Established in 2010, the Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U) is Georgia Tech's living laboratory for fundamental educational change.
Serving as a research arm of the College of Lifetime Learning, C21U's technologists and researchers support the Institute's innovation mission by pushing the boundaries of what is already done in higher education to bring learners the most impactful resources and technologies.
We serve as a nexus of collaboration and communication and a catalyst for innovation, bringing together an array of internal and external partners across various disciplines.
Through a sustained and systemic program of research, experimentation, design, prototyping, and implementation, C21U serves the Institute in thought leadership, educational technology design, community building, and support of Georgia Tech stakeholders of all ages.
Featured Research
This study examines the impact of a Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)-powered formative assessment tool that employs Socratic questioning to support student learning in a large, fully online undergraduate-level computing course. Employing a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods design, the team investigated participants’ engagement patterns, the influence of user experience on engagement, and impacts on both perceived and actual learning outcomes.
Recent News
Georgia Tech Through a Visiting Scholar's Lens
A South Korean visiting scholar is studying how Georgia Tech approaches AI governance, data stewardship, and collaboration, with lessons that may help shape future education policy in his home country.
Defining Learning in the Age of AI
Georgia Tech is exploring how AI can enhance learning while preserving the critical thinking and judgment that define the educational experience.
From Atlanta to Ankara: Sharing AI Literacy Across 5,960 Miles
Meryem Yilmaz Soylu, a College of Lifetime Learning researcher, connected virtually with elementary school students in Türkiye to discuss artificial intelligence, lifelong learning, and the uniquely human skills that will remain essential in an AI-enabled future.
Conference Season Sparks Shared Momentum
This spring, educators and researchers from the College of Lifetime Learning shared work on the future of learning at conferences across the country.
Our Power to Act Deepens with XR
Academics have long known that virtual reality (VR), augmented reality, mixed reality, and AI-driven simulations embedded within them, collectively known as extended reality (XR), are not only for gaming but also tools for building what researchers call affective engagement: the emotional connection that turns passive awareness into active decision-making.