A Conceptual Architecture for Educational Digital Twins Supporting AI Literacy Across Educational and Professional Settings

Jul 16, 2026

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AI literacy is positioned as an essential interdisciplinary competency for participation in a transforming digital society, combining technical understanding with critical thinking and responsible use of intelligent technologies. In the AI Literacy for Multidisciplinary Professional Readiness and Outreach (AIM-PRO) project, educational digital twins are introduced as digital representations of educators, trainers, and learners. These twins support simulation, monitoring, and optimization of learning experiences. The paper presents AIM-PRO’s conceptual foundations and its focus on implementing digital twins for education across higher education, vocational training, and professional learning settings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

Introduction

Overall project description

Noname manuscript No. (will be inserted by the editor) A Conceptual Architecture for Educational Digital Twins Supporting AI Literacy Across Educational and Professional Settings Antonio Bucchiarone · Riccardo Belliato · Judith Michael · Michael Mittermaier arXiv :2607 . 10013v1 [ cs .CY] 10 Jul 2026 Received: date / Accepted: date Abstract In the AI Literacy for Multidisciplinary Professional Readiness and Outreach (AIM-PRO) project, we are creating integrated methods to improve the education on AI literacy. One concept on which the project relies is educational digital twins, that is, digital representations of educator trainers, teachers, and learners that can be used in different stages of the educational process. Such digital twins enable the simulation, monitoring, and optimization of learning experiences. This paper presents the AIM-PRO project and its conceptual foundations, focusing on its core objective: designing and implementing Digital Twins for Education to foster AI literacy across higher education, vocational education and training and professional learning environments. Keywords AI literacy · Education · Training · Educational Digital Twins 1 Introduction In the era of digital transformation, societies are undergoing rapid and profound changes driven by advances Antonio Bucchiarone University of L’Aquila, Italy E-mail: [antonio.bucchiarone@univaq.it](antonio.bucchiarone@univaq.it)[ ](antonio.bucchiarone@univaq.it)Riccardo Belliato Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Trento, Italy E-mail: [rbelliato@fbk.eu](rbelliato@fbk.eu) Judith Michael University of Regensburg, Germany [E-mail: judith.michael@ur.de](E-mail: judith.michael@ur.de) Michael Mittermaier University of Regensburg, Germany [E-mail: michael.mittermaier@ur.de](E-mail: michael.mittermaier@ur.de) in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. These developments are reshaping economic sectors, professional practices, and everyday life, posing new challenges for education systems worldwide. As AI competency becomes increasingly vital for future societies [19], education must support the development of AI literacy, an interdisciplinary competency that combines technical understanding with critical thinking and responsible use of intelligent technologies [14,21] . Similarly to traditional literacy, such as reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning, AI literacy is emerging as a fundamental skill set that individuals must acquire to actively participate in the evolving digital society and remain competitive in the future workforce [12,22,2] . At the sametime, the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence is opening new opportunities for education, enabling innovative pedagogical approaches and the design of novel learning environments that support adaptive and personalized learning experiences [16,23] . AI literacy encompasses not only technical knowledge about algorithms and data, but also an understanding of the ethical, societal, and environmental implications of AI technologies. Recent policy and religious initiatives, including the European Union AI Act [7], the Digital Education Action Plan [6] and the encyclical letter Magnifica Humanitas [18], emphasize the importance of equipping citizens, professionals, and educators with the competencies required to responsibly interact with AI systems and participate in AI-driven innovation ecosystems. Despite this growing importance, educational institutions and professional training providers face significant difficulties in integrating AI literacy into their curricula. Existing learning resources are often fragmented, inadequately adapted to different learning profiles, and disconnected from rapidly evolving technological devel- opments. Furthermore, many educators lack adequate tools and pedagogical frameworks to design effective learning scenarios that integrate AI technologies in a meaningful and responsible way. These challenges are particularly evident in t

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the AIM-PRO project?

The project aims to design and implement educational digital twins to foster AI literacy across higher education, vocational education and training, and professional learning environments.

How do educational digital twins support learning experiences?

Educational digital twins provide dynamic digital representations that enable simulation, monitoring, and optimization of learning environments and educational processes.

What challenges does the paper highlight in integrating AI literacy into education?

It notes fragmented resources, limited adaptation to learner profiles, a lack of effective pedagogical frameworks for integrating AI, and difficulties across heterogeneous HE and VET contexts.

Jul 16, 2026

Upload by Noah