IMESD learns to teach artificial intelligence
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, September 30th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
PENDLETON – The InterMountain Education Service District handles internet technology for its member school districts and artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest new thing its staff needs to learn in order to teach its use to students.
Superintendent Mark Mulvihill says that IMESD is proceeding carefully with the intent to help teachers with AI to improve student learning.
“AI is here to stay,” he said. “The first thing about AI is really understanding what it is. It’s a software system that learns by the amount of data being put into it.”
“You need to be a skeptical consumer of what AI is and what it’s capable of,” he said.
Mulvihill says they are asking how AI can improve learning, but that’s not all.
“Could there be plagiarism,” he questioned. “Could there be mismanagement of it? Could it circumvent what you’re trying to do in the classroom?”
Mulvihill said those questions must be answered and must include having conversations about AI with students as well as teachers.
“To me, it’s just the next thing,” he said. “We had to do this with the internet. I’m old enough to remember what a big deal it was to put phones in the classroom. Now we’re working on a cell phone ban. I don’t think there’s fear of AI once you learn what it is.”
Photo of Mark Mulvihill via IMESD
