The National Science Foundation has recently granted Indiana University, in partnership with the educational technology powerhouse Instructure, a significant funding opportunity designed to ignite innovation in educational research. This planning grant focuses on the development of an ambitious initiative named TOPSAIL—an acronym that stands for Testing Outcomes Privately and Securely for Artificial Intelligence in Learning. This pioneering testbed is set to revolutionize the evaluation processes for artificial intelligence (AI) tools used in educational contexts by creating an environment where cutting-edge research can be conducted with a sense of urgency and academic rigor.
AI tools are proliferating in the educational landscape, presenting both astonishing potential and notable concerns. The rapid development of various AI learning technologies has outpaced the educational research community’s ability to systematically assess their effectiveness. Consequently, there is an urgent need for an organized framework that not only allows for quick evaluation but also emphasizes ethical considerations when implementing these technologies in classrooms. The TOPSAIL project aims to bridge this gap by fostering a collaborative environment among researchers, educators, and tech innovators, thereby accelerating the evaluation of new AI tools that claim to enhance student learning.
The two-year project, guided by Principal Investigator Benjamin A. Motz from Indiana University’s College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, marks a groundbreaking endeavor in establishing shared research infrastructure dedicated to the evaluation of AI tools. In essence, MOTZ and his team envision a future where educational institutions can adopt AI technologies based on solid empirical evidence rather than anecdotal reports or marketing claims. This new paradigm seeks to anchor the adoption of AI in education within the framework of rigorous psychological science and the principles of learning theory.
A key feature of this testbed is its function as a living laboratory, as described by Motz. The TOPSAIL initiative will host rigorous and replicable research directly within active learning environments. This approach ensures that research findings are not only theoretical but also practical and applicable in real-world educational settings. Additionally, the project aims to include necessary guardrails to protect the rights of end users, particularly students, and their families, ensuring that privacy remains a priority.
From a technical standpoint, TOPSAIL will be integrated within Canvas, Instructure’s popular learning management system that serves millions of students across various educational institutions. By leveraging Terracotta, an experimental research plugin designed for Canvas that adheres to ethical research practices, this project will create an ideal platform for real-time evaluations and assessments of AI innovations in diverse educational contexts. The testbed will incorporate robust privacy protections alongside experimental controls to safeguard student data and promote ethical research methodologies.
Dr. Mary Styers, Co-Principal Investigator and Director of Research for LearnPlatform by Instructure, emphasizes the critical nature of this project amid the rapid technological advancements in learning tools. The importance of creating evidence-based supports for educators and students cannot be overstated. As Styers notes, the project will establish the necessary guardrails to ensure student safety and privacy are paramount while also paving the way for meaningful research outcomes that should inform educational practices.
The collaborative nature of the TOPSAIL project illustrates the combined expertise of Indiana University and Instructure, integrating their knowledge in the science of learning and the infrastructure necessary for solid research methodologies. This synergy provides an exciting opportunity for continuous improvement in evaluation methods that will ultimately benefit educators and learners alike. The project’s team of experts spans various fields, including educational technology, artificial intelligence, and cyberinfrastructure, ensuring a holistic approach to the challenges posed by AI integration in education.
Importantly, the TOPSAIL team has proactively established partnerships with three K-12 school districts, acknowledging that the design of an effective testbed must be rooted in a deep understanding of local educational landscapes. Through active engagement with educators, the project will facilitate on-site focus groups and collaborative workshops, designed to co-create design requirements that adequately address pressing concerns around AI safety, privacy, and practical implementation in classrooms across the nation.
Dr. Matthew Callison, Director of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships for the South Fayette Township School District in Pennsylvania and a key player in the collaboration, voiced his enthusiasm about the potential impact of TOPSAIL. The project’s framework is tailored to ensure that educational districts can collaborate closely with researchers and technology companies. This partnership aims to create a systematic approach to pilot AI tools responsibly, while simultaneously gathering significant data that can inform future scaling decisions. Callison’s comments underscore a pivotal desire in the educational community for research that directly influences best practices while adhering to the rigorous standards that students and families expect.
In previous fields such as cybersecurity and autonomous vehicles, testbeds have played an essential role in providing controlled environments for piloting innovations prior to their widespread deployment. TOPSAIL aspires to translate this proven methodology into educational research for the first time, creating an infrastructure that not only promotes responsible pilot evaluations within actual classrooms but also does so calmly and rigorously. Through active engagement with community stakeholders, the resulting protocols developed from the project’s insights will guide the full-scale implementation of the testbed.
The scope of the TOPSAIL initiative extends far beyond merely assessing the efficacy of AI tools. By establishing the technical and ethical frameworks necessary for its implementation, the project seeks to open avenues for extensive research opportunities constrained by rigorous guidelines surrounding student privacy and safety. This holistic perspective aims to ensure that AI technologies serve their intended educational purposes while protecting vulnerable populations, especially in K-12 environments.
Motz is enthused about the transformative potential of TOPSAIL, asserting that it will fundamentally alter how educational institutions approach innovations in learning technologies. By providing a structured platform for comprehensive testing, we stand at a pivotal moment when the discourse surrounding AI-enabled learning tools shifts from theoretical speculations to pragmatic evaluations. The project will empower educators to make informed decisions based on empirical data, encouraging an environment where technology complements educational experiences rather than complicates them.
In summary, the TOPSAIL testbed stands as a remarkable model for future research infrastructure that can showcase the power of collaboration between academic institutions and industry partners. As the testbed becomes established, it promises to demonstrate how innovative solutions can effectively address some of the most complex societal challenges facing the education sector today. The initiative is not only focused on advancing the field of educational technology but also ensuring that the rights and safety of students remain paramount throughout this transformative journey.
TOPSAIL is proudly led by Indiana University in collaboration with its partners at Instructure, Arizona State University, and three K-12 school district partners.
Subject of Research: AI in Education
Article Title: Indiana University and Instructure Team Up for AI Educational Testbed
News Publication Date: October 2023
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Keywords
AI, education, research infrastructure, testbed, ethical practices
