Starring Pearson, IBM, Coventry University and more: ETIH rolls out the biggest education technology news stories of the week
It’s Monday morning, and ETIH is here to bring you the stories that rose above the noise last week. From AI dashboards and black-box defense strategies to a bold international move from Coventry University, we’ve rounded up the headlines worth your time. So grab a cuppa and settle in to read the top ten stories from last week.
10. Cengage to launch AI Dashboard giving faculty real-time student data insights
Cengage, the higher education business of Cengage Group, will introduce a new AI-powered dashboard for faculty users starting in fall 2025. The tool is designed to provide real-time, anonymized insights based on student activity data from the company’s Student Assistant platform.
9. Pearson debuts AI tool to automate English lesson planning and cut teacher workload
Pearson has introduced Smart Lesson Generator, an AI-powered tool designed to create curriculum-aligned English language learning materials. The company states that the system is built to reduce the time educators spend on lesson planning by offering tailored, level-appropriate content in seconds.
The new tool integrates AI with its Global Scale of English (GSE) framework, a proficiency standard used to measure and guide English language learning outcomes. Smart Lesson Generator generates content based on educators’ selected objectives, topics, and vocabulary.
8. American Student Assistance and IBM partner to bring AI and cyber skills to teens via EvolveMe platform
American Student Assistance (ASA), a nonprofit focused on digital career readiness for teens, has added selected content from IBM SkillsBuild to its EvolveMe platform.
7. BCU and Covatic develop new UK AI defense to counter cyber attacks on black-boxes
Birmingham City University (BCU), based in the United Kingdom, has published new research in collaboration with UK tech company Covatic on improving AI system defenses against black-box attacks.
In black-box attacks, adversaries repeatedly test a model to reverse-engineer how it works, allowing them to feed altered inputs that can lead to incorrect outputs, such as misidentifying a stop sign or misinterpreting medical images.
6. Educators say AI won’t solve mental health crisis in classrooms despite rising adoption
A global survey from education company McGraw Hill suggests that while AI is becoming more common in classrooms, most educators do not believe it will help solve their most pressing challenges, particularly those related to student wellbeing.
The survey, conducted by Morning Consult, includes responses from more than 1,300 K–12 and higher education educators across 19 countries. Top challenges cited include factors outside of school (52%) and student mental or behavioral health (45%). These concerns were ranked significantly higher than issues related to academic performance or technology access.
5. AI Tutor that beat 1.3M students on India’s toughest exam lands $9.5M to scale globally
4. American University sets AI education pace with new institute at Kogod School of Business
American University has launched the Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence (IAAI) at its Kogod School of Business. The new initiative aims to expand AI education, research, and industry engagement through a cross-disciplinary model involving faculty from across the university’s academic divisions.
3. Common Sense launches education privacy seal as Prodigy and Kahoot! earn first awards
Common Sense Privacy, a spinout of Common Sense Media, has launched a certification program aimed at helping consumers and educators identify education technology products that meet higher-than-average standards for data privacy.
Prodigy Education and Kahoot! among the first to meet new certification for trusted digital privacy.
2. Pearson rebrands to signal shift toward digital learning and lifelong skills development
Pearson has introduced a new brand identity aimed at reinforcing its positioning as a lifelong learning company.
The UK-headquartered education provider, which operates in nearly 200 countries, says the rebrand reflects both its internal transformation and evolving learner expectations in a digital-first world.
1. Coventry University to open first English campus in India’s GIFT City by 2026
Coventry University has received in-principle approval to open a campus in India’s Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), becoming the first English university to do so.
