New research aims to empower Jordan's teachers with AI
University of Jordan forms AI and digital skills research group
#Jordan #education – The University of Jordan has launched a research project, Empowering Teachers: 21st Century Skills, to strengthen teacher preparation and professional development through the use of artificial intelligence tools, modern pedagogy and digital skills. Jordan’s largest public research university leads the effort with collaborators including USA Nashville-based private research university Vanderbilt University and Jordan’s national Ministry of Education. The programme aims to combine AI and digital skills in teacher education with critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, in order to build an active, interdisciplinary research environment.
SO WHAT? – Teacher capability is central to effective use of technology in schools and AI is starting to become embedded in education systems. The University of Jordan’s new research group links teacher training with digital competence and AI tools, and creates a structured path for research and training. It is hoped that the research will give Jordan a platform for evidence-led improvements in teacher education in the AI era.
Here are some key details about the research project:
The University of Jordan formed an Empowering Teachers: 21st Century Skills research project, to advance research on teacher preparation and professional development, with a focus on combining AI and digital tools with modern pedagogy and classroom impact.
The research group includes the University of Jordan’s Department of Artificial Intelligence at the King Abdullah II School of Information Technology, Vanderbilt University’s Department of Teaching and Learning in Nashville, and Jordan’s Ministry of Education.
The programme targets integration of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and digital literacy in teacher education, and promotes adaptive, student-centred teaching models that improve learning quality.
Research areas include teacher self-efficacy, digital competence, AI in education, global citizenship and digital ethics. The group also stresses lifelong learning, equity and inclusion in schools.
Activities will include interdisciplinary projects, investor-ready research outputs for teacher preparation, and a stimulating environment that involves students and early-career researchers from Jordan and abroad.
The initiative aligns with the University of Jordan’s ambition to strengthen its local, regional and international standing as a research leader in education, teaching and innovation.
ZOOM OUT – Globally, there’s great need for increased teacher digital competence and effective use of technology in classrooms, with the World Bank stressing teacher capacity as a pillar of EdTech impact. Hot on the heels of the UAE, Egypt and Saudi launching programmes to introduce AI classes into schools, the University of Jordan research could help prepare for wider adoption of AI tools and AI curricula in Jordanian schools. The country’s National Center for Curriculum Development has already begun integrating advanced technology curricula into seventh, ninth, and eleventh grade classes, including topics such as AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and Python training.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]