Designing a Responsible AI Literacy Framework for Education: Integrating Ethics, Equity, and Empowerment

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring the Intersections of Artificial Intelligence and Educational Research

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms education, a unified, ethically grounded framework for AI literacy is urgently needed. Existing models such as ED-AI Lit (Allen & Kendeou, 2024), Ng et al. (2021), and Fu & Weng (2024) offer essential insights but lack integration of equity, empowerment, and global justice across K–20 settings. This conceptual paper proposes the Responsible AI Literacy in Education (RAIL-Ed) framework, which synthesizes interdisciplinary research and aligns with global standards, including UNESCO’s AI Competency Framework and the OECD AI Principles. RAIL-Ed outlines six core pillars: Knowledge, Evaluation, Collaboration, Contextualization, Autonomy, and Ethics. It centers stakeholder agency and cross-cultural responsiveness, offering a strategic blueprint for curriculum, teacher preparation, and policy. RAIL-Ed reimagines AI literacy through equity and responsible innovation.

Authors

• Shahin Hossain, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Wei Huang, University of Alabama

• Jujia Li, University of Alabama

• Syntia Hadis, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Leqi Li, Pennsylvania State University

• Samaa Haniya, Pepperdine University

• Shapla Khanam, HELP University

• Idowu David Awoyemi, University of Alabama

• Sima Ahmadi, Kent State University