IC Colloquium: Using AI to Scale Learning By Making: Addressing the Challenges of Broader Integration
By: Richard Davis - KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Abstract
Recent advances in computational technologies such as digital fabrication, electronics, and XR have contributed to a resurgence in constructionist learning, where students learn by creating personally meaningful artifacts using specially designed technologies known as microworlds. However, the challenges that arise when integrating these technologies into broader educational contexts have gone largely unaddressed. In this talk, I present my work which addresses these challenges using machine learning and generative AI, discussing research projects on the design of novel hands-on assessments, generative AI tools that guide student creativity, and multimodal AI-based teaching assistants explicitly aligned with established learning theories. I will conclude by demonstrating how my focus on addressing implementation challenges not only supports the scaling of constructionist pedagogy but also opens up new horizons of research opportunities which I will outline as part of my long-term vision for transforming learning environments.
Bio
Richard Lee Davis is an Assistant Professor in Digital Learning at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology. He holds a PhD in Learning Sciences and Technology Design and an MSc in Computer Science (AI/HCI) from Stanford University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in computer science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) under Pierre Dillenbourg. At EPFL, he also served as the co-executive director of the ETHz-EPFL Joint Doctoral Program in the Learning Sciences (JDPLS).
Guided by the theory of constructionism—which emphasizes learning through creating personally meaningful artifacts—his research focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating educational tools that expand the possibilities of "learning by making" to new topics and domains. He incorporates cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, digital fabrication, haptic feedback, computational crafting, and virtual and augmented reality into these tools. His work has been recognized with awards such as the Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship, best paper awards at major conferences, and several grants supporting innovative AI tools for creativity and problem-solving in education.
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Abstract
Recent advances in computational technologies such as digital fabrication, electronics, and XR have contributed to a resurgence in constructionist learning, where students learn by creating personally meaningful artifacts using specially designed technologies known as microworlds. However, the challenges that arise when integrating these technologies into broader educational contexts have gone largely unaddressed. In this talk, I present my work which addresses these challenges using machine learning and generative AI, discussing research projects on the design of novel hands-on assessments, generative AI tools that guide student creativity, and multimodal AI-based teaching assistants explicitly aligned with established learning theories. I will conclude by demonstrating how my focus on addressing implementation challenges not only supports the scaling of constructionist pedagogy but also opens up new horizons of research opportunities which I will outline as part of my long-term vision for transforming learning environments.
Bio
Richard Lee Davis is an Assistant Professor in Digital Learning at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology. He holds a PhD in Learning Sciences and Technology Design and an MSc in Computer Science (AI/HCI) from Stanford University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in computer science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) under Pierre Dillenbourg. At EPFL, he also served as the co-executive director of the ETHz-EPFL Joint Doctoral Program in the Learning Sciences (JDPLS).
Guided by the theory of constructionism—which emphasizes learning through creating personally meaningful artifacts—his research focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating educational tools that expand the possibilities of "learning by making" to new topics and domains. He incorporates cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, digital fabrication, haptic feedback, computational crafting, and virtual and augmented reality into these tools. His work has been recognized with awards such as the Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship, best paper awards at major conferences, and several grants supporting innovative AI tools for creativity and problem-solving in education.
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Practical information
- General public
- Free
Contact
- Pierre Dillenbourg - Haitham Al Hassanieh