On May 15, 2025, the parallel session on "Digital Education Development and Evaluation" of the 2025 World Digital Education Conference was convened in Wuhan.
Zhang Baiqing, Vice Chairman, Committee of Hubei Provincial the CPPCC, delivered a speech outlining Hubei Province's initiatives and plans to leverage digital technology in building a strong educational province. He advocated for enhanced global exchanges on digital education development experiences, promoted the empowerment of education evaluation through digital means, and called for driving global educational transformation in the intelligent era. Abolfazl Vahedi, Vice Minister, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Iran, attended the conference and delivered a special address. He shared Iran's actions and vision in digital education development and evaluation, with a particular focus on the key role of National Document of Artificial Intelligence issued in 2024 in advancing governance, strengthening scientific research foundations, and driving progress in education, healthcare, security, environment, and culture.
Experts at the conference delivered keynote reports focusing on the theme. Stephan Vincent-Lancrin, Deputy Head, Center for Educational Research and Innovation, OECD, pointed out that OECD countries are still in the process of digital transformation. He emphasized the need for countries to balance technological potential with ethical norms to build an efficient and equitable digital education ecosystem. Cao Peijie, Director, Institute of Digital Education, CNAES, introduced the application standards for Smart Education of China, analyzed the development trends of nine representative global education platforms, and proposed strategies for the intelligent upgrading of education platforms to comprehensively empower educational transformation. Igor Pesek, Head, Digital Education Department of the Slovenian Ministry of Education, discussed the transformation of educational missions, new demands for educational governance, strategies for empowering educators and learners, and principles for integrating trustworthy artificial intelligence. Wu Fei, Director, AI Research Institute at Zhejiang University, shared the university's experience in systematically cultivating AI talent through a series of initiatives, including curriculum reform, the establishment of an AI education and teaching research center, and the release of digital literacy standards for teachers and students. Zhu Xinyu, Deputy Director, Institute of Education Statistics and Data Analysis, CNAES, proposed an innovative method for digital education evaluation based on multi-modal evidence. He introduced the process of generating the Global Digital Education Development Index (GDEI) using this method and called for the establishment of a global evidence collection mechanism, a global cooperation network, and a technological innovation ecosystem. Xu Weiqing, Director, Education Quality Evaluation Agency of the Ministry of Education, pointed out that the national data platform for higher education has become a digital foundation for promoting evaluation development in the digital era. In the future, efforts will be made to build a broader community for higher education quality assurance, supporting Chinese-style modernization. Craig Welch, Senior Vice President, Global Markets at Elsevier, outlined the vision of the "4th Generation University" based on evidence-based data. He advocated for future universities to actively build trust relationships with industry, government, and society to jointly cultivate a vibrant local innovation ecosystem. Felipe Mañas, Deputy Director, Artificial Intelligence Research Institute at the Spanish National Research Council, highlighted that Spain is offering AI interest courses in secondary schools through groups of AI experts and scholars, connecting secondary education with the research system to foster future AI talent. Wang Yifan, Deputy Director, Hubei Institute of Educational Sciences, shared the three-level comprehensive evaluation network established in Hubei Province, aimed at supporting individual development, enhancing school effectiveness, and promoting regional system coordination. Yang Jun, Director, Nanshan District Education Bureau in Shenzhen, introduced the district's measures to scale up the popularization of AI education in primary and secondary schools from 4 aspects: building foundational competencies, driving teaching reform, fostering an innovative ecosystem, and ensuring institutional support.
Li Yongzhi, President, CNAES, unveiled the prototype of the " AI Tutor for K-12 Science Education" . Supported by a major research and development project of National Development and Reform Commission, the prototype was led by CNAES and jointly developed by multiple institutions including iFLYTEK, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beihang University, and the Center for Educational Technology and Resource Development of the Ministry of Education. The prototype leverages domestic large-scale models and has achieved initial progress in key technologies of knowledge graphs and typical application scenarios. In the future, the prototype will be integrated into the Smart Education of China to further enhance its capabilities in intelligent teaching assistance and guidance.
During the conference, the establishment ceremony of International Expert Advisory Committee for the Global Digital Education Index (GDEI) was also held. Li Yongzhi presented appointment letters to the attending international experts. In the future, CNAES will rely on International Expert Advisory Committee to further enhance the internationalization of research and dissemination of the Global Digital Education Index.
The opening remarks were hosted by Li Yongzhi, while the keynote report session was chaired by Li Xiaoqiang, Vice President, CNAES. The conference was organized by CNAES and hosted by the Hubei Institute of Educational Sciences. Attendees included Mohammad Nabi Shahiki Tash, Ministry, Science, Research and Technology, Iran, Knox Otto Imbuwa, Deputy Minister, Education of Namibia, and over 150 representatives from educational administrative departments, educational research institutions, universities, schools, and technology enterprises both domestically and internationally.