My research investigates the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence in classroom education technologies, with a focus on how these technologies are developed. The primary basis of AI techniques such as machine learning is data. Who determines what data is important to collect in a particular context, and on what basis do they make such decisions? Towards answering this question, I look at the algorithmic foundations of such technologies, as well as the practices and assumptions of the software developers who create them.
Prior to joining the University of Edinburgh, I completed my M.A in Educational Foundations, Policy & Practice from the University of Colorado, Boulder. I also hold a bachelors and master’s degree in computer science, and previously worked as a software engineer in the tech industry for ten years. My intent is to draw from my technical expertise and background in education to do interdisciplinary work that will explore the implications of the technological spaces, and coded infrastructures within which AI education technologies are envisioned and developed.
Supervisors: Dr Ben Williamson, Dr Jeremy Knox
Email: M.Mani@sms.ed.ac.uk