Research Assistant (Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice) [NIE]

The National Institute of Education invites suitable applications for the position of Research Assistant on a 12-month contract, renewable, at the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice.

Project Title: Developing and Validating a Comprehensive Multi-Perspective, Accountable, and Explainable System of Standards for Learning Analytics and Artificial Intelligence in Education (CoMPA(I)SS)

Project Introduction: This project aims to develop and validate a framework designed to support the trustworthy, accountable, and explainable adoption of Learning Analytics (LA) and Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd). The project involves conducting a SWOT analysis of existing LA and AIEd frameworks, consulting international experts, administering stakeholder surveys, and implementing pilot case studies across educational contexts. The final outcome will be a validated framework to guide researchers, developers, educational leaders, teachers, and students in the ethical and effective use of AI and learning analytics technologies.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Social Sciences, Psychology, Learning Sciences, Data Analytics, Computer Science, Information Studies, Law, Public Policy, or a related discipline.
• Prior research experience in educational research, learning analytics, artificial intelligence in education, educational technology, technology governance, ethics, or related fields
• Familiarity with ethics review processes, research protocol development, research governance requirements, and issues related to AI, privacy, data protection, and accountability
• Knowledge and experience in qualitative and/or quantitative research methods.
• Experience in literature reviews, framework analysis, SWOT analysis, survey administration, and/or thematic/content analysis
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary research team.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage project timelines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in research project management and coordination.
• Proficiency in data management and analysis software (e.g., NVivo, SPSS, R, Python, or equivalent).

Responsibilities:

• Assist with overall project management and coordination of research activities.
• Assist in developing research protocols, instruments, and study procedures.
• Conduct comprehensive literature reviews and synthesize findings.
• Perform SWOT analyses of existing Learning Analytics and AIEd frameworks.
• Coordinate and support engagement with international expert panel members.
• Assist with survey development, administration, participant recruitment, and data collection.
• Manage research databases and ensure proper data storage, documentation, and governance.
• Conduct quantitative data analysis, including data cleaning, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and survey data analysis, with supervision.
• Conduct qualitative data analysis, including content analysis, thematic analysis, coding of interviews and focus group discussions, and cross-case analysis, with supervision.
• Support qualitative data collection for pilot case studies, including interviews, focus groups, observations, and collection of reflective artefacts.
• Assist in the preparation of reports, presentations, conference papers, and journal manuscripts for the dissemination of research findings.
• Liaise with stakeholders, including researchers, educators, industry partners, and educational institutions.
• Undertake other duties related to the project as assigned by the Principal Investigator.

Application

Applicants (external and internal) will apply via Workday. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Closing Date

Closing date for advertisements will be set to 14 calendar days from date of posting.

Hiring Institution: NIE