As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how we learn and teach, questions arise: Who has access to these technologies and how can we ensure they serve education fairly?
A recently published UNESCO report, AI and the future of education: disruptions, dilemmas and directions, gathers experts worldwide to explain these challenges through various lenses. One of its chapters, Adding intelligence to AIED policy and practice, explores how evidence can guide the integration of AI into education.
Rethinking the evidence behind education reform
Among the key references cited is a paper by Dr Juan David Parra and co-author Dr Brent Edwards Jr (University of Hawai'i at Mānoa) published in Critical Studies in Education (2024). Their research critically examines the widespread reliance on randomized controlled trails (RCTs) – often seen as the ‘gold standard’ in evidence-based policymaking.
The UNESCO report draws on Parra and Edwards’ discussion to question whether RCTs, borrowed from medical research and often treated as the most rigorous form of evidence, can truly capture the complexities of learning environments and social contexts. In their paper, the authors highlight how these methods can often fall short of their promises, such as producing unbiased evidence and generating findings that can be applied across different settings.
Instead, they call for exploring alternative ways of producing rigorous and context-sensitive evidence about what works, and why, in education.
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