Equity in Education: Dr. Wayne Au’s Perspective

I had a meeting with Dr. Wayne Au, Dean and Professor of Educational Studies at the University of Washington Bothell, to discuss the growing inequalities in education, primarily as this project aims to explore whether digital technology can help alleviate them. In my meeting with him, he emphasized how the entrenched nature of educational inequality, such as racial and class disparities, stems from long-standing policy decisions and underlying cultural values that shape the learning process. 

One of the most illuminating points regarding different cultural perspectives, Dr. Au raises is about the "model minority" stereotype for Asian Americans. He challenges the idea that it is a “positive” stereotype at all. Instead, he draws a comparison to the stereotype of the Black athlete—both reduce individuals to narrow characteristics and reinforce systemic inequalities. The model minority myth, in particular, masks the socio-economic and immigration-selection realities that produce skewed educational outcomes.

Dr. Au also discusses the current rise of right-wing populism and the rollback of DEI in the U.S., which he views as precarious for educational equity. 

But how does this relate to the Digital Equity Project? 

From my question regarding what he feels about the rising controversies yet consistent normalization around the usage of digital learning, he states, “[I am not opposed to folks using laptops for schoolwork at all,] but we have to understand that digital technology is a tool. Much like a pen or pencil, they are tools. My fear is that when technology becomes the dominant form of education, what does it take away from human interaction? Online communities can feed some part of human interaction, but when the learning becomes focused on the laptops and tablets, those things become fetishized as the newest, latest things, and it takes away so much from the humanity of education, which is based on human interaction. It’s a tool that should be used to enhance our learning, but it should not be the focus.” 

He also briefly touched on the increasing usage and reliance on AI these days, stating that “[...] the shortcoming of the learning is the problem, but that’s the inevitable outcome when we have a system of education that’s based on the extrinsic goals and rewards of education instead of focused on learning.” 

In addition to this, he also shed some light on the environmental harms of AI, noting that each generator requires a significant amount of energy, typically in the form of hydropower. These risks and long-term harms are often overlooked in favor of the short-term convenience that AI offers students.

At this meeting, Dr. Au presented a more critical view of the use of digital technology in education. One of the many takeaways I obtained from his insightful responses to all of my questions is that, if digital technology is not implemented with proper consideration for the cultural beliefs and priorities of education within a group of people, or globally, it can lead to exacerbating the current issues of where students are using digital tools like AI as shortcuts rather than tools for enhanced understanding.