Research - CIDDL

From Local Problems to Community Solutions: Join the Fall 2026 CIDDL AI Community Challenge

What could students improve in their community if artificial intelligence became a thought partner rather than an answer machine?
The Center for Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning (CIDDL) invites students and teachers in Grades 7–12 to answer this question through the Fall 2026 AI Community Challenge. Teams across the nation will identify a consequential local issue, investigate its causes, and design an evidence-informed solution with support from artificial intelligence (AI). The challenge places human reasoning at the center of every submission.

Virtual Classrooms, Real Skills: Utilizing Mixed-Reality Simulations in Special Education Teacher Prep

Many teacher preparation programs are constantly seeking innovative methods to equip preservice teachers with the real-world skills they need before stepping into a physical classroom. One of the most promising emerging technologies doing just that is Mixed-Reality Simulation (MRS).

Reimagining Learning Through AI and Extended Reality

The brief begins with context on the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) in supporting students with disabilities and the opportunities and challenges these technologies present for educators.

Designing AI-Integrated Learning Experiences for Pre-Service Teachers: A Real-Classroom Example

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept but a present reality that is reshaping how we teach and learn. Dr. James Basham, Yerin Seung, and I recognized that for pre-service teachers, developing a proactive attitude and the ability to leverage AI are fundamental competencies they must possess before entering the field. We designed our course to move beyond mere tool usage, aiming to foster a deep-seated AI literacy that balances technological benefits with pedagogical integrity. This post explores how we integrated AI into our curriculum to prepare the next generation of educators for a tech-driven classroom.

Virtual Reality for Career Exploration: Expanding Transition Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

The start of a new academic year gives faculty an opportunity to revisit how they prepare future educators for meaningful practice. Back-to-school planning often focuses on syllabi, course routines, assignments, and expectations. Faculty in special education and leadership preparation programs can also use this season to ask a broader question: How are we preparing future professionals to use technology to support student independence beyond the classroom?

Beyond AI Adoption: Why Asking Better Questions About Privacy and Security Matters

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become part of conversations about teaching and learning. Much of the discussion has focused on what AI can do for education—personalizing instruction, increasing accessibility, reducing teachers’ workload, or supporting student learning. As these opportunities continue to expand, schools are increasingly faced with another challenge that receives far less attention: How do we know whether an AI tool is trustworthy enough to use with students?

Support Students with Disabilities’ Independence with Mobile Devices

This brief examines how mobile devices can support the independence of students with intellectual disabilities as they navigate college campuses and community settings. Drawing on Dr. Hester’s discussion of her collaborative work with Lori Cooney and Dr. Don McMahon, it explains how Google My Maps can be customized according to individual students’ destinations, preferences, support needs, and person-centered plans. The brief also considers how mobile technology can be incorporated into teacher preparation, how educators can develop more balanced perceptions of mobile devices, and what future research is needed to strengthen technology-supported transition and inclusive postsecondary education practices.

young boy working next to a laptop writing on a pad of paper

Episode 3: Rethinking AI Literacy Through Human Agency

This episode asks a related question: What does it mean to be AI literate while remaining an active human agent?

Students working at tables in a K-12 classroom

What Does the Research Actually Say About AI in K-12 Classrooms?

Artificial intelligence tools are entering classrooms faster than the research base evaluating them can keep up with. For educators, that gap creates a real dilemma: how do you make sound instructional decisions about AI when rigorous evidence remains so thin? This post summarizes a new report from Stanford’s AI Hub for Education, The Evidence Base on AI in K-12: A 2026 Review (Fesler et al., 2026), which offers one of the clearest pictures yet of what we currently know and, just as importantly, what we don’t.

Vibe Coding for Special Educators: Building Custom Classroom Tools Without Code

What if the most powerful assistive technology tool for your classroom was not something you ordered from a catalog but something you built yourself, in an afternoon, without writing a single line of code?

Category: Research