Research
New papers from ed tech and student success journals, and preprints from arXiv and EdArXiv
Monday, October 12
Rethinking “In-The-Loop” Approaches in Educational AI: A Learning Sciences Perspective
In educational AI, “In-the-Loop” framings (e.g., human-in-the-loop) are presented as systems that secure human-technology balance in enabling timely feedback and personalization. This learning sciences perspective-piece argues that the critical issue is not whether humans participate sufficiently in educational…
osf.ioTHE AI-NATIVE UNIVERSITY - THE ANU 1+4 PRINCIPLES FOR HUMAN FORMATION IN THE AGE OF AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) makes it increasingly possible to produce sophisticated intellectual outputs without undertaking the experiences that develop corresponding human capabilities. This weakens a practical assumption of traditional university teaching and assessment: that producing an academic output normally…
osf.ioWhere the Talent Goes: Field, Credential, and the Geography of Graduate Retention
States invest heavily in producing technical graduates, yet the graduates most valued by an innovation economy are the ones least likely to stay; this study tests whether that pattern holds across credential levels, using an independent source as corroboration. Retention loss is measured by field and credential using…
osf.ioExploring Learning Happiness Among Indonesian Students Amidst Heavy Academic Workloads Through the Balinese Philosophies of Tri Hita Karana and Tri Kaya Parisudha
Student happiness plays an important role in promoting academic engagement, well-being, and meaningful learning experiences in higher education. This study examined the level of learning happiness among students at the Ganesha University of Education (Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha), Bali, Indonesia, within the…
doi.org
Sunday, October 11
Technological compensation or pedagogical awakening? A longitudinal RCT of AI and expert feedback in pre-service physical education
doi.orgA comparative study of learning experiences in digital education exchange between South Korea and Cambodia: focusing on the activity theory
doi.orgHuman–AI collaborative patterns in GenAI-supported instructional design among pre-service teachers: an analysis of interaction sequences and cognitive load
Abstract The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence is profoundly reshaping the paradigm of instructional design. However, the micro-level process patterns of human-AI collaboration in generative AI-enabled instructional design for pre-service teachers still require in-depth analysis. This study aims…
doi.org
Friday, October 9
Exploring learning in classic African board games: a review of recent literature
Abstract A growing body of research on board games demonstrates that these games can function as learning environments and provide opportunities for learning across diverse contexts. Although learning is often conceptualized contextually within this literature, studies increasingly demonstrate that meaningful learning…
doi.org
Thursday, October 8
Social support, affective factors, and informal digital learning of Chinese ( IDLC )
Abstract This study examines how social support and affective factors (enjoyment, boredom, embarrassment, and shyness) shape young learners' informal digital learning of Chinese (IDLC) in New Zealand. Drawing on proactive language learning theory, we conceptualized IDLC as learners' autonomous involvement with…
doi.orgWho pays for “free”? Institutional costs and returns of OER degree pathways
doi.org
Wednesday, October 7
Model escalation tracks the budget per remaining task: Evidence from a shared-budget undergraduate coding assessment
Some courses limit how much generative-AI help students can obtain in assessed work, expecting scarcity to prompt careful use. A budget shared across tasks also requires students to hold resources back for later needs, and how this shapes their decisions is unclear. In a graded coding-repair task, 125 undergraduates…
osf.ioBridging MOOCs, Smart Teaching, and AI-Assisted Learning: A Unified Quantitative Model
MOOCs, Smart Teaching (ST), and AI-assisted learning support different stages of higher education, yet a unified quantitative basis for analyzing their contributions, course design, and resource allocation remains limited. This study develops a mathematical model integrating MOOC-based pre-class learning, ST-based…
osf.ioTheory-driven design and validation of a tool to enhance academic focus
Abstract Drawing on 11 evidence-based design principles, we developed a digital tool for training attention during academic activities. Two naturalistic, single-group pre-post studies—including a pre-registered direct replication—evaluated the impact of this tool on the attentional focus of adolescents across multiple…
doi.orgA design-based online training to boost doctoral students’ writing for publication skills
doi.orgThe effects of depth and placement of Prequestions on video learning
doi.orgOrganizational Virtue Signaling, Tier-one Excellence, & Legitimation Liabilities: A Critical Policy Analysis on the Role of Urban HSIs in the Transfer Pipeline
Purpose This instrumental case study of organizational legitimation and socio-legal pressures investigates the (un)intended policy outcomes of Texas House Bill 51—a performance-based funding model.Research Questions Through critical policy analysis, this study asks how emerging research policy contexts exacerbate…
doi.org
Tuesday, October 6
Beyond Score Accuracy: Examining the Diagnostic Quality of LLM-Generated Structured Assessment in Higher Education
As Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly adopted for automated grading and feedback in higher education, their structured outputs, including multi-dimensional rubric scores, detailed feedback comments, and improvement suggestions, create an appearance of thorough analytic evaluation. This study examines…
arxiv.orgExploring AI literacy in elementary classrooms: students’ perspectives on generative AI, fairness, and ethical use
doi.orgThe impact of high-immersion virtual reality on anatomy learning, enjoyment, presence, and cognitive load
Abstract The acquisition of science concepts is necessary for fostering analytical and problem-solving skills. The complexity of heart anatomy, obscured within the human body, presents a challenge that high-immersion virtual reality (VR) holds promise in addressing. This study explored the impact of VR versus…
doi.orgDesktop virtual reality with scaffolded interaction and reflective explanation: effects on cognitive, motivational, and learning outcomes in engineering education
Abstract This study examined how a sequenced virtual reality (VR)–supported learning activity influenced learning and motivation in undergraduate engineering education. Drawing on cognitive load theory, generative learning theory, and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, the study evaluated a desktop VR…
doi.orgA systems approach to address cognitive dimensions through design deliberation
doi.org
Monday, October 5
From Written Response to Dialogue with AI: How Activity Format, Interaction Modality, and Language Impact Student Learning and Engagement
The widespread availability of LLMs is challenging written learning activities, as students can increasingly generate responses without necessarily engaging with the learning content. Conversational AI creates an opportunity to redesign these activities as dialogue, while multilingual capabilities may make such…
arxiv.orgResponsible Institutional Analytics: Interpreting Bias with AI Support
Institutional Analytics (IA) dashboards inform decision-making in higher education, yet data limitations, constraints in analytical techniques, and missing contextual information often affect their interpretation. To support more responsible interpretation of IA, we introduce FACTRIA, a framework that organizes…
arxiv.orgAICoFe Demo: AI-based Collaborative Feedback System
Peer feedback promotes active learning, critical reflection, and skill development, but its effectiveness is often limited by the quality of feedback students provide. Recent advances in LLMs offer new opportunities to support peer feedback by generating more coherent and actionable feedback while preserving human…
arxiv.orgAISSA Demo: AI-based Student Slides Analysis Tool for Automated Grading and Feedback
We present an AI-based web-oriented tool designed to support formative feedback for oral presentation slides in higher education: AISSA. It allows students to upload their slides before presentation and automatically receive rubric-based quantitative scores and qualitative feedback generated by large language models…
arxiv.orgStand by me: Does promoting university clubs and societies through personalised emails and videos work?
Students have faced substantial challenges concerning belonging following the pandemic, particularly related to isolation and loneliness. This study implemented and examined the efficacy of an intervention using personalised emails and learning management system (LMS) based promotional videos designed to enhance…
doi.orgDesigning generative AI–powered reflective learning dashboards for enhancing self-regulated learning in higher education
A reflective learning dashboard powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI) was developed to enhance self-regulated learning, student engagement, academic performance and learner perceptions in higher education. Grounded in learning analytics and generative feedback pedagogy, the system integrates behavioural…
doi.orgTowards a new AI-TPACK framework: Evidence from China
This study examines the development of teachers’ AI-integrated teaching competence, defined as AI-Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (AI-TPACK), aiming to move beyond additive assumptions toward an ethically grounded model. Based on survey data from 454 Chinese university teachers, a suppression pattern…
doi.orgImpact of learning analytics-based personalized feedback: an experimental study on student behavior in a large introductory STEM course
Abstract This study examined the impact of learning analytics-based personalized feedback on student engagement behavior, learning outcomes, and perceptions of the feedback in a large introductory STEM course. Students were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, which received four personalized feedback…
doi.orgA multimodal e-learning platform integrating artificial intelligence, game-based learning, and augmented reality to enhance reading comprehension in secondary language learning
doi.orgSeeing what students learn: assessing cognitive representations and academic outcomes via EEG image reconstruction
Abstract Understanding how humans process visual information during learning remains a central challenge in cognitive neuroscience. Traditional approaches typically rely on behavioral observations or indirect neural measures, which limits direct insight into learners' internal cognitive representations. Recent…
doi.orgA Comparative Study of Knowledge Component Granularity in Intelligent Language Tutoring Systems
Intelligent Language Tutoring Systems (ILTS) aim to provide adaptive language-learning experiences tailored to individual students. A major challenge is determining the appropriate granularity of Knowledge Components (KCs) for predicting student performance. Accurate prediction is essential for identifying activities…
jedm.educationaldatamining.orgHow do First-Year, First-Time Regional University Students Respond to Expectation-Experience Mismatches?
First-year, first-time (FYFT) students enter university with expectations shaped by institutional recruitment communications, social media, and broader media narratives. During transition, lived experiences may diverge from these expectations, creating expectation-experience mismatch. While student expectations and…
doi.org
Sunday, October 4
When Does It Become Cheating? Exploring the Roles of Self-Efficacy and the Impostor Phenomenon in Computing Students' Perceptions of Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty is an urgent problem in computer science (CS) education, compounded by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the prevalence of online learning in a post-COVID world. Self-efficacy and the impostor phenomenon are psychological constructs linked to academic dishonesty, yet little research has…
arxiv.orgFrom Access to Realized Affordances: University Students' Generative AI Engagement across Linguistic and Sociotechnical Contexts
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly embedded in university students' academic work, yet student engagement is often examined through adoption, frequency of use, or general perceptions, with less attention to how it is shaped by linguistic and sociotechnical conditions. This comparative…
arxiv.orgMultidimensional engagement effects of generative AI adoption among minority ethnic international students in UK higher education
Abstract Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) has become a prevalent tool in higher education, yet little is known about how its use affects the learning experiences of minority‐ethnic international students (MEIS). Drawing on an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and a four‐strand…
doi.org
Saturday, October 3
Catching the spark: The role of electrodermal activity in understanding teacher enthusiasm and students' lesson enjoyment
Abstract Process‐oriented approaches are needed to understand the temporality and dynamics of teacher–student interactions in higher education classrooms. In this study, we follow a complexity science approach, based on non‐linear intra‐ and inter‐personal physiology methods, to explore the physiology of…
doi.org
Thursday, October 1
ReLEAF: A Socio-Technical Framework Bridging Custodians and Researchers for Trustworthy Data Sharing
Growing volumes of educational real-world data (ERWD) are being collected across learning platforms and institutional systems. Sharing these data within the Learning Analytics community offers substantial research opportunities, yet access remains limited by ethical, regulatory and governance constraints. Prior work…
arxiv.orgCounterexample Generation via Per-Theorem Symbolic Verifiers: When Imitation Hurts and Reinforcement Repairs
Large language models often solve a theorem forward yet fail to disprove a closely related false one: a falsification gap that supervised fine-tuning does not close and can actively worsen. We frame counterexample generation as constrained witness emission against a deterministic per-theorem Python verifier, and…
arxiv.orgAgency and adaptation in human–technology configurations: A fifty-year analysis of Computers & Education
Educational-technology histories are often organized around successive tools, obscuring how action, decision-making, regulation, and adaptive work are distributed among human and technological actors. Drawing on 5,387 papers published in Computers & Education over fifty years, this study examines how Agency and…
doi.orgTopic landscapes and cross-period semantic connections in Computers & Education
For the 50th anniversary of Computers & Education, this study describes the topic landscape and cross-period semantic connections among 5,226 articles published from 1980 to 18 June 2026. Independently fitted BERTopic models for 1980–2003, 2004–2013, 2014–2019, and 2020–2026 identified 11, 15, 18, and 9 non-noise…
doi.orgHow we study what we study: A methodological review of 50 years of educational technology research
Research in educational technology has been extensively mapped in terms of what has been studied, but far less attention has been paid to how it has been studied. This paper reports a methodological review of fifty years of research in Computers & Education, covering a corpus of 5,516 articles published between 1976…
doi.orgOnline Learner Engagement and Academic Support in the Age of Generative AI
doi.orgInstructional Approaches and Content Knowledge in Teaching Computational Thinking: A Large-Scale Study
doi.orgTechnology-enhanced second language learning in Computers & Education: A 50-year review of outcomes, technical affordances, theoretical frameworks, and their connections
Technology-enhanced second language learning (TEL2L) has been rapidly expanding as a prominent research strand over the past five decades, yet systematic reviews focusing specifically on how theoretical frameworks connect technical affordances to L2 outcomes remain scarce. To address this gap, this study presents a…
doi.orgDesigning a pipeline linking professional development to AI-driven instructional practices
doi.orgDisengaged Conversational Behaviors and Learning in Student-AI Dialogues for Mathematical Problem Solving
As the conversational AI agents become integrated into digital learning environments, students’ interaction with these systems can show conversational disengagement, including mocking, misleading, or otherwise diverting the agents. Although task-based disengagement such as gaming the system and off-task actions are…
doi.orgResponse-length confounding in participant–morpheme networks: A length-controlled test in AI ethics education
Background. Equipping learners with AI-ethical literacy is a priority for higher education, yet item-level self-reports leave two observables unrecorded: the structure of lexical co-use in learners’ written responses and the polarity of their free text. Neither is a measure of learning. A further inferential hazard is…
doi.orgModeling the Relationships Between University Students’ AI Competence, AI Ethical Awareness, and AI Anxiety: A Dual-Stage PLS-SEM and ANN Analysis
AI anxiety is increasingly prevalent among university students, yet mainstream AI literacy interventions are often infeasible in resource-constrained settings. This study focuses on a law-dominant university in western China, where AI literacy education is absent. Students’ AI competence and AI ethical awareness are…
doi.org
Wednesday, September 30
WIP: DBWorkout: A Gamified SQL Practice Platform to Support Formative Learning in Database Courses
This research WIP paper presents DBWorkout, a web-based platform that supports formative SQL learning through sandbox-based execution, automated result-based feedback, and session-based gamification. Learning Structured Query Language (SQL) remains challenging for undergraduate students due to limited opportunities…
arxiv.org