Events
The Center for Computer Science and Learning Sciences supports and sponsors a variety of conferences and workshops that promote conversations at the intersection of computer science and learning sciences. Learn more about upcoming and past events that our faculty and researchers have participated in.
Upcoming Conferences
Symposium on AI, Education, and the Learning Sciences
May 8, 2025
Hilton Orrington Evanston
Evanston, IL
Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), specifically the development of foundation models, have revolutionized the field of machine learning and made generative AI systems widely accessible to the public. These developments are rapidly impacting teachers, learners, and learning environments, producing both renewed interest in the learning opportunities afforded by AI systems and increasing concerns about their negative impacts on learners and learning communities.
In this symposium, we will explore the role of AI in education through the lens of the learning sciences. Conversations at the intersection of AI and education often center a belief that learning should be quantified, personalized, and optimized for efficiency. In contrast, the interdisciplinary field of the learning sciences centers the understanding that real-world learning is complex, nuanced, and difficult to measure; that it arises through relationships, collaboration, and communities; and that it is situated in complex sociocultural, political, and economic contexts. Through this symposium, we ask: how can we conceptualize the role of AI in education given this nuanced perspective on how learning works?
This event is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the McCormick School of Engineering, the School of Education and Social Policy, the Office for Research, and the Cognitive Science Program.
Learn More about the Symposium
Past Conferences
ACM Interaction Design and Children (IDC) Conference
June 19-22, 2023
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois
The ACM Interaction Design and Children (IDC) Conference is the premier conference on the design of interactive technology both for and with children. IDC'23 will be hosted at Northwestern University by the Center for Computer Science and Learning Sciences.
IDC attracts an international audience of researchers, educators, and practitioners to share work on the design of technology and its implications for the healthy development of children everywhere. This year, there will be sessions on sustainability; education and learning; equity, diversity, and inclusion; ethics and social justice; and visions on the future of technology design. In addition to research papers, participants will be able to try interactive demos, view art installations, and see children’s entries in an international design competition.
Inaugural Symposium on Computer Science and Learning Sciences
April 28-30, 2019
James L. Allen Center
Advances in computer science offer enormous opportunities for expanding and deepening learning and education. Equally enormous are the challenges in meeting the needs for learning computational thinking and skills.
This symposium engaged scientists in learning and computer science, senior and juniors, in a range of dialogues about the opportunities, challenges, and innovative solutions to education and learning for STEM and computer science.
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