Download pdf
The Impact of Curriculum Design and Educational Equity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence - A Literature Review
- 1 School of Education, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, the education sector is undergoing profound changes, particularly in curriculum design and educational equity. The growing use of AI, including adaptive learning platforms, intelligent tutoring systems, virtual tutors, and immersive education technologies (VR/AR), is driving personalized learning and improving the efficient use of teaching and learning resources. However, the impact of AI in education is not all positive, as it can either create new educational opportunities or exacerbate existing inequities. Through a systematic literature review, this study explores the core applications of AI in curriculum design and analyses its contribution to modern educational equity, while revealing the challenges of the digital divide, algorithmic bias, and technological thresholds that AI may bring. This study aims to provide policymakers, educators and technology developers with a comprehensive understanding of AI's dual impact on educational equity, emphasizing both its benefits and potential risks, to guide the development of policies that enhance the role of AI in promoting educational equity, while preventing it from exacerbating existing inequities.
Keywords
Artificial intelligence (AI), Educational Equity, Curriculum Design, Personalized Learning
[1]. Dutta, S., Ranjan, S., Mishra, S., Sharma, V., Hewage, P., & Iwendi, C. (2024, February). Enhancing educational adaptability: A review and analysis of AI-driven adaptive learning platforms. In 2024 4th International Conference on Innovative Practices in Technology and Management (ICIPTM) (pp. 1-5). IEEE.
[2]. Lin, C. C., Huang, A. Y., & Lu, O. H. (2023). Artificial intelligence in intelligent tutoring systems toward sustainable education: a systematic review. Smart Learning Environments, 10(1), 41.
[3]. Halkiopoulos, C., & Gkintoni, E. (2024). Leveraging AI in e-learning: Personalized learning and adaptive assessment through cognitive neuropsychology—A systematic analysis. Electronics, 13(18), 3762.
[4]. Ejjami, R. (2024). The future of learning: AI-based curriculum development. Int J Multidiscipline Res, 6(4).
[5]. El-Sabagh, H. A. (2021). Adaptive e-learning environment based on learning styles and its impact on development students' engagement. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18(1), 53.
[6]. Cavanagh, T., Chen, B., Lahcen, R. A. M., & Paradiso, J. R. (2020). Constructing a design framework and pedagogical approach for adaptive learning in higher education: A practitioner's perspective. International review of research in open and distributed learning, 21(1), 173-197.
[7]. Zhao, X., Ren, Y., & Cheah, K. S. (2023). Leading Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in education: bibliometric and content analysis from the web of science (2018–2022). SAGE Open, 13(3), 21582440231190821.
[8]. Ayeni, O. O., Al Hamad, N. M., Chisom, O. N., Osawaru, B., & Adewusi, O. E. (2024). AI in education: A review of personalized learning and educational technology. GSC Advanced Research and Reviews, 18(2), 261-271.
[9]. Labadze, L., Grigolia, M., & Machaidze, L. (2023). Role of AI chatbots in education: systematic literature review. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20(1), 56.
[10]. OECD (2018), Equity in Education: Breaking Down Barriers to Social Mobility, PISA, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264073234-en.
[11]. Levinson, M., Geron, T., & Brighouse, H. (2022). Conceptions of educational equity. AERA Open, 8, 23328584221121344.
[12]. Ravishankar, P., Padmanabhan, S., & Ravindran, B. (2023). Financial exclusion of internal migrant workers of India during COVID-19: can digital financial inclusion be facilitated by AI?. Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research, 25(2), 129-158.
[13]. Said, M. Y., & Nurhayati, Y. (2021). A review on Rawls Theory of Justice. International Journal of Law, Environment, and Natural Resources, 1(1), 29-36.
[14]. United Nations. (n.d.). Recognizing and overcoming inequity in education. United Nations Chronicle. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/recognizing-and-overcoming-inequity-education
[15]. Mandle, J. (2009). Rawls's' A theory of justice': An introduction. Cambridge University Press.
[16]. Walker, M. (2005). Amartya Sen's capability approach and education. Educational action research, 13(1), 103-110.
[17]. Hart, C. S. (2012). The capability approach and education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 42(3), 275-282.
[18]. UNESCO, & Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura. (2015). Education for All 2000-2015: achievements and challenges; EFA global monitoring report, 2015.
[19]. Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, L. (2011). The economics of international differences in educational achievement. Handbook of the Economics of Education, 3, 89-200.
[20]. Espinoza, O. (2007). Solving the equity–equality conceptual dilemma: A new model for analysis of the educational process. Educational research, 49(4), 343-363.
[21]. Berne, R., & Stiefel, L. (1984). The measurement of equity in school finance: Conceptual, methodological, and empirical dimensions. Johns Hopkins University Press.
[22]. Li, H. (2023). AI in Education: Bridging the Divide or Widening the Gap? Exploring Equity, Opportunities, and Challenges in the Digital Age. Advances in Education, Humanities and Social Science Research, 8(1), 355-355.
[23]. Holmes, W. (2023). The unintended consequences of artificial intelligence and education.
[24]. Varsik, S., & Vosberg, L. (2024). The potential impact of Artificial Intelligence on equity and inclusion in education (No. 23). OECD Publishing.
[25]. Pedro, F., Subosa, M., Rivas, A., & Valverde, P. (2019). Artificial intelligence in education: Challenges and opportunities for sustainable development.
[26]. Roshanaei, M., Olivares, H., & Lopez, R. R. (2023). Harnessing AI to foster equity in education: Opportunities, challenges, and emerging strategies. Journal of Intelligent Learning Systems and Applications, 15(04), 123-143.
[27]. Hilbert, M. (2016). Big data for development: A review of promises and challenges. Development Policy Review, 34(1), 135-174.
[28]. Farahani, M., & Ghasemi, G. (2024). Artificial intelligence and inequality: Challenges and opportunities. Int. J. Innov. Educ, 9, 78-99.
[29]. Baker, R. S., & Hawn, A. (2022). Algorithmic bias in education. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 1-41.
[30]. Vázquez-Cano, E. (2021). Artificial intelligence and education: A pedagogical challenge for the 21st century. Educational Process: International Journal (EDUPIJ), 10(3), 7-12.
[31]. Kitsara, I. (2022). Artificial intelligence and the digital divide: From an innovation perspective. In Platforms and artificial intelligence: The next generation of competences (pp. 245-265). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
[32]. Julien, G. (2024). How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Impacts Inclusive Education. Educational Research and Reviews, 19(6), 95-103.
Cite this article
Jia,C. (2025). The Impact of Curriculum Design and Educational Equity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence - A Literature Review. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,89,55-61.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Disclaimer/Publisher's Note
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
About volume
Volume title: Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Education Innovation and Philosophical Inquiries
© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who
publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this
series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published
version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial
publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and
during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See
Open access policy for details).