AI and Literacy Education Lab (AILE)

ABOUT AILE

The AI and Literacy Education Lab (AILE), founded in December 2024 by Dr. Shuang Quan, investigates how artificial intelligence can serve as a learning partner in children’s literacy learning and development. Bringing together researchers and students across Education, Computer Science, and related fields, the lab designs and evaluates AI-powered learning experiences that support children’s language and literacy development across home, school, and community contexts.

AILE Lab faculty director and student researchers gathered on campus

What We Study

Research Areas

AI-Powered Literacy Learning

Investigating conversational and multimodal AI systems that support children’s reading and language development.

Child-AI Interaction

Understanding how children interact with AI learning partners and how AI can adapt to children’s needs.

AI-Literate Teacher Preparation

Preparing future teachers to understand, evaluate, and integrate AI critically, effectively, and responsibly in their teaching.

Research in Action

Current Projects

These studies anchor our current research across the full cycle of human-centered AI: understanding how families use conversational AI, building literacy-focused systems, and studying how children experience these technologies.

Flagship Study · 01

Vovo: AI as a Literacy Learning Partner

We developed Vovo, a conversational AI system grounded in structured literacy, to support vocabulary learning and collaborative storytelling in children’s homes.

What we learned: In a six-week study with 10 families and 150 learning sessions, Vovo delivered structured instruction at a level comparable to caregivers. Children achieved stronger learning outcomes in caregiver-led sessions and preferred learning with their caregivers—underscoring the value of AI designed to complement caregivers through parent–child–AI partnership rather than replace them.

Computers & Education: Artificial Intelligence · 2026 · Open Access

Read the open-access article

A child exploring a story with a caregiver and a learning device

Child–AI Interaction

Beyond a Human-Like Voice

We examine how young children decide whether conversational AI feels human—and how their developmental perspectives can inform more responsible, age-appropriate AI design.

What we learned: After six weeks of home use, children ages 3–7 and their caregivers reported similar levels of perceived humanness, but children focused on physical presence while caregivers emphasized conversational quality, responsiveness, and intelligence.

ACM Interaction Design and Children · 2026

Read the IDC paper

AI in Family Life

How Families Use ChatGPT at Home

We study how conversational AI enters everyday family routines—from curiosity-driven questions and academic tasks to playful exploration—and how caregivers guide those interactions.

What we learned: Interviews with five parents of children ages 6–13 identified knowledge-driven and play-driven conversations, alongside low- and high-moderation approaches to caregiver guidance.

ACM CHI Extended Abstracts · 2025

Read the CHI paper

Interdisciplinary by Design

Our Team

The AILE Lab brings together faculty leadership and current lab members from Education and Computer Science who share a commitment to advancing responsible, AI-supported learning.

Lab Director & Principal Investigator

Shuang Quan, Ph.D.

Dr. Quan is an Assistant Professor of Education at Juniata College. Her research examines how emerging technologies can enhance children’s language and literacy development.

Meet the Lab

Current Lab Members

Sarah F. Bradley

Early Education & Special Education

Sarah is interested in education’s power to expand access and in supporting meaningful learning opportunities for all students.

Emma L. Childers

Early Childhood Education & Special Education

Emma brings experience supporting an elementary after-school program and is interested in responsible uses of AI in future classrooms.

Courtney S. Clippinger

Early Childhood Education

Courtney is building research skills that will strengthen her future classroom practice and support young learners.

Maddy C. Detz

Early Childhood Education

Maddy looks forward to contributing to collaborative research and applying its insights in her future work as an educator.

Laney E. Gerdich

Early Childhood Education

Laney explores how AI affects learning and how research insights can inform her future teaching.

Ava S. Gummer

Early Education & Special Education

Ava is interested in understanding how artificial intelligence can shape student learning across inclusive educational settings.

Hannah F. Johnston

Early Elementary Education

Hannah advocates for inclusive classrooms and explores how advancing technology can serve as a thoughtful instructional tool.

Emily D. Ketrow

Early Education

Emily brings a longstanding passion for teaching and enthusiasm for applying AI knowledge in her future classroom.

Tatum E. Livelsberger

Early Elementary Education & Special Education

Tatum connects elementary and special education with leadership and learning center experience while exploring AI in student learning.

Aaliyah D. McGee

Early Elementary Education

Aaliyah is eager to explore innovative, thoughtful ways to integrate artificial intelligence into classroom learning.

Jayden M. Strausbaugh

Computer Science

Jayden explores educational AI use cases and helps implement technology for the lab’s learning interventions.

Alisyn S. Wildner

Early Childhood Education & Special Education

Alisyn brings experience working with children and explores how AI can support thoughtful future classroom practice.

Scholarship and Recognition

Research Impact

We share evidence, methods, and emerging insights with the research and education communities.

Peer-reviewed Publications
Conference Presentations
Research Grants
Awards and Fellowships

Build With Us

Join AILE Lab

We welcome students, researchers, educators, and community partners interested in exploring how artificial intelligence can support children’s learning and development.

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