However, those topics will be covered at IBDP; therefore, the drawbacks of not taking the IGCSE Computer Science course are very limited. The only drawback I may see is that students will have one fewer IGCSE qualification, but the experience of building a project in Year 11 more than makes up for that, in my opinion.

Q: What are the benefits of introducing this course instead of the IGCSE Computer Science course?

There are almost too many to mention... Firstly, students learn cutting-edge technology rather than the basics of coding, which is a prerequisite for this course. Secondly, a project-based learning approach requires students to learn many soft skills that are not available in a traditional IGCSE course. Skills such as interviewing clients, presenting an idea to an audience, researching competing solutions currently available in the market, improving design iteratively, etc. will be necessary for the Pioneering Spirit Grant application and project-implementation. Additionally, this prepares the students for the IBDP courses, as they will learn how to manage their time and expectations when working on projects. Lastly, I think this course sets us apart from the other schools in Shanghai. There are many IGCSE programmes in this city, but how many have a course like this?

Q: Can you give an example of some of the projects students might be working on?

The projects will be driven by students’ interests and skills, but I would very much like to push them towards projects that will impact our community. For example, students could develop a School Bus monitoring system. With large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT now very accessible, I would like student(s) to build an AI system that allows teachers to ask questions to our policy documents so that we can find answers quickly. A system like this will also allow students to ask a textbook some questions in order to obtain answers that they need. Other projects may include a voice assistant for teachers in class or an automated attendance system. These are just a few examples in a narrow context. I am sure that our students will come up with a wide variety of ideas that will surprise me.

Pioneering Spirit Grant

The Pioneering Spirit Grant is an initiative at Dulwich College International that provides a total of 1.5 million RMB for individual teachers or collaborative groups to fund innovative ideas that improve students’ learning experiences. All teachers and staff from across the network can participate by submitting Pioneering Spirit grant proposals that demonstrate their ability to develop pedagogy, curriculum and/or learning environments that utilise new technologies, delivery methods or tools to contribute to student success. Dulwich College International seeks to champion a culture of innovation by promoting, fostering and recognising innovative approaches to learning through the use of technology – approaches that ultimately put students first, encourage collaborative development and promote the belief in our One College, Many Campuses philosophy.

Q: Congratulations on being awarded the Pioneering Spirit Grant for this programme. Why did you apply for it and how will this help you implement this programme?

Thank you and thank EiM for having this terrific programme. There are two key reasons why I applied for this. One of the aims of the AIAI course is that students will apply for the Pioneering Spirit Grant for themselves, hopefully to fund the project they are working on. It’s much easier to teach something if you already know it, and now that I’ve received the grant I will be well placed to walk my students through the process successfully when that time comes. Secondly, the funding from the grant will allow me to purchase some of the equipment necessary for this course. I am looking forward to teaching this course in our new Senior School building next academic year.