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

Research Assistant Position

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