Maura White · PhD Student in Education Studies · UC San Diego

Studying how AI reshapes learning, identity, and equity

I research how generative AI is reshaping the social and collaborative dimensions of learning in K–12 and higher education, with particular attention to agency, identity, and equity. My work examines how learners and educators interpret and negotiate AI in instructional contexts across writing, human–AI interaction, and school policy.

Research

AI-Supported Writing & Learning

I study how students engage with AI as a collaborator in writing and learning processes, including how they position AI as a peer, tutor, or thinking partner in classroom contexts.

AI Policy & Educational Systems

I examine how schools and districts are developing policies to govern AI use, with attention to how these policies shape access, practice, and equity across educational systems.

Social & Identity Dimensions of AI Use

I investigate how students’ identities, social norms, and moral reasoning shape how they interpret, negotiate, and use AI in learning environments.

Featured Collaborations

Digital Learning Lab

UC Irvine School of Education

Through the Papyrus AI team, I contribute to research on AI-supported writing, feedback, and classroom interaction, with a focus on how students and instructors engage with generative AI in authentic learning contexts.

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AI for California

Professional learning and outreach

I support educator-facing AI literacy work through lesson development, presentations, and statewide professional learning initiatives focused on meaningful and equitable AI integration in schools.

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Vocareum

AI Math Tutor project

As part of an AI-mediated math tutoring project, I help analyze student interaction and performance data to evaluate the tutor and translate findings into recommendations for instructional and system design improvements.

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Publications

Published & In Press
  • White, M., Eguchi, A., & Warschauer, M. (in press). The digital divide: Manifestations, proposed solutions, and future implications in the age of AI. In Handbook of Theory and Research in Digital Media and Education. Springer.
  • White, M. (in press). Diverse digital and AI literacies: Essential understandings for integrating AI in school spaces. AI Matters.
Manuscripts in Progress
  • White, M., Saito-Stehberger, D., & Warschauer, M. AI as a Supplementary Collaborator: Middle School Student Perspectives on AI and Teacher Feedback.
  • White, M., Vu, V., & Warschauer, M. Editor, Tutor, or Thinking Partner: How Students Position AI in the Writing Classroom.

Recent Talks

Rethinking writing support: AI as peer, editor, and partner in the undergraduate classroom

AERA Annual Meeting · Accepted for April 2026

Symposium presentation on how students position generative AI within writing processes and what those role designations reveal about agency, collaboration, and instructional design.

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AI identity, morality, and decision making

Invited talk · Heyman Lab, UC San Diego · January 2026

Invited presentation on student identity formation, moral reasoning, and social norms surrounding AI use in learning contexts.

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Diverse digital and AI literacies: Essential understandings for integrating AI in school spaces

EAAI-25 · March 2025

Presentation on the forms of digital and AI literacy educators need in order to support thoughtful, equitable AI integration in school settings.

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Teaching

Higher Education Teaching

Graduate Teaching Assistant at UC San Diego for courses including Adolescent Development and Education, Language, Culture, and Education, Social Organization and Education, and Urban Education.

K–12 Teaching

Former secondary English teacher in Virginia and Maryland, with experience in curriculum design, standards-based grading, and data-informed instruction across middle and high school settings.

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