Do students who will become teachers learn AI properly? There is a wide gap in subjects between universities

Although the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) education is growing in schools, the number of AI-related subjects at universities that train prospective teachers appears to vary greatly by school.

As it is pointed out that the performance of international academic journal papers by professors who teach AI-related lectures is poor, there are voices calling for strengthening the AI ​​education and research capabilities of teacher training colleges.

On the 8th, according to data that Kim Moon-soo, a member of the National Assembly Education Committee and the Democratic Party of Korea, recently received and analyzed from Seoul National University of Education, Gyeongin National University of Education, and Korea National University of Education, there was a large difference between schools in AI-related subjects.

The National Education University produces elementary school teachers, and the Korea National University of Education trains early childhood, special education, elementary, and middle school teachers.

Seoul National University of Education has a total of 22 required major courses related to AI as of this year, with an average of 3.7 per department.

In the case of Korea National University of Education, there are a total of 10 required AI-related major courses, and when divided by the number of departments, the average is only 0.4.

There are 17 required AI-related major courses at Gyeongin National University of Education, or 1.2 per department.

Also, among the three universities, only Gyeongin National University of Education designated AI subjects as required for teaching (1 subject, 2 credits) in all departments.

There are voices calling for strengthening not only AI subjects but also the research level of professors.

There are a total of 181 faculty members giving AI-related lectures at Seoul National University of Education, including part-time lecturers, but there were only 7 SCI (Science and Technology Citation Index) level papers published over the five years from 2022 to this year.

Compared to the 103 papers in domestic academic journals and 10 papers in general academic journals at the Korea Research Foundation (KCI) level during the same period, there were fewer papers that were internationally recognized.

Gyeongin National University of Education's AI-related lecturers (131 people) have published a total of 4 SCI-level papers since 2022, and the number of SCI-level papers by Korea National University of Education's teachers (129 people) is 11.

Rep. Kim Moon-soo said, “There is a significant difference in the number of AI subjects among teacher training universities, and judging from the number of SCI-level papers, I think there are not many professors with actual AI capabilities,” and emphasized that universities should focus on training and researching teachers with AI specialized capabilities.

Prospective teachers must study AI properly in college so that they can later teach elementary, middle, and high school students well.

In particular, as there are claims that students should be educated not only on how to use AI but also on errors in AI, prospective teachers should develop a critical eye by listening to various lectures on AI.

Education authorities also assess that the AI ​​education capabilities of teacher training colleges such as Kyodae are not sufficient.

In June, the Ministry of Education and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity pointed out in the '2026 Teacher Training Institute Curriculum Development Support Project Plan' that "the success of elementary and secondary AI education depends on teachers' AI education capabilities, but there is a lack of AI-related subjects in the teacher training process and there is a large gap between institutions."

He also added, "In accordance with the 2023 digital-based education innovation plan, 'digital education' was newly established in the teaching subjects, but it is not enough to strengthen AI education capabilities."

There are calls for not only universities but also the government to be more active in investing in AI education for prospective teachers.

Shin-ho Jang, president of Seoul National University of Education, appeared at the National Assembly Education Committee audit on the 16th of last month and said that there is a huge budget problem in AI education at teacher training colleges and that "active support from the government is urgently needed."