South SFV Today

Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE) is addressing the gap between educational technology research and its practical application in real-world settings. The issue often stems from the improper implementation of tools or deficiencies in the technology itself, resulting in school districts investing in educational technology with low effective learning outcomes.

Dora Demszky, an assistant professor at the GSE, is making strides to bridge this gap through her course, Empowering Educators via Language Technology. The course aims to connect edtech creators with educators, facilitating a collaborative environment where technology is developed with teachers in mind.

“Large language models and AI tools are becoming more common in an educational context, but no one is really talking about all the considerations necessary to make these technologies really useful for teachers,” stated Demszky. The course, currently in its second year, is unique because it explores how technology can support teachers rather than replace them. This approach focuses on improving teachers' instructional capabilities and, consequently, students' learning experiences.

Classes include a mix of 30 students from GSE and computer science backgrounds, working together to tackle questions of design, implementation, and edtech effectiveness. Students engage in class discussions, collaborate with educators, and create AI tools aimed at enhancing education. “Any incremental improvement takes a lot of thoughtful work, and we’re on that journey right now,” said Mei Tan, a PhD student at GSE and a teaching assistant for the course.

The course encourages students to design technology through a teacher's perspective, seeking their input and feedback. “One of our first assignments was to interview a teacher...after hearing her feedback, it was the first time I really considered that the issues I thought educators have probably aren’t the most prominent ones they’re dealing with,” shared Joshua Delgadillo, a junior in the class.

Another key aspect of the course involves designing technological tools that augment rather than automate educators' roles. “This type of collaboration is something the field has talked about before but it’s not always clear how to approach creating this dialogue with teachers,” said Rebecca Li Hao, a Learning Design and Technology master's student at GSE.

Projects developed by students simulated interactions between teachers and students, created data graphs, and automated feedback. Eric Wilson, a high school teacher from Brooklyn, emphasized the importance of having teachers and edtech creators collaborate. “It seems critical to have teachers and edtech creators in the same room,” Wilson noted.

The course concludes with students and educators reflecting on the interplay between technology, pedagogy, and practice. A blog post co-written by Demszky, Tan, and the students encapsulated these learnings. “This class is really an environment where, rather than imparting knowledge to the students, we are really figuring things out together,” Demszky commented.

This initiative highlights Stanford GSE's commitment to advancing educational technology in ways that meaningfully enhance learning environments.

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