SceneCraft: From Story Ideas to Playable Interactive Experiences

Three eighth-grade students work together on an assignment in a school courtyard.

Author: Vikram Kumaran & Wookhee Min Key Ideas Interactive storytelling has long been a powerful way to engage learners. From early text-based adventures to modern narrative-driven games, stories enable people to explore ideas, make decisions, and see the consequences of their decisions unfold. However, creating interactive narratives, especially those designed for learning, typically requires significant … Read more

Educational Rights in a Future of AI

Black female instructor speaking to a multiracial group of students during a class in a sunny classroom on a college campus.

Author: Megan Humburg Key Ideas I recently visited the University at Albany to give a talk in an ongoing series about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Democracy. When I first received the invitation, I had a bit of an imposter syndrome moment – what could I possibly have to say about democracy as a learning scientist? … Read more

Designing Pedagogically Sound Conversational Agents

An image of students at Sutton Middle School using online research to answer questions during a lesson in history class.

Authors: Namrata Srivastava and Clayton Cohn, Vanderbilt University Key Ideas  Adaptive scaffolding, or support that changes based on what learners need at any certain moment, has long been a goal of educational technology. In real classrooms, however, delivering timely, personalized support is hard. Teachers must interpret student speech, actions, and collaboration patterns across multiple groups—often … Read more

Designing AI-agents to Support Inquiry in Educational Science Games

Female avatar wears a beekeeper suit while standing in front of eight beehives in a field that backs up to woods. Image text reads: I’m wondering… Why are bees important for growing food?

Author: Dr. Dalila Dragnić-Cindrić and Dr. Megan Humburg Key Ideas: Dr. Dalila Dragnić-Cindrić and Dr. Megan Humburg, members of the EngageAI Institute’s research team, discuss their approach to integrating AI-driven agents into educational science games. Dalila: Megan, why do we design science learning games, and what do you want teachers to know about the thinking … Read more

Lessons from the EngageAI Practitioner Advisory Board

AI is not simply another “new tool.” It’s a paradigm shift that will ripple across every part of education. Image of Paula Johnson, Marshalltown Virtual Academy. EngageAI Institute Logo.

Author: Paula Johnson Key Ideas: This blog post first appeared on Paula Johnson’s blog on Oct. 3. Johnson is an accomplished educator, advocate, and thought leader with over 30 years of experience in special education, instructional coaching, and technology integration. As an ISTE + ASCD Generative AI Fellow and member of the EngageAI Practitioner Advisory … Read more

Vision Meets Interaction: Detecting Speakers and Camera Wearers in Social Scenes

A middle school student explains the inspiration for his art project to classmates.

Author: Xizi Wang, Ziwei Zhao and David Crandall Key Ideas As part of the EngageAI initiative, our team has been developing new techniques for computer vision—technology that helps computers “see”—to better understand social dynamics in real-world, multi-camera environments, such as how teachers and students interact in classrooms. These methods serve as the visual intelligence backbone … Read more

How AI-Enabled Narrative Learning Engages Middle School Students in Science

An avatar of a student from SciStory: Pollinators stands in a garden-like space in front of five apiaries.

Authors: Kara Cassell, Yeo Jin Kim, Dan Carpenter, Wookhee Min, and James Lester Key Ideas The National Science Foundation AI Institute for Engaged Learning (EngageAI) is advancing K-12 STEM education through the development of AI-enabled narrative-centered learning environments. These environments leverage artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for adaptive narrative planning and collaborative problem-solving support by creating … Read more

Learners Light the Way: Creating a Students’ AI Bill of Rights

Students and adults stand around a table at a conference booth to showcase the items on display.

Author: Kip Glazer, Ed.D. Principal, Mountain View High School Key Ideas As part of EngageAI’s Practitioner Advisory Board, I was fortunate to contribute to creating “An AI Bill of Rights for Educators,” which has led students from Mountain View High School to create the “AI Bill of Rights for Students.” After we published the educator-focused … Read more

Crafting the Future of Learning with Stories and AI

Two men sit at a table looking at SceneCraft on a laptop.

Author: Anthony Baker Key Ideas At this year’s League of Innovative Schools meeting in Pittsburgh, Digital Promise invited educators and district leaders into an exciting and emerging space in education: the intersection of GenAI, storytelling, and instructional practice. The session wasn’t just about showcasing a new technology — it was about reimagining how we engage … Read more