16 November 2025, Zhuhai, China — Reshaping the Future of Educational Science Based on Intelligent Social Experiment, one of the first round of endorsed projects under the United Nations International Decade of Science for Sustainable Development (2024–2033) (UN IDSSD), was officially launched during the First National Conference on Science Education for Primary and Secondary Schools, co-hosted by the Chinese Society of Education and Beijing Normal University (BNU).

Prof. Huang Ronghuai, UNESCO Chair on AI in Education and Co-Dean of the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University (SLI-BNU), and Prof. Chen Guangju, former Vice President of BNU and Vice Dean of SLI-BNU, jointly announced the project on behalf of the project initiators and a wide network of global partners.

A Large-Scale, Long-Term, and Inter-disciplinary Initiative for the Future Education

The project will work in close collaboration with global partners, bringing together researchers, education practitioners, and the private sector. With a geographic focus on China, Southeast Asia, and Africa, it will conduct large-scale, long-term, and interdisciplinary Intelligent Social Experiments to systematically explore new theories and principles of educational science in the AI era. Centered on three pillars—theoretical innovation, capacity building, and ecosystem development—the initiative seeks to promote the responsible and effective integration of AI in education, support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), and foster inclusive, equitable, and high-quality learning opportunities for all.

The project will move forward through five major pillars, covering scientific research, network development, capacity building, and publication of research outputs:

1. Establishing Communities of Practice to Strengthen Joint Research and Educational Innovation

The project will establish an Asia–Pacific Learning Sciences Practice Community and a China–Africa AI and Education Teacher Community, focusing on leveraging learning sciences to inform teaching practice and advancing education reform through artificial intelligence. It will further explore learning mechanisms in AI-rich environments and identify the core competencies learners need in the intelligent era.

2. Developing Book Series to Advance Knowledge Sharing and Global Exchange

In close collaboration with the Beijing Normal University Press Group and Springer Nature, the project will develop and publish the Educational Science and Sustainability book series in multilingual versions, along with other academic outputs. These publications will address priority areas such as learning science in the intelligent era, social and emotional learning, smart learning environments, digital pedagogy, and teacher learning and professional development.

3. Collecting and Showcasing Global Best Practices to Inform Evidence-Based Decision-Making and Educational Transformation

Drawing on the Global Smart Education Network (GSENet) and the World Digital Education Alliance(WDEA), the project will collect best practices and exemplary cases in areas such as learning-science-informed teaching, AI-enabled instructional innovation, and the enhancement of AI literacy among teachers and students. These contributions will be compiled and published as case collections under the Intelligent Social Education Science Experiment.

4. Building a Global Network of Pilot Schools to Advance Pedagogical Innovation and Enhance Educational Practice

The project will identify and engage pilot schools across different regions worldwide and establish regional alliances. By bringing together schools with a global outlook and a strong foundation in digital teaching innovation, the initiative will support joint exploration and research on digital pedagogy, the development of green and robust digital learning environments, and approaches to trustworthy human–AI collaborative teaching. It will further promote evidence-informed digital teaching practices and foster deep learning among students by effectively using digital and intelligent technologies.

5. Co-creating Teacher Training and Professional Development Centres

In cooperation with relevant international organizations and institutions, the project will establish teacher training centres dedicated to learning sciences and AI in education. These centres will support capacity building for teachers in the region, enabling them to apply learning-science evidence in their instructional practice and to advance classroom teaching innovation through the effective use of artificial intelligence.

Mr. Rao Tao, Editor-in-Chief of the BNU Press Group, and Ms. Yoka Janssen, Editorial Director for Social Sciences and Education at Springer Nature, conveyed strong support on behalf of their respective organizations. They reaffirmed their commitment to jointly developing high-quality, intelligent, and international academic series and learning products to advance the development of educational science in the intelligent era.

Following the launch, the initiative received an enthusiastic response. Representatives from education authorities and schools expressed strong interest in joining the collaboration network, supporting related research, and contributing to evidence-based and innovative educational transformation in the intelligent era.