Online learning platforms provide students access to education worldwide, but bias in educational content remains an issue. Bias (such as ethnic bias) negatively impacts the studies of affected groups, limiting student performance and engagement. Tackling bias expressed in learning content manually is a time-consuming, sometimes impractical, error-prone endeavour due to subjectivity in perception and the sheer amount of digital educational content available.
Overview
Aims
This project aims to develop AI-based strategies for widening the outreach of digital online material through detecting bias expressed in text and raising stakeholder awareness with the help of workshops. The project’s key objectives are:
1. Engage stakeholders through workshops for bias awareness.
- Improve content quality by identifying bias at scale.
- Develop AI-enabled strategies for bias detection and (semi) automated remediation in educational content.
- Disseminate findings in journals, and conferences, informing other researchers on inclusive practices.
How will this be achieved?
Three workshops target 100 participants to study and promote awareness of bias in learning content. The project identifies, evaluates, and refines AI-enabled models for automated detection and mitigation from textual material, providing educators with automated tools to identify and mitigate potential issues. Findings are published in peer-reviewed, high-impact venues, sharing insights with the research and educational technology community on how to widen reach by reducing bias in educational content.
Broader Impact
This research will contribute to a more open education system, ensuring that learning materials reflect diversity mitigating barriers to scale. By integrating AI technology with ethical and moral principles, the project enhances trust in AI, positively impacting precision, scalability, and transparency, shaping the future of equitable and open learning environments.
- Empower stakeholders to address bias in content (via workshops and AI Tools)
- Strengthens OU's societal leadership in ethical, technology-enhanced education.
- Provides diverse students with access to inclusive materials, creating equitable opportunities.
Funding & Support
This project has been funded by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (UKRI ESRC) (80%) and The Open University (20%), with additional support from the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership (GUDTP).
People
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JA
Dr Josmario Albuquerque
Research programmes
Funders
- UKRI Economic and Social Research Council