Faces of Discovery

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly common in classrooms, teachers are making quick decisions about rapidly evolving tools. This raises important questions: Does AI improve learning? How can it be used effectively? For Evrim Baran, those questions are not obstacles—they are invitations to discovery.

That openness to the new and unfamiliar is her trademark. Baran is someone who intentionally seeks out moments of discovery—trying new recipes, traveling to new countries with her family, and continually placing herself in situations where she must learn, adapt, and rethink what she knows.

“AI is a new frontier that can create new opportunities for us to rethink and reimagine our existing practices and design solutions to prepare students and teachers for a future AI-enabled workforce,” Baran says. “And of course, that also requires looking at a lot of the limitations and ethical challenges and so forth.”

Baran is a professor in Iowa State University’s School of Education, where she studies how emerging technologies shape teaching and learning across K–12 schools, higher education, and informal learning environments. Her research goes beyond getting teachers to adopt new tools swiftly.  She examines how technology changes the learning experience—and how educators can create learning environments that will benefit students well into the future. Prior to AI, she explored online and mobile learning, virtual and augmented reality, and classroom analytics.

“My focus has never been on the technology itself. It’s more about education, how these forms of technology are affecting the way we learn and teach,” Baran explains. “The technology has changed over the years, but my main focus has stayed the same.”

Central to Baran’s work is AI literacy: understanding how AI works, where it adds value, and its ethical limits. She considers AI literacy crucial for effective teaching and workforce readiness in a future where AI will be embedded across professions.

Baran leads the Critical AI in Education Pathways initiative, which develops professional learning resources, including an online micro‑credential course, to help educators build AI literacy aligned with their instructional goals.

Trained in both educational technology and industrial design, Baran takes a design-centric approach to research. Her favorite method: co‑design, which brings educators into the development process from the outset.

“I don’t go into schools with a finished product and say, ‘Here’s your new AI curriculum.’ I want teachers to help shape what’s built, because they understand their students and classrooms best.”

She is now creating partnerships with Iowa K–12 school districts, where she works alongside educators to identify challenges, explore AI‑supported solutions, and study their impact in real time. The emphasis, she says, is on trust, time, and partnership.

Baran’s comfort with collaboration and uncertainty has been shaped by her own path. After earning her Ph.D. at Iowa State, Baran worked in Canada, Germany, and Turkey before returning to a faculty position at the university eight years ago. These experiences required her to constantly adapt to new cultures, systems, and ways of thinking—experiences she believes strengthened her ability to design collaboratively today.  

“Being away helped me understand how unique this place is,” she says. “Iowa State’s focus on community partnership and impact aligns with how I approach my work.”

Baran hopes to help educators sort signal from noise—moving beyond fear of missing out toward thoughtful, evidence‑based practice. In doing so, she is shaping an education system designed not just for the next technology cycle, but for the future students will inherit.

By Susan McNicholl, Iowa State University Office of the Vice President for Research