In an effort to position itself at the forefront of transforming education systems, the University of 浪花直播 College of Education launched the on May 1 at the 2025 Al + Learning Symposium. The pioneering center is dedicated to shaping the future of education through data science, artificial intelligence (AI) and innovative research that helps create more equitable and effective learning environments for all students.
鈥淚t was important to establish a center that would both support AI use in improving teaching and learning and prepare students for an AI-infused future,鈥 said Jing Liu, assistant professor and director of EDSI. 鈥淲e wanted a space that would allow us to look at persistent educational challenges, such as declining literacy rates, chronic absenteeism and diverse learning styles, and consider the unprecedented technological possibilities that could address these challenges.鈥
The center leads rigorous research projects that are fundamental to critical issues in education and can help advance education equity and effectiveness. Some of their current projects include MPowering Teachers, an AI tool that provides teachers with more frequent and timely feedback on their teaching practices, and the creation of an open-source, multimodal dataset that integrates anonymized classroom transcripts, audio and video with student demographics, achievement data and surveys to help develop AI tools that offer a more holistic understanding of classroom interactions.
鈥淭he fundamental approach we are taking is different from other AI and education institutions or centers. We take a step back in terms of focusing on building the infrastructure to enable AI innovation in a responsible and ethical way; we also prioritize high-quality research in this space rather than rushing to produce another AI tool,鈥 Liu said. "We care about how educators and students are using AI tools and whether they are using tools that are proven to be effective. We want to use research to support the decision-making process for school leaders, district leaders and practitioners."
According to seventh annual report, school districts across the country use an average of 2,739 ed-tech tools annually and 1,436 ed-tech tools monthly. This represents an 8% increase compared with last year. The number of ed-tech tools being used by students and educators has also increased over the past few years, with students using an average of 45 tools and teachers using 49 during the 2022鈥23 school year.
In addition to accelerating research, EDSI fosters interdisciplinary partnerships to create real-world solutions, bringing together diverse groups from across 浪花直播 and beyond. EDSI also works closely with school districts, education agencies and policymakers to develop and implement data-driven educational strategies that improve student outcomes.
"All the stakeholders need to be at the table to do this work really well," said Liu.
The center has established key partnerships with Air Reading, Guilford County Schools, Research Partnership for Professional Learning and San Francisco Unified School District. EDSI is further supported by EdTech companies and organizations including Google, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Gates Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, Arnold Ventures, Overdeck Family Foundation, National Science Foundation and the University of 浪花直播 Office of Research.
