In 2022, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) chatbots like ChatGPT were released to the public and were rapidly embraced by many. Educational stakeholders are divided about whether to incorporate or ban chatbot usage in classrooms. Student engagement, a meta construct comprised of behavioral, cognitive, affective, and social components, is…

This study sought to develop, implement, and test an Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistant (AITA) to enhance student engagement and instructor presence in online courses using AI models like OpenAI's 4o model and Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) solutions like Microsoft Power Automate. The AITA generated weekly announcements within…

Technology is utilized in everyday life. As such, teachers can employ educational robots and technology to assist in growing skills in collaboration, communication, computational thinking, and problem-solving. Educational robots also appear to increase engagement and motivation in students to participate in lessons. This study employed…

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in Online learning. With this increase comes several challenges for instructors and students such as connectivity issues and student engagement. Organizations are spending millions of dollars developing emerging technologies such as emotion AI and other AI applications without taking cognizance of users'…

This dissertation explores the development and implementation of a community-based educational program, iDREAM, aimed at teaching minoritized youth about Artificial Intelligence (AI) with an emphasis on ethics and social justice. Partnering with two NGOs, this study integrates Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) and Critical Computational…

Online educational resources (e.g., curricula, tutorials, documentation, Q&A sites) increasingly serve as key sources for secondary school students learning Computer Science Principles (CSP). A big obstacle to using these resources is finding information appropriate for the learning task and learner's background. Research shows that secondary…

Adaptive learning systems aim to emulate how skilled educators provide every student with the best possible learning experience. We investigate how these systems might be enriched by incorporating activities and indicators of social learning, which focus on the influences of learners' social context and interactions. This doctoral research aims to…