{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T14:00:24Z","timestamp":1789999224198,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789948800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789948800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Microbiol Biol Educ."],"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title\/>\n                    <jats:p>Rapid adoption of generative AI in STEM courses has created an urgent need for practical, ethical AI literacy that students can carry from high school into college and beyond. In this Perspective, we make the case for a cross-disciplinary approach to AI literacy and present a skills progression table that aligns core outcomes with typical academic and professional levels (high school, early undergraduate, advanced undergraduate, graduate, and workplace). We focus on six core areas: (i) attribution and citation, (ii) bias awareness and mitigation, (iii) privacy and data handling, (iv) safety and environmental care, (v) community impact and fairness, and (vi) compliance and readiness for audit. We frame AI-related classroom practice as a balancing act, on one side, clear benefits (faster drafting, coding support, and broader access), and on the other, real risks (bias, privacy leaks, over-reliance, and academic integrity concerns). To ground our Perspective in STEM broadly, we offer guidance with suggested steps and actions, grading cues, rural\/low-bandwidth adaptations, and links to workforce expectations. We also note concrete examples from biology, engineering, and computer science to show both shared core practices and discipline-specific needs. As we look into the future, we highlight the role of professional societies as conveners to ensure alignment of guidance across disciplines and keep materials current. Our goal is to provide instructors with practical materials they can adopt, while building a living framework that evolves with evidence, standards, and stakeholder input.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1128\/jmbe.00351-25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T13:01:33Z","timestamp":1789995693000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Designing ethical AI literacy across secondary to graduate STEM pathways: ensuring cross-disciplinary outcomes and workforce alignment"],"prefix":"10.1128","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4582-0793","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Taylor","family":"Lightner","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"STEM Education Research, QEM Network HQ","place":["Washington, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2943-1969","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Malle","family":"Schilling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03efmqc40","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Engineering Education Systems and Design, The Polytechnic School, Arizona State University","place":["Mesa, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Whitney","family":"Hansberry","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03efmqc40","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Engineering Education Systems and Design, The Polytechnic School, Arizona State University","place":["Mesa, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sakib","family":"Hussen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/055ag3e81","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Data Science and Computer Science, Goucher College","place":["Baltimore, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdul","family":"Siam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/055ag3e81","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Data Science and Computer Science, Goucher College","place":["Baltimore, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6914-8271","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ver\u00f3nica A.","family":"Segarra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/055ag3e81","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Biological Sciences and Chemistry, Goucher College","place":["Baltimore, USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"235","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_2","first-page":"373","volume-title":"Artificial intelligence in education. Posters and late breaking results, workshops and tutorials, industry and innovation tracks, practitioners, doctoral consortium and blue sky","author":"Henkel O","year":"2024","unstructured":"Henkel O, Horne-Robinson H, Kozhakhmetova N, Lee A. 2024. Effective and scalable math support: experimental evidence on the impact of an AI-math tutor in Ghana, p 373\u2013381. In Olney AM, Chounta IA, Liu Z, Santos OC, Bittencourt II (ed), Artificial intelligence in education. Posters and late breaking results, workshops and tutorials, industry and innovation tracks, practitioners, doctoral consortium and blue sky. Vol. 2150. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland."},{"key":"e_1_3_4_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.56147\/aaiet.1.2.11"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s41239-023-00411-8"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_5_2","unstructured":"UNESCO. 2025. AI and the future of education: disruptions dilemmas and directions. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization Paris. Available from: https:\/\/www.unesco.org\/en\/articles\/ai-and-future-education-disruptions-dilemmas-and-directions"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_6_2","unstructured":"Hanover Research. 2025. 2025 trends in higher education. Hanover Research Arlington VA. Available from: https:\/\/www.hanoverresearch.com\/reports-and-briefs\/higher-education\/2025-trends-in-higher-education\/"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_7_2","unstructured":"Alicea S McCormick M. 2026. AI is rapidly changing education and research needs to keep up. Brookings Institution Washington DC. Available from: https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/ai-is-rapidly-changing-education-and-research-needs-to-keep-up\/"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s43681-026-01176-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3102\/00346543241293424"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.34190\/ejel.22.6.3196"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.caeai.2020.100001"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17471\/2499-4324\/1358"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_13_2","unstructured":"U.S. Department of Education. 2023. Artificial intelligence and the future of teaching and learning: insights and recommendations. Report no.ED631097. U.S. Department of Education. Washington DC. https:\/\/files.eric.ed.gov\/fulltext\/ED631097.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_3_4_14_2","first-page":"26","volume-title":"Artificial intelligence in education. Posters and late breaking results, workshops and tutorials, industry and innovation tracks, practitioners, doctoral consortium and blue sky","author":"Aleven V","year":"2023","unstructured":"Aleven V, Baraniuk R, Brunskill E, Crossley S, Demszky D, Fancsali S, Gupta S, Koedinger K, Piech C, Ritter S, Thomas DR, Woodhead S, Xing W. 2023. Towards the future of AI-augmented human tutoring in math learning, p 26\u201331. In Wang N, Rebolledo-Mendez G, Dimitrova V, Matsuda N, Santos OC (ed), Artificial intelligence in education. Posters and late breaking results, workshops and tutorials, industry and innovation tracks, practitioners, doctoral consortium and blue sky. Vol. 1831. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland."},{"key":"e_1_3_4_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/su16020781"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci15030352"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.48550\/arXiv.2507.12484"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/jmbe.00153-25"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jee.70032"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s43031-025-00125-z"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/feduc.2025.1619888"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3731806.3743504"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/exsy.70201"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_24_2","unstructured":"National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine. 2021. Looking ahead at the cybersecurity workforce at the Federal Aviation Administration. The National Academies Press. Washington D.C"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.11591\/edulearn.v18i4.21120"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/su16135367"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_27_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Cheng M Lee C Khadpe P Yu S Han D Jurafsky D. 2025. Sycophantic AI decreases prosocial intentions and promotes dependence. arXiv. doi:10.48550\/arXiv.2510.01395","DOI":"10.48550\/arXiv.2510.01395"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_28_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/d41586-025-03390-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_29_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.copsyc.2024.101829"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_30_2","volume-title":"Next generation science standards: for states, by states","author":"States NL","year":"2013","unstructured":"States NL. 2013. Next generation science standards: for states, by states. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC."},{"key":"e_1_3_4_31_2","unstructured":"ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission. 2025. Criteria for accrediting engineering programs. ABET Baltimore MD. Available from: https:\/\/www.abet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2026-2027_EAC_Criteria.pdf"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_32_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/jmbe.00002-26"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine. 2025. Transforming undergraduate STEM education: supporting equitable and effective teaching. The National Academies Press Washington DC. Available from: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.17226\/28268","DOI":"10.17226\/28268"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_34_2","unstructured":"Finley A. 2021. How college contributes to workforce success: employer views on what matters most. Association of American Colleges and Universities. Washington DC. https:\/\/dgmg81phhvh63.cloudfront.net\/content\/user-photos\/Research\/PDFs\/AACUEmployerReport2021.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_3_4_35_2","unstructured":"Qubein NR. 2023. The national life skills deficit summary and High Point University\u2019s bold response. High Point University. https:\/\/issuu.com\/highpointuniversity\/docs\/c-suite_executive_survey."},{"key":"e_1_3_4_36_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s40670-023-01815-x"}],"container-title":["Journal of Microbiology &amp; Biology Education"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/jmbe.00351-25","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/jmbe.00351-25","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T13:01:40Z","timestamp":1789995700000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/10.1128\/jmbe.00351-25"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Gregory J.","family":"Crowther","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"references-count":35,"alternative-id":["10.1128\/jmbe.00351-25"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/jmbe.00351-25","relation":{},"ISSN":["1935-7877","1935-7885"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1935-7877","type":"print"},{"value":"1935-7885","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2025-12-31","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-08-27","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-09-21","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e00351-25"}}