Hyderabad: The International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT Hyderabad) launched the Centre for Educational Technology and Learning Sciences (CETLS), a new interdisciplinary research Centre focused on understanding how people learn in an age increasingly shaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
R. Chandrashekhar, former President, NASSCOM, launched CETLS in the presence of Prof. Sandeep Shukla, Director, IIIT Hyderabad; Srini Raju, Governing Council Member; Prof. P.J. Narayanan, former Director, IIIT Hyderabad; Prof. Vasudeva Varma, and around 100 guests, faculty members and education practitioners. Srini Raju formally unveiled the logo of the newly established Centre.
CETLS will bring together learning sciences, cognitive science, psychology and technology to study learning across the lifespan—from K-12 and higher education to the workplace and later life.
The centre will explore how emerging technologies, particularly AI, can be designed not merely to make learning easier, but to make it deeper, more meaningful and more effective.
A key focus of CETLS will be the distinction between using AI to complete a task and using AI as part of the learning process.
While AI can provide instant explanations, solutions and summaries, the Centre will investigate how learning environments can be designed to encourage learners to question, experiment, practice, reflect and develop their own understanding, rather than simply consume machine-generated answers.
It will also explore the concept of “slow learning”—learning that allows time for experimentation, reflection and productive struggle. Rather than eliminating every difficulty from the learning process, CETLS will investigate how technology can create the right balance between challenge and support, enabling learners to develop deeper understanding and mastery.