Smart Education in the Digital Society

Dear Colleagues,

The integration of digital technology into education began in 1960s with the PLATO Project and Logo language and proliferated in the late 1970s with the use of personal computers in schools. Though it was expected to initiate an educational revolution, the real transformation did not materialize. Nonetheless, digital technologies have effectively met long-expected educational goals and become integral to learning. This conviction has been reinforced by transformative technologies like the Internet, social media, and mobile communications, with the recent pandemic acting as an accelerant.

Amid these developments, there's a consensus that digital technologies can address emerging educational challenges. However, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI, has sparked discussions and debates, challenging previous optimism. Predictions about significant shifts in education and the advent of the smart education era have resurfaced. This has led to renewed research on innovative teaching methods beyond conventional digital approaches, which aim to examine the nature of the disruption AI technologies impose on the educational arena.

This Special Issue aims to disseminate cutting-edge research on smart education in the context of rapid advancements in AI technologies. It emphasizes integrating and assessing their impact within educational institutions, ranging from schools to the broader education system. The themes encompass the perceptions of educators and learners towards these technologies and their potential to disrupt traditional dynamics among students, teachers, and educational institutions. Additionally, this Special Issue explores new learning frameworks, addresses epistemological gaps between learners and teachers, and examines established models, such as constructionism. Emphasis is placed on AI as a standalone school subject and its implications for the educational ecosystem.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Foundations of AI-driven education: delving deeply into the fundamental principles underpinning AI and its far-reaching consequences for education; constructing a robust theoretical foundation to steer educational practices.
2. Advancing innovative learning paradigms in the AI era: developing pioneering pedagogical approaches tailored to AI-integrated educational landscapes; cgultivatin attributes such as creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability in students.
3. Metamorphosis of learning processes: exploring how AI technologies can potentially revolutionize the realms of teaching and learning; unearthing insights into cognitive processes and educational paradigms.
4. Ethical considerations in AI education: addressing pivotal ethical concerns, including privacy, bias, and fairness within the sphere of AI technologies in education; advocating for responsible and inclusive AI implementation.
5. Personalized learning: delving into the contrast between formal (explicit) and personal (tacit) knowledge while incorporating generative AI into the educational process.
6. Implementing diverse and advanced emerging smart technologies in different spheres of education.
7. Experimental case studies of smart technologies’ integration in learning: conducting research furnishes evidence-based responses to discussions and predictions of a paradigm shift in the educational ecosystem.

We invite researchers, educators, and experts to contribute their original research and insights to this transformative discourse. Join us in deciphering the intricate tapestry of smart education within the digital landscape.

Contact person: Ms. Michal Marom <[email protected]>

Prof. Dr. Ilya Levin
Prof. Dr. Alexei Semenov
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• future of education
• generative artificial intelligence
• smart education
• AI in education
• constructionism
• digital transformations
• digital society
• ethics