Research of artificial intelligence in learning receives international funding – Prof. Sanna Järvelä to lead the research center

CELLA brings together leading international researchers of learning and education sciences, learning analytics and artificial intelligence. Their goal is to research and develop AI-based learning technologies, such as adaptive systems that support the different stages of learning, as well as the possible ways of using virtual and augmented reality to help with learning. Research will focus on developing schoolchildren’s and students’ skills in self-regulated learning.

In the age of artificial intelligence, self-regulating one's learning and the skills related to learning is a critical ability for children and young people. "The CELLA research center enables us to utilize basic research of the field and shape the future of AI-based learning technologies in order to help children learn," says Professor Sanna Järvelä.

"At the University of Oulu, we will particularly benefit from becoming part of an international network working on the future of learning technologies. We ourselves can contribute to this network with the results of our basic research in learning, but also with the multidisciplinary development of future technology that is being done at our university."

Sanna Järvelä, a Professor in Education, is one of the internationally leading researchers of both self-regulated learning and learning technology. She is a head of the Learning and Educational Technology Research Unit (LET) at the University of Oulu. The unit studies learning and the use of technology for supporting learning. The researchers in the unit are experts in the social, cognitive, and motivational processes of learning. They design technology-based learning models for practical use.

The use of AI-guided learning techniques is becoming more common in schools around the world. Due to the current lack of large-scale research and available solutions, the potential of AI is not well known. Schools need to combine technologies and pedagogy. CELLA’s researchers work together with schools and with entrepreneurs in the field of EdTech (educational technology).

CELLA’s partners also include research groups from the Technical University of Munich, Monash University, and the University of Central Florida. There’s also cooperation with the Connecting the EdTech Research Ecosystem (CERES) of the University of California, Irvine (UCI), which promotes the development of evidence-based technology in education.

Jacobs Foundation is a Swiss organisation that promotes equal education opportunities for children and young people around the world.