MIT Jameel World Education Lab

06/09/2025

Universities across the globe are grappling with the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) on education and society. Despite universal interest in AI within higher education, the approaches and uses vary widely across institutional contexts, creating diverse pathways for integrating AI in the university context.

To understand these pathways and how they interact with other aspects of knowledge and society, J-WEL assembled a member-led working group on AI for Universities (AI4U) to enable members to learn together through dedicated space and time to share current AI-related work practices and to generate new ideas for collaboration. AI4U is a community of practice CoP within J-WEL.

Throughout the year, we have been exploring the shifting faculty roles in the AI era. As a group, we spoke with members about the initiatives they are driving to embrace AI technologies at their institutions. We describe these insights in this paper: https://www.jwel.mit.edu/ideas/publications/ai4u-insights-report

AI4U members include:
UNAM Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Tecnológico de Monterrey
RTU
USP - Universidade de São Paulo
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
THENSA

05/15/2025

In a member spotlight on La Ibero (IBERO), MIT Jameel Education Lab postdoc Kathleen Burke examines IBERO’s recent work to improve student engagement – with a strong attention to the first year students.

Insights are shared from Jorge Meza, director of admissions and the student experience at IBERO, who leveraged student feedback and UX journey mapping to redesign their marketing and admissions strategies to enhance the first year experience.

Read more:

Member SpotlightMay 14, 2025A student-centric approach to enhancing the first year experience at Universidad IberoamericanaKathleen BurkeThroughout 2024, the MIT Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL) engaged in dialogue with over 26 members across 6 universities to understand the first year experience....

04/26/2025

J-WEL Education Innovation grantee Nevan Hanumara is empowering engineers in low- and middle-income countries with a "Biomedical lab in a box."

Together with MIT's Leroy Sibanda and Anthony Pennes, the group is expanding the hands-on biosensing and mechatronics curriculum of 2.75/6.4861 (Medical Device Design) to have a greater impact.

The trio created a hands-on course, exercises, and curriculum, supported by what they’ve now dubbed a “Biomed Lab in a Box" kit.

Learn more about their work: https://bit.ly/4jeqU3A
MIT Mechanical Engineering

MIT researchers instructed biomedical innovation mini-courses at both Kenyatta University and Mbarara University of Science & Technology designed to empower local biomedical engineers to solve local problems.

04/23/2025

The Jameel World Education Lab at MIT Open Learning supports innovative research from across MIT through its Education Innovation grants that is designed to improve learning on our campus and across the world. Researchers connect evidence and ideas in creative ways that will reduce barriers to learning, including lack of access.

Today, we look at 5 research projects that are expanding access to education to underserved groups of learners, including refugees and students in the rural U.S. and Global South, by using technology and creative approaches to bridging educational gaps.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3Ry7Cdk

MIT Media Lab
MIT Department of Physics

A look at research projects funded by Education Innovation grants from the MIT Jameel World Education Lab.

04/18/2025

Innovation pipelines — a set of clustered activities that enable innovative ideas to develop into real-world impact — is a central topic being explored this year by the MIT J-WEL, part of MIT Open Learning, and our member institutions.

Kathleen Burke, postdoctoral associate for global engagement, examines the innovation pipelines built by RTU and Riga Business School in collaboration with J-WEL.

Burke spoke with Claudio Rivera, director of academic affairs and assistant professor in leadership at RBS and a longstanding member of the J-WEL community. He shared the hard-earned lessons from his work, as well as reflections on the role of RBS in educational innovation, drawing connections between his work and the national ecosystem of educational transformation, entrepreneurial development, and industry innovation in Latvia.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4is84oy

Reflections from MIT J-WEL member Riga Technical University on how individuals contribute to, and enhance, innovation in higher education.

03/27/2025

Innovation pipelines -- a set of clustered activities that enable innovative ideas to develop into real-world impact -- is a central topic being explored this year by the MIT Jameel World Education Lab and our member institutions.

Our postdoc, Kathleen Burke, examines the innovation pipelines built by RTU and Riga Business School, in collaboration with J-WEL. In particular, she raises a broad question:

How do individual perspectives, roles, and activities relate to campus-wide efforts to build innovation pipelines?

Hear more from her and RBS Director and Assistant Professor Claudio Rivera: https://bit.ly/4iJNQr6

03/10/2025

"The first year experience on campus plays a pivotal role in fostering academic achievement, community engagement, graduation rates, and alumni involvement. Our research indicates that the first year is not only vital for academic success but also for transmitting and evolving the institution’s culture while promoting student wellbeing."

The MIT Jameel World Education Lab spoke with 26 individuals from six member institutions across four continents to explore ideas, challenges, questions, and aspirations regarding the first year student experience and student experiences more broadly.

Read the full paper for all of the insights: https://bit.ly/41srgNF

02/26/2025

The integration of AI and large language models (LLMs) into educational research is revolutionizing the way we approach teaching and learning.

The MIT Jameel World Education Lab supports MIT researchers that are driving innovation in education through collaborative approaches to research, teaching, and engagement via our Education Innovation grants.

In the spotlight today are four innovative projects at the forefront of this transformation, each leveraging AI and LLMs to address unique educational challenges and improve learner outcomes.

Read more: https://bit.ly/437BPHb

02/25/2025

In the summer of 2024, the MIT Jameel World Education Lab hosted conversations aimed at exchanging perspectives and generating ideas, challenges, questions, and aspirations regarding the first year student experience and student experiences more broadly.

We spoke with 26 individuals from six J-WEL member institutions across four continents, including faculty, staff, and administrators focused on academics, student support, co-curricular activities, faculty development, and pre-college engagement.

The following paper highlights the insights gained, initiatives universities have
developed, and the challenges and opportunities they shared.

Read the paper: https://bit.ly/41srgNF

RTU
La Ibero
New Uzbekistan University - Yangi O'zbekiston Universiteti
UNAM Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Tecnológico de Monterrey
Tshwane University of Technology

02/18/2025

After 6 events about the impact and opportunities for AI in education, 9 key takeaways rose to the top:

1. Understand what AI is and isn't
2. AI is an education tool
3. Combine AI and robotics for social learning
4. Teach AI fluency
5. Digital tutors have real potential
6. Apply AI to train the trainer
7. Control for hallucinations
8. Create communities of practice
9. Don't ban it

Read more and watch the videos: https://bit.ly/3WFhuES

02/08/2025

The latest episode of the Curiosity Unbounded podcast features J-WEL Education Innovation grantee and Professor Stefanie Mueller talking about the future of customizable 3D printing, what it could mean to manufacturing and sustainability, and how to make it accessible to everyone.

Mueller's grant project investigated educators' experiences in teaching maker skills across various makerspaces. Through interviews with educators, the study identified key competencies, strategies, and challenges in makerspace education.

Listen here: https://bit.ly/40QsMHE

MIT Mechanical Engineering
MIT EECS Department
CSAIL - MIT

January 28, 2025 Introduction Stefanie Mueller is an associate professor with a joint appointment in MIT's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering departments. Her work is focused on developing novel hardware and software systems that advance personal fabrication tech...