Educator Professional Development Through LA and AIED Participatory Design: A Missing Link

The research, design, and development of Learning Analytics (LA) and Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) technologies are inherently interdisciplinary, spanning fields such as computer science, education, human-computer interaction, psychology, and the learning sciences. Effectively navigating this complex landscape requires methodological approaches that facilitate meaningful collaboration among diverse stakeholders. Co-design has emerged as a promising strategy for aligning LA and AIED technological innovations with the real pedagogical needs of educational practitioners. However, the adoption of LA and AIED technologies in practice is often delayed, frequently due to educators’ reluctance to alter established pedagogical routines and limited data and AI literacy. To address this challenge, research in teacher education highlights the value of framing co-design not only as a strategy for technology design and development but also as a form of educator learning. This paper advocates for adopting a similar approach within LA and AIED research communities: a shift from primarily viewing co-design as a unidirectional process aimed at eliciting educators' input to embracing it as a reciprocal approach that simultaneously supports educators’ professional growth. By reconceptualizing co-design as a dual-purpose process, LA and AIED researchers can better foster educators’ agency, AI literacy, and critical pedagogical reflection, thereby potentially enhancing their readiness to integrate innovative technologies into their practice and increasing the long-term sustainability and impact of LA and AIED tools.