Utilizing AI to Close Educational Gaps in Science

Today’s science classrooms have shifted from memorization to conducting real science investigations. Under new science standards, students aren’t graded on how well they recall facts, but on how effectively they can think and work like scientists. That means asking testable questions, collecting and analyzing data, applying math, and clearly communicating their scientific findings.

Yet typical assessments still rely heavily on multiple-choice tests or lab reports, which often fail to capture what students know and can do—especially for English language learners or those who struggle with writing. These students are at risk for being mis-assessed, their strengths overlooked and their needs unmet, potentially derailing their future in STEM.

Dr. Janice Gobert, Professor of Educational Psychology at Rutgers Graduate School of Education, has found that up to 60% of science students are mis-assessed when teachers rely solely on written work such as lab reports. The gap between what students can do and what they can write about can block access to STEM careers.

To address this, Dr. Gobert developed Inq-ITS, her patented AI platform that delivers precise, real-time support to students and timely alerts to teachers. Her research shows that AI-personalized help improves students’ learning such that it can be applied across topics and over long periods of time. With the teacher dashboard, educators can assist twice as many students then without it, also boosting their performance on future science topics.

“The best time to provide support is in real time when the student needs it,” Dr. Gobert says. AI makes this possible—delivering scalable help to teachers and students anywhere with a device and internet access.

Today, Inq-ITS is used in all 50 states and over 10 countries. It has supported over 250,000 students and 17,000 in 15,000 schools. With over 1.8 million labs completed, Inq-ITS is transforming science education by offering equitable, data-driven learning opportunities for diverse learners.

The success of Inq-ITS and its teacher-facing counterpart, Inq-Blotter, is the result of decades of research, innovation, and personal perseverance. As an undergraduate, Dr. Gobert worked multiple jobs to support herself and later earned the highly competitive University of Toronto Entrance Scholarship, awarded to only one Ph.D. student per year.

In 2024, Dr. Gobert received the University of Toronto’s Innovation Award for her pioneering contributions at the intersection of AI and science learning. She currently holds six patents—an extraordinary achievement in STEM where women remain underrepresented and face persistent obstacles.

Her journey through systemic barriers has not only advanced the science of learning but also opened doors for the next generation of diverse innovators in education and technology.

Grounded in learning sciences research and driven by AI, Inq-ITS and Inq-Blotter were built in collaboration with teachers and students’ data, her team, and her co-founders at Apprendis, a start-up spun out of her NSF- and IES-funded research. Her tools are designed to close achievement gaps by supporting diverse learners, including English language learners, students from underserved communities, and those who typically struggle in science.

“This is about helping all kids reach their full potential,” Dr. Gobert says. “It’s vital that we leverage AI to provide teachers with deep, actionable data and alerts, and provide students with real-time support they can get to learn from anywhere—school, home, the library, and their phones.”