Project Description
The EFELIA – PRAIRIE project is part of a joint program initiated by the network of four 3IA institutes, with the objective to create a French School of AI, that has four missions:
- the accreditation of national training courses in AI,
- the creation and management of computing platforms and “challenges” for students,
- the creation of pilot training courses, and
- the creation of educational content (MOOC) for the entire ESR (French: Higher Education and Research).
The project is managed by PSL and is based on 3 interdependent pillars, which are part of the of 3IAs common plan to promote AI education while keeping the very specific character of PSL University training: the link with contemporary research. The project assumes the increase in the number of students in basic training, a vast investment in the internal training of lecturers-researchers in order to increase the training capacity; and the creation of digital content that can be used both at the basic level and at continuous education, in order to ensure the sustainability of the suggested scheme
Pillar 1: Increase the number of students in basic AI training
The project relies on several means of dissemination in the short term:
- An outreach program for high school and undergraduate students.
- The creation of two“licences” degrees: a double degree in AI and Organizational Sciences, as well as, a CPES track Data Science and Cultural Dynamics with the Lycée Louis-le-Grand.
- Doubling the number of available places in AI specialization at Master level and in continuous education.
The launching of a data/AI degree program, open to all Master’s students, covering all fields of AI application, such as physics, chemistry, finance, social sciences, among others. This path is based on a transversal program assuming the creation of new modules at the Master level, and the design of a special track for engineers
Pillar 2: Provide training to lecturers-researchers to increase the number of potential instructors
The objective of diffusion cannot be achieved without decisive action towards the training of lecturers, that will strengthen the teaching force. Therefore, this pillar, is based on a training plan on AI for lecturers-researchers of various AI application disciplines.
This transformation support will facilitate an increase in the number of courses dedicated to AI in all disciplines, in a sustainable way in the long term, while it will also ensure that these courses are relevant since they will be delivered by specialists of the corresponding fields of application.
Pillar 3: Offer multi-purpose digital training modules both for primary and continuing education
In order to enable diffusion, we wish to develop digital training modules that can be used in basic, as well as in continous education, in a hybrid or remote way.
This involves both the hybridization of existing training courses such as Executive Master in Artificial Intelligence & Data Science and Statistics & Big Data; Certificate in Data Science, as well as, the creation of MOOCs and online AI certificates applied to digital health.
Current status
The project is largely based on the Transverse DATA Program already in place for several years at PSL. The long experience has been enforced with dedicated human resources in the form of 8 PSL Fellows, 10 Associate Professors and 7 administrative and technical support agents.