• GSEPR202501. The Construction of Innovative Theories and Systematic Practical Exploration of New Happy Education

• Participants: 

  Junjie Shang, Yu Liu, Peng Zhang, Junyi Zhou, Ruonan Hu, Zhuo Li, Lan Hou, Qiuping Hu, Zhu Shi, Jialing Zeng, Wenli Yang, Leisi Pei, Lu Zhang, Qi Xia, Yuanyuan Zhang, Lixiang Gao, Wendan Huang, Shufang Tan, Yueying Zhao, Yulong Huo

• Keywords: 

  New Happy Education, Game-based Learning, Learning Sciences, Construction of Theories, Systematic Practice

• Executive Summary: 

  New Happy Education aims to integrate learning sciences, game-based learning, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies and learning approaches to make learning more scientific, more enjoyable, and more effective. As educational reform enters a deep-water zone, it is essential to recognize that learning lies at the heart of education. Transforming learning is therefore key to driving deeper changes in education. Only through such transformation can we address persistent issues, such as low student motivation and increasing psychological challenges among learners.

• Project Description

  This project was inspired by the applicant’s long-term exploration of how to make learning more engaging and meaningful. Since 2004, the applicant has researched game-based learning, aiming to improve students’ learning experiences and motivation under exam-oriented education. However, it became evident that relying solely on games risked turning “happy education” into entertainment, overlooking learning effectiveness. In response, the applicant integrated learning sciences with game-based learning, later leading a national project titled Game-Based Learning from the Perspective of Learning Sciences. With the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, AI was gradually incorporated into the framework.  This evolution led to the theory of New Happy Education—an approach grounded in learning sciences, characterized by game-based learning, and supported by AI. It also draws on brain science, virtual reality, and other emerging technologies to promote learning that is scientific, joyful, and effective, helping every child grow up in a healthy, balanced way. The project seeks to break the dilemma of “sacrificing joy for achievement” or“choosing fun over growth.” Through thoughtful learning design, students can experience real happiness in learning—not just fun in playing—and achieve holistic development through genuine engagement.

GSEPR202502. Development and Validation of the PA-SDA Scale for AI-Integrated Self-Directed Language Learning

• Participants: 

  Belle Li, Zhuo Zhang, Victoria Lowell, Chaoran Wang, Curtis J. Bonk

• Keywords: 

  Artificial intelligence; Self-directed learning; Scale development; Personal attributes

• Executive Summary: 

  The Personal Attributes for Self-Directed AI Learning (PA-SDA) Scale is the first validated quantitative instrument measuring key personal attributes of language learners in AI-integrated self-directed learning contexts. Grounded in the AI-Integrated SDL Framework (Li et al., 2024b), the 44-item scale was developed and validated with 699 global language learners using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. It offers educators, researchers, and policymakers a robust diagnostic tool to assess learners’ readiness for AI-enhanced education, enabling targeted interventions, equitable access, and strategic pedagogical design. The PA-SDA Scale bridges theory and practice, providing a scalable and adaptable solution for AI-era education worldwide.

• Project Description:

  This project was inspired by a pressing gap in education: the absence of validated tools to assess learners’ readiness for AI-integrated self-directed learning (SDL). While generative AI tools are rapidly transforming language education, success depends not only on technology but on learners’ ability to navigate, adapt, and critically engage with AI systems. Existing SDL readiness scales were developed before the advent of advanced AI, overlooking new competencies such as AI-specific strategy use, resource management, and critical evaluation of AI-generated content. Building on Li et al.’s (2024b) AI-Integrated SDL Framework, we operationalized five personal attributes (Attitude, Strategy Use, Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Resource Use) into measurable items. Following rigorous scale development protocols, we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA, CFA) to validate the construct structure. The final 44-item PA-SDA Scale reflects nine subconstructs, offering fine-grained insight into learner readiness in AI-mediated contexts. The PA-SDA addresses the UN Summit of the Future 2024 agenda by advancing inclusive, quality digital education. It empowers educators to design interventions that bridge the AI readiness gap, supports equitable access to AI-enhanced learning, and informs policy on AI integration in curricula. Its adaptability allows application across languages, age groups, and educational levels. Ultimately, this project contributes a theoretically grounded, empirically validated innovation that will help education systems worldwide prepare learners for the future of AI-enabled learning.

GSEPR202503. RAG-Tutor

• Participants: 

  Daniel Burgos, Enrique Frías, José Carlos San José

• Keywords: 

  Dialogic learning, On-demand learning, Generative AI, RAG
  

• Executive Summary: 

  Provide a summary of your project, why it is important and how it will address a specific issue/problem. This project generates a tool that enhances DIALOGIC LEARNING, what is the process through which a student learns based on the conversation that he or she makes with data sources (the corpus). As a complement to memorization, or procedural learning (where a series of steps that must be followed are listed), dialogic learning focuses on inquiry, exploration, and the curiosity of the student. It is, therefore, a tool that enhances the student's capacity for constructive thinking and critical analysis, as a complement to other transversal competences. Dialogic learning also supports functional diversity, with real-time adaptation to learning styles, ways of expression, along with competence and cognitive levels.

• Project Description:

  This project designs a privacy-preserving multilingual assistant that acts as a tutor for students. The system is implemented using a RAG architecture (Retrieval Augmented Generation) that solves students’ doubts and questions using the educational content provided by the professor for the course, in a private environment, both for sources and for user interaction. The main objective is to create a tool, RAG-Tutor, that adapts content to student needs and as a result enhances and facilitates the learning process by personalizing the answers and providing mechanisms for human-machine collaboration. This project is built on recent advances in LLMs (Large Language Models), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and privacy-preserving approaches, to build a tutor architecture that provides relevant answers within the context of the documentation of a course. In general, the goal is to design tutoring systems that can facilitate the learning process for online students.

  Key objectives:

  1. Designing a multilingual privacy-preserving RAG-based architecture that allows students to ask questions and clarify doubts without compromising sensitive information.

  2. Ensuring scalability and adaptability of RAG-Tutor to different courses

  The main contributions to Dialogic and On-demand learning are:

  (1) Contextualized and Adaptive Content Delivery: RAG-Tutor dynamically contextualizes learning content for  specific needs. By applying Retrieval-Augmented Generation, RAG-Tutor can present just-in-time information  adapted to each student's progress enhancing on-demand learning.

  (2) Student-Centered Approach: RAG-Tutor is designed with a student-centered approach, putting learners' goals, interests, and challenges in the core of the system. It identifies knowledge gaps while presenting content in a personalized and accessible way.

  (3) Self-Directed Exploration and Lifelong Learning: RAG-Tutor allows students to engage with educational  material on their own and as per their needs and interests. It enables self-directed learning with real-time and  context-aware responses.

GSEPR202401. Creative Achievement in Developing Fundamental Theories of “Internet Plus Education”

• Participants: 

  Li Chen, Qinhua Zheng, Jingjing Zhang, Zhijun Wang, Hong Zhao, Yaqian Xu, Yujuan Guo, Huaibo Wang

• Keywords: 

  “Internet Plus Education” ; fundamental principle; theoretical originality; philosophical concept; law of teaching and learning

• Executive Summary: 

The outcome of the project“Research on Educational Reform and Innovative Management in the‘Internet Plus’Era (71834002)”, is an innovative educational theory that enhances and supplements current methodologies by providing a deeper understanding of the integration of the Internet and education and offers practical solutions for the digital transformation of education. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and conducted by the esteemed Research Center for Internet and Education at Beijing Normal University, this project represents five years of dedicated research and groundbreaking innovation. The “Internet Plus Education” approach, previously criticized as “under-conceptualized and over-technologized”, has been revolutionized through this work, which addresses these critiques and contributes to three key theoretical advancements:

(1) Fundamental Principles of “Internet Plus Education”: We have established principles that define the meaning, scope, and innovative focus of integrating the Internet with education.

(2) Philosophical Perspective of “Internet Plus Education”: Our research introduces new ontology, epistemology, and methodology, forming a complex systems perspective that enriches educational theory.

(3) Laws Regulating Online Teaching and Learning: We have proposed the intricate principles of connectivist learning, providing a robust framework for understanding the dynamics of “Internet Plus Education”.

 

The 28 articles and one monograph based on theoretical innovation demonstrate the originality and global thought leadership of Chinese scholars nurtured by China’s pioneering practices. These contributions offer cutting-edge ideas and methods for advancing theory to support the digital transformation of education and present innovative Chinese thinking and philosophy to the global community.

 

First published and presented at the Global Smart Education Conference 2023, our achievements have received significant attention. The innovative theoretical framework has guided national strategic plans, influenced regional policy documents, and enriched community-based online courses. Our work has been presented at over 30 academic conferences, both domestically and internationally, highlighting our leadership and impact in the field.

• Project Description

The Internet has revolutionized education, significantly shaping the structure, processes, and mechanisms of teaching and learning. It has not only transformed educational methods but also challenged existing theoretical frameworks.

 

As education evolves from a two-space model (physical and social spaces) to a three-space model (physical, social, and informational spaces), a recurring challenge arises from a lack of holistic understanding of the principles that underpin the changed scenario. This often results in an“under-conceptualized and over-technologized”approach, akin to putting “old wine in new bottles”.

 

In response, our research team has leveraged Chinese educational innovation practices, collecting and analyzing multi-dimensional data to produce independent and groundbreaking theoretical advancements in the field of “Internet Plus Education”. These accomplishments address three significant theoretical advancements:

 

(1) Fundamental Principles of “Internet Plus Education”: This contribution provides an intellectual framework for understanding what “Internet Plus Education” truly entails. It defines the meaning, scope, and innovative aspects of the concept, outlining a strategic path for national implementation.

(2) Philosophical Perspective of “Internet Plus Education”: Our exploration delves into the profound effects of the Internet on education, presenting new viewpoints on knowledge, ontology, methodology, and complex systems. This provides theoretical guidance for updating educational ideologies and reconstructing 

educational theory.

(3) Laws Regulating Online Teaching and Learning: This work examines the impact of the Internet on teaching and learning methodologies, focusing on connectivism as the primary learning approach in the context of “Internet Plus Education”. It elucidates the intricate principles inherent in connectivist learning, offering strong evidence to guide educational practices and continually refine educational values.

 

The theoretical innovation represents the first comprehensive, multi-faceted, and systematic research outcome in China that elaborates fundamental theories of“Internet Plus Education”.

 

GSEPR202402. A Sketch of Professor Zhu Zhiting's Academic Thoughts on Educational Informatization

•   Participants: 

Zhu Zhiting, Zhong Zhixian, Yi Kaiyu

•   Executive Summary: 

This project is guided by the ‘Small World of Academic Research’ theory and follows the ‘Six Keywords of Learning’ (key topics, key achievements, key conferences, key projects, key accomplishments, and key collaborators) as articulated by Professor Zhu Zhiting. Using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database as the primary source of literature, this study summarizes and refines the academic articles indexed in CSSCI, projects undertaken, conferences attended, and doctoral theses supervised by Professor Zhu Zhiting over the past 33 years (1986-2019) into six thematic modules: Educational Informatization, E-Book Bags, Teacher Education, Instructional Design, Curriculum Resources, and Smart Education. The project categorically presents and analyzes Professor Zhu's research outcomes, depicting his research trajectory and academic thoughts, highlighting his academic innovations and personality. By revisiting the development path of ‘Technology Empowering Educational Innovation’ since the reform and opening-up, this project aids digital education researchers and practitioners in understanding the current status and trends of the ‘race between education and technology’, sketching an alternative academic development history of educational technology and the growth of its representative figures.

•   Project Description

Professor Zhu Zhiting, a renowned educational technologist in China, has personally experienced the stages of technology empowering educational innovation since the reform and opening-up. For decades, he has consistently and actively engaged in research, adapting to changes and foreseeing trends in areas such as Computer Aided Instruction (CAI), informatized education, educational informatization, e-book bags, teacher education, and smart education, achieving significant accomplishments in both theoretical construction and practical exploration.

 

This study aims to outline Professor Zhu Zhiting's research trajectory and academic thoughts, bringing us closer to his academic innovations and personality. By revisiting the development path of ‘technology empowering educational innovation’ since the reform and opening-up, this study seeks to understand the current status and trends of the ‘race between education and technology’, sketching an alternative academic development history of educational technology. From CAI to smart education, Professor Zhu has become a leading figure in the field of smart education research in China. In this domain, he and his team have produced numerous innovative outcomes, striving to build a comprehensive smart education research ecosystem, which has had significant academic and social impacts.

 

This study aims to look back at the various historical stages of technology empowering educational innovation since China's reform and opening-up, revisit the waves of various implementations, policies, theories, ideologies, and technological developments, and explore the current and future trends of smart education.