This spring, educators and researchers from the College of Lifetime Learning shared work on the future of learning at conferences across the country.

Despite different contexts and disciplines, Jayma Koval, Jeonghyun (Jonna) Lee, Meltem Alemdar, Meryem Yilmaz Soylu, and Sirocus Barnes highlighted shared priorities: interdisciplinary collaboration; the evolving role of AI and immersive technologies in education; and research-driven approaches to better serve learners.

Barnes, Koval, Lee, and Yilmaz Soylu attended the American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference. The conference’s scale fostered a dynamic exchange, connecting colleagues with longtime collaborators and new scholars — including Georgia Tech alumni — and cultivating future collaborations.

Professional Learning and Youth Development

Barnes presented “Professional Learning in Youth Development that Empowers Educators and Produces Positive Youth Outcomes,” alongside Charmaine Davis-Grant of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and Edlyn Thompson-Mettle of Stevens Institute of Technology. The session highlighted three doctoral dissertation studies demonstrating that structured, evidence-informed professional learning empowers out-of-school time (OST) educators to create more engaging, responsive, and developmentally meaningful experiences for K–12 students. These findings reinforce the College’s goal of expanding access to high-quality, targeted professional development.

“By investing in and scaling these learning opportunities, the College can strengthen the impact of its K–12 programs while advancing its broader mission to support learning across the lifespan,” said Barnes.

Immersive and AI Learning Environments

For Lee, presenting “AI-Mediated Learning Environments: Scaffolding Inquiry, Metacognition, and Engagement” inspired thoughtful dialogue with the audience. Attendees expressed strong curiosity and engaged in critical reflection on the opportunities and challenges of integrating AI into educational settings.  Lee said that these conversations underscored the importance of the College researching effectiveness, trust, accountability, and the responsible implementation of AI as it becomes integrated into learning environments.

Yilmaz Soylu contributed insights on AI and virtual reality, including the Socratic Mind project and immersive spaces, in “Impact of a GenAI-assisted Socratic Dialogue Tool on Learning in an Asynchronous Computer Science Course,” “Seeing from the Stage: How Virtual Reality Shapes Rhetorical Understanding through Embodied Learning,” and “The Power of GenAI-enhanced Socratic Dialogue as a Scalable Learning Aid.”

Her sessions generated interest in tool design and implementation, as well as in how emotion shapes learning in VR.

“As the College moves toward a more structured microcredential portfolio and deepens its investment in teaching with and about AI, learning from and collaborating with other institutions during moments like this will help us design educational experiences that better serve students in a world shaped by AI and immersive technologies, she said.

Focusing on the Learner Experience

In addition to AERA, Koval attended and presented at the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), where she delivered a session titled “Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Test of a Computer Science Pedagogical Intervention and Beyond Testing: Incorporating Culturally Responsive Assessments in Informal Education.”

After both conferences, she found that conversations with colleagues across institutions reinforced the need for professional development that extends beyond content knowledge and supports teachers in developing emotional pedagogies. This approach equips educators with the tools to help students navigate complex content and related emotions.

She also explored culturally responsive and formative assessments that link learning to students' lived experiences and strengthen engagement — approaches the College could implement in informal programs, such as summer camps and youth initiatives.

AI and Learning Analytics

Alemdar co-presented at the International Learning Analytics and Knowledge (LAK) Conference with Parvez Rashid of the College of Charleston on “Mapping Cognitive Flows and Student Programming Patterns: A Case Study on an Introductory Python Course.” Additional co-authors were Yang Shi, Sutapa Dey Tithi, and Bedriye Eren. 

“The College is uniquely positioned to explore how AI and learning analytics can create more personalized, adaptive, and equitable learning experiences across the lifespan. LAK showed that AI-augmented systems can serve as collaborative partners, providing analysis and timely insights that enhance teaching and learning," she said. 

Across each event, a shared direction emerged — one that mirrors the College’s work: highlighting the importance of supporting educators, centering the whole learner, and applying new technologies to extend, rather than replace, human agency.