About
Promoting Equity in Higher Education: A Socio-Technical Approach to AI Fairness
Our project is dedicated to advancing socio-technical approaches to fairness in Higher Education (HE) within the UK, with a specific focus on addressing bias and discrimination in AI-driven learning analytics systems. Institutions worldwide are recalibrating their data strategies for positive impacts on student success. However, the integration of fairness, both technically and socially, remains an understudied aspect of these strategies.
Leveraging the award-winning OUAnalyse (OUA) system at the Open University, our project seeks to establish a framework of best practices, risks, and compliance with UK regulations. This framework aims to guide HE institutions in the UK as they develop their digital strategies, emphasising the core principles of fairness and responsible AI.
The project will contribute to the broader discourse on ethical AI implementation in education, aligning with the UK government’s innovation-focused approach to AI regulation. Collaboration with regulatory bodies, such as The Equality & Human Rights Commission and The Information Commissioner’s Office, will ensure compliance of the provided framework with equality and human rights law, data protection, and sector-specific legislation.
This project has received funding from the UK Government - Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). This funding is administered by UKRI.
