The 25th International Conference on Education Research (ICER 2025) was held on July 10–11, 2025, at Seoul National University (SNU), under the theme “Education Research with AI: Opportunities and Challenges.” Organized by the Education Research Institute at SNU (co-chairs: Professors Yongnam Kim and Hunseok Oh), the conference brought together over 400 participants from more than 15 countries. Attendees included leading scholars, practitioners, and graduate students committed to exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and education research.

Poster for 2025 ICER

This year’s ICER featured keynote speeches by renowned scholars Peter M. Steiner (University of Maryland, College Park) and Thomas S. Popkewitz (University of Wisconsin–Madison), who offered critical perspectives on AI’s impact on educational data analysis and on internationalized education through posthumanist lenses. In addition, 16 distinguished academics—including Thomas Pogge (Yale University), Elaine Unterhalter (University College London), Hiroaki Ogata (Kyoto University), and Karen Pashby (Manchester Metropolitan University)—delivered invited talks that enriched the dialogue on topics such as global citizenship, equity, digital transformation in education, learning analytics, and generative AI.

SNU Department of Education professors and invited scholars from around the world join ICER to discuss current issues in education.

Throughout the two-day event, participants engaged in 30 themed sessions covering a broad spectrum of topics, including AI-driven learning environments, algorithmic fairness, educational equity, multimodal assessment, qualitative and quantitative methods, and ethical issues in AI applications. Notable highlights included sessions on AI and global citizenship education, the integration of international curricula, and the transformative potential of learning analytics and teacher competencies. As part of the broader ICER program, the Pacific Coast Research Conference (PCRC) was also held jointly at the Hoam Faculty House on July 9–10, bringing together international project teams to discuss and plan future directions for cross-border collaborative education research.

Over 400 participants join 2025 ICER

Another highlight of the conference was the Poster Session, which featured over 50 presentations by emerging scholars and students on topics ranging from AI-assisted writing instruction to the integration of social robots in inclusive education. The conference also hosted the Graduate Student Poster Awards, recognizing outstanding research contributions by graduate students. The competition was adjudicated by invited scholars who evaluated the quality of the posters and engaged in dialogue with presenters to assess the clarity and impact of their explanations.

Award winners included:

● 1st Place: Jusil Lee (Penn State University) — “A Critical Analysis of AI Chatbots in Education: Design, Discourse, and Underspoken Epistemic Implications”

●  2nd Place (tie): Casey Keunhee Kim (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa) and Hunhui Kevin Na (University of North Carolina at Charlotte) — “Understanding General Education Teachers' Challenges in Inclusive Settings Through an Affinity Online Space”

● 2nd Place (tie): Yuri Jeong and Sung Hee Hong (both from Seoul National University) — “Hidden Risks Among Siblings With Less Emotional Problems: Actor-Partner Effects of Emotional Problems on Life Satisfaction”

These dynamic exchanges fostered a collegial and intellectually vibrant atmosphere throughout the 2025 ICER conference, encouraging mentorship and meaningful engagement among established scholars, graduate students, and early-career researchers. With record levels of international participation and interdisciplinary engagement, the conference underscored the global momentum behind exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping education. As AI continues to evolve, ICER remains a vital platform for advancing innovation, critical inquiry, and collaborative research across generations and disciplines.

For more information, visit the ICER website: https://icer.snu.ac.kr

Written by Hayun Cho Lee, hayun2000@snu.ac.kr