NSF EXPs researchers recognize the importance of designing accessible and inclusive digital learning tools for ensuring equity in both digital and physical educational spaces. While the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 16% of the global population lives with a significant disability, over 96% of the most popular webpages are inaccessible to these users (source: WebAIM). A systematic literature review of educational technology developed for learners with disabilities has shown emerging evidence of positive impact on self-confidence and well-being when assistive technology is present (Lynch et al., 2021).

Consistent with the high frequency of AI and mixed realities project tags, several NSF EXPs projects have used these technologies to create tools such as sensory extension devices, virtual/augmented reality games, and executive function interventions to reduce barriers for learners with disabilities. For example, the SAIL 2 project immerses learners in a gamified virtual reality with signing avatars to learn ASL and receive feedback via sign language detection. Led by a team that is majority deaf and uses ASL, the project hopes to bring high-quality ASL education to more deaf children and adults, especially among underrepresented groups.

In addition, some CIRCLS projects are co-designing with learners to better understand their specific needs. NeuroVivid, for instance, is co-designing with a team of diverse neurodivergent teenagers and empowering them to understand their brain and neural activities through constructing their own EEGs. Learners are able to gain technical skills in block coding and circuit building while acquiring the basics of neuroscience to better understand their own brain functionings. The range of innovations and impact from recent CIRCLS projects illustrates the exciting possibilities of digital accessibility beyond just compliance measures; new and cutting-edge technology can transform barriers into opportunities and create meaningful learning experiences for learners with disabilities.

As CS education increasingly becomes mandated across the U.S., over half of U.S. high schools now offer foundational computer science courses. Notably, 2023 has seen the largest growth in high school foundational CS offerings. However, disparities in access to quality CS education persist for Hispanic students, multilingual students, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students based on recent data (Code.org, 2023).

Members of the CIRCLS community are tackling this challenge by researching alternative modalities such as AI, AR/VR, tangible computing, and interdisciplinary learning to offer students opportunities to engage with CS. For example, the Strength Across Schools Research-to-Practice Partnership is co-designing with middle school ELA educators to develop a justice-focused curriculum that integrates computational thinking and computer science principles in ELA. Given that girls and Black and Latinx students often choose not to pursue STEM and CS by fifth grade, the research team seeks to use an interdisciplinary curriculum to provide underrepresented students with more points of entry to CS education.

Some NSF EXPs projects have also focused on supporting collaborative learning, as pair programming has been shown to improve learning outcomes and competency (Hanks, et al., 2011). Pair Programming with Intelligent Social Agents, for example, is developing an AI chatbot for students that can guide them in using pair-programming pedagogy to mimic the experience of coding with another person. This can serve as a low-cost method for under-resourced schools in providing more customized CS learning experiences to students. As demonstrated by these examples, NSF EXPs researchers are building innovative solutions to close the gap in access to quality CS education. Whether it’s leveraging AI and mixed realities or partnering with stakeholders, these projects are pioneering new ways for students to pursue CS education and forge their own learning paths.

As the second-most popular CIRCLS project tag, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have seen explosive growth in recent years, especially in the fields of STEM, social sciences, and medicine (Al-Ansi et al., 2023). Within the CIRCLS community, this has translated to widespread application most notably in STEM education and workforce development. A significant number of projects are developing VR/AR tools to better support understanding of STEM concepts ranging from computational thinking in early childhood classrooms to mining engineering courses in postsecondary settings. For example, the GEM-STEP project aims to enhance elementary school students’ understanding of complex science topics by providing them the opportunity to create and modify their own embodied models in play-based, mixed-reality environments.

This type of multimodal learning can pique and sustain engagement in STEM learning as well as give students agency in exploring new science concepts. In addition, some projects are utilizing VR/AR for workforce training in high-stakes or high-risk situations that can’t be easily replicated, such as medical emergencies and construction safety. Project mTeam is expanding upon their existing multi-user VR platform for cardiac arrest resuscitation to build a debriefing system that captures multimodal data from the VR platform and generates feedback accordingly. This has the potential to improve existing training opportunities for team-based care across other medical settings by drawing on both cognitive and behavioral data from participants. With the wide-ranging application of VR and AR technology, more learners will be able to partake in hands-on experiences that amplify and ground their learning.

A recent review of research about the impact of educational technology on students of color suggests that hybrid or blended models of learning may improve academic outcomes, thus highlighting the need for innovative modes of education (Joosten, 2021). In the 2022 CIRCLS intake survey, about 20% of the respondents stated that they are targeting learners from historically marginalized communities and districts serving large proportions of students of color. Several teams are leveraging technology for the empowerment of marginalized groups and expanding equity in the areas of literacy, social studies, data science, CS, and language learning. For example, Transformative Computational Models of Narrative to Support Teaching Indigenous Perspectives in K-12 Classrooms is building computational models of narrative technologies from an Indigenous perspective to sustainably share their knowledge and culture in K-12 settings. Shifting from Western narrative technologies, which are often linear in nature, this project seeks to empower Indigenous community members in creating their own representations and increase the cultural competence of non-Indigenous teachers and students.

Furthermore, NSF EXPs project teams have been intentional about co-designing with underrepresented groups, particularly Black youths, Indigenous communities, and women of color. For example, From Data Literacy to Collective Data Stewardship conducted two years of participatory action research with a youth advisory board to develop a role-based data literacy framework and collaborative data advocacy platform. Through this platform, Black youths from underserved communities will gain critical data literacy on how data impacts their community and take action based on data-driven insights. These examples highlight the growing body of work at the intersection of technology and identity and how technology can facilitate a radical shift in the learning experiences for underrepresented groups.

The May ’23 report from the Office of Educational Technology asserts that we must “always center educators” and focus on improving educators’ quality of work when designing AI tools for education. NSF EXPs researchers are working on a variety of AI/ML tools that utilize generative AI for tasks that are traditionally time and resource intensive (e.g., grading papers, monitoring student work, and providing personalized feedback in real time). For example, the CAREER project, Grasping Understandings of Students Mathematical and Perceptual Strategies Using Real-Time Teacher Orchestration Tools, is developing a set of AI-powered tools that provide teachers with detailed, real-time feedback on student learning and problem solving to support teachers in differentiating math instruction. With the insights generated by AI, teachers still have the agency to interpret and act upon the data.

Continuing on the theme of partnership with educators from the previous CIRCLS report, several teams are in the process of co-designing with teachers to ensure that the final product reflects teachers’ most pressing needs. In Exploring Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Electronic Design Process Logs: Empowering High School Engineering Teachers, researchers interviewed and co-designed with a diverse set of teachers on the impact of AI in their classrooms to develop an AI system that can guide students through the engineering design process. With a research team that consists of former teachers, the project hopes to reduce teacher burdens and expand their capacity of providing timely feedback to engineering students through this tool. As generative AI becomes an inevitable mainstay in our education system, CIRCLS community members will continue to explore ways to enhance learning outcomes while empowering our educators to remain at the forefront of decision making and instruction.