Research / Centre for Research in Digital Education / Events
Every semester, we host seminars on a variety of topics pertaining to Digital Education. These include presentations and discussions about both the theory and practice of integrating technology into contemporary education system at all levels (from K-12 to the H.E. sector) throughout the Middle East.
Attendance is encouraged for all educators and researchers, so please join us at our next event.
Professor Christopher Hill, Director Centre for Research in Digital Education, BUiD, took part in the launch of the first ever global Green Paper on Generative AI use in education. Prof. Hill was one of the authors of the paper, along with Zeenath Khan, Stephen Wilkinson, Farhad Oroumchian, Ajrina Hysaj – University of Wollongong in Dubai; Nadir Kheir – Ajman University; and Sivapriya Ramakrishnan – University of Sharjah.
The landmark publication explores the transformative potential of generative AI (GAI) in education while addressing critical ethical, regulatory, and practical challenges such as: – Macro-Level Analysis: National policies, ethics, and governance frameworks for GAI adoption. – Meso-Level Insights: Institutional roles, educator preparedness, and curriculum development. – Micro-Level Applications: Classroom practices, assessment integrity, and student engagement.
The UAE’s forward-thinking vision for AI positions the country as a global leader in technology driven education. This paper aligns with international guidelines like UNESCO’s AI Competency Framework and offers actionable strategies for responsible integration of GAI into educational practices.
Key Highlights: – Strategies to preserve academic integrity while leveraging AI tools. – Guidelines for fostering equity, ethical use, and human-centered learning. – Policy frameworks for continuous improvement and stakeholder collaboration.
Why this matters: Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize education, but only if used responsibly. This Green Paper is a call to action for educators, policymakers, and institutions to join the dialogue and lead the way in ethical AI adoption. The launch included a rountable – chaired and moderated by Prof Hill – that focused on issues of ethical usage, staff and student preparedness, employability and framework development for the use and monitoring of AI in education.
Read the Green Paper: https://lnkd.in/gX4UTbp3 https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7271066695442526208/
The upcoming CRDE Seminar will showcase a series of presentations exploring the intersection of digital education, technology-enhanced learning, and artificial intelligence in the UAE’s educational context. Key topics will include analyses of the pandemic’s impact on online teaching through theoretical frameworks, evaluations of technology access policies aligned with national digital transformation goals, and discussions on AI-driven personalized learning to enhance student engagement. The seminar will also address interdisciplinary approaches within STEM education, strategies for leveraging AI to alleviate teacher workloads, and innovations in language teaching using educational technology. Collectively, these sessions aim to highlight how advanced technologies are reshaping pedagogy, policy-making, and instructional practices in diverse educational settings.
Professor Christopher Hill, Director of the Centre for Research in Digital Education, was an invited guest at ‘Transforming Higher Education with AI’ roundtable under Al Ghurair Connect by the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation.
Prof Hill joined academics and senior leaders from around the emirates to discuss the impact and ethical integration of AI in the higher education sector in the UAE. The discussion covered issues of pedagogy, skill development, job preparedness, institutional capacity and the need to evolve and adapt as a learning sector in order to respond to emerging technological advances and shifting learning patterns in students today.
Professor Christopher Hill, Director Centre for Research in Digital Education, visited Ajman University on September 23rd 2024 to meet with representatives from the Student Success Center (SSC) to discuss AI, digitization in learning, peer mentoring and feedback and academic integrity.
Prof Hill was welcomed by Prof. Khaled Assaleh, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Prof. Nadir Kheir, SSC Manager, and other SSC Officers and College Facilitators attended, including Ms. Farah Zakut, Mr. Abdul Razzak Dabbagh, Mr. Abdulrahman Salman, Ms. Obaya Bezeid, and Ms. Marawh Fazal. The SSC briefed Prof. Hill on its activities and student services as part of its mission to build partnerships with external entities.
Professor Christopher Hill, Director Centre for Research in Digital Education, attended an event for senior leaders from across Dubai – working on issues of higher education and technology.
The event, hosted by Studiosity, brought colleagues together to discuss current and future developments in AI and how it is impacting the higher education sector in the region.
The event began with a keynote from HE. Dr. Saeed Aldhaheri, Director of the Centre for Futures Studies at the University of Dubai and visiting lecturer at Oxford University, where he stressed the need for the development and implementation of an AI framework in higher education to ensure ethical and appropriate use of the tool for teaching, learning and research.
The event was attended by academic leaders from University of Birmingham, HCT, Murdock University, Heriot-Watt, American University in the Emirates, Canadian University in Dubai and representatives from the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.
Linkedin post by Studiosity:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7245322520512356356/
CRDE Director, Professor Christopher Hill attended and presented at the UNESCO Digital Learning Week in Paris. In his capacity as Vice President, ENAI Centre for Academic Integrity in the UAE, Professor Hill presented research undertaken by the Centre on the integration of technology in Education. The research, co-presented with Prof Nadir Kheir, Ajman University and Centre Board Member, was entitled Optimising learning: A project for effective GENAI integration in higher education in the United Arab Emirates
The conference brought together ministers, academics and practitioners from around the world and both launched some fascinating new UNESCO resources and provided an opportunity for knowledge sharing and collaboration.
As part of the new strategic vision for the CRDE, Prof Christopher Hill and Dr Tendai Charles organised a Digital Education Research Seminar on Saturday 22nd June 2024. Prof. Hill opened the event with a discussion about issues pertaining to academic integrity when students use educational technology.
Following his opening, Naureen Shehzad, a final year doctoral student, delivered a fascinating talk titled ‘Instructor Social Presence in Digital Education: Why and How?’. Thereafter, Lydia Halabi, a second year doctoral student, delivered an intriguing speech titled ‘The Practice of Technology Enhanced Learning’. Next, Wafaa Elsawah, a first year doctoral student, spoke about ‘Preparing students for an AI-driven world’. After a short break, Antoine Azzam, another first year doctoral student, shared his real-world experience of ‘Integrating AI Chatbots in Physics Lessons’. Subsequently, Siham Abukhalaf, a BUiD alumna, shared her research about ‘Teaching and Learning with the Metaverse in the UAE’. Finally, Kingsley Asante, a BUiD alumnus, shared his personal experience of ‘Using Technology to Support Classroom Management in High Schools’.
Prof. Hill and Dr. Charles closed the event with an historical account of the CRDE’s growth over the past 4 years, and a discussion of plans for further expansion and increased research output in the coming years.
Write up in ACADEMY Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yvxei/znzx/
Charles, T. (2024, July 3). Digital Inclusion: a case study of a Dubai-based university [Oral presentation]. Advance HE’s Teaching & Learning Conference 2024: Future-Focused Education, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
Charles, T. (2024, May 2). Exploring ethical approaches to utilising AI for research. [Oral presentation]. Sharjah Education Academy, UAE.
Charles, T. (2024, April 19). Teaching English for Academic Purposes with AI [Oral presentation]. 28th TESOL Arabia Conference: The Future of Language Education, Canadian University in Dubai, Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T. (2024, April 17). Achieving ‘Digital Inclusion’: a case study of a Dubai-based university [Oral presentation]. 6th MENA Higher Education Leadership Forum, Kempinski Central Avenue, Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T. (2024, March 2). An Ethical Framework for AI in ELT [Oral presentation]. 6th Applied Linguistics & Language Teaching International Conference, Zayed University, Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T. (2024, February 26). Navigating the Impact of AI on Academic Integrity in Education [Oral presentation]. Sharjah International Summit on Improvement in Education, Sharjah Education Academy, Sharjah, UAE.
Charles, T. (2024, February 16). Academic Integrity and Curriculum (re)Design. [Oral presentation]. Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE.
Charles, T. (2024, February 19). Innovating with AI in Higher Education. [Oral presentation]. American University in Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T. (2024, February 5). Empowering Educators: A Faculty Workshop on Integrating AI in Teaching & Learning [Oral presentation]. 2nd Best Practices in Teaching & Learning Conference, American University of Sharjah, UAE.
Charles, T. (2024, January 12). Integrating AI in the curriculum. [Oral presentation]. American University in the Emirates, UAE.
Charles, T. (2023, November 23). The best cases of digital strategy implementation [Webinar]. Digitalisation of Universities conference. Trend & Training, Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, France.
Charles, T. & Karden, K. (2023, November 13). AI wrote this abstract: The impact of AI on higher education and academic research. [Panel discussion]. Times Higher Education MENA Universities Summit. NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Hill, C. and Halabi, L. (2023, July 30). The Emerging Nature of ICT Policies in Education: A Comparative Analysis of School ICT Policies. 9th International Symposium Faculty of Graduate Studies in Education, Cairo, Egypt
Charles, T. (2023, January 26). Hybrid Learning: the user perspective. [Oral presentation]. Class, Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T. (2022, October 6). Using Blackboard Ultra for effective teaching & learning. [Oral presentation]. The British University in Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T. (2022, March 13). Does hybrid learning work in Dubai’s education sector? [Oral presentation]. Humanities and the rise of AI conference. University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg Pavilion, EXPO 2020 Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T., Hill, C., Alborno, N., Kary, S. (2021, November 2). Hybrid Learning. [Webinar]. Centre for Research in Digital Education, Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T. (2021, September 30). Student centred learning in a virtual world. [Oral presentation]. Blackboard Middle East, Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T. (2021, June 16). A case study investigation into which LMS is the most suitable for facilitating inclusive education at the British University in Dubai. [Oral presentation]. The 2nd Teaching & Learning Conference. Middlesex University Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T. (2021, April 27). Technology enhanced learning in the MENA region. [Webinar]. Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning, Lancaster, UK.
Hill, C. (2021, February), Information and Communication Technology and the Knowledge Economy: What we know and what we don’t. Second International Conference for the Department of Curricula and Teaching Methods. University of Cairo, Egypt. February 2021
Hill, C. (November 2020) Flexible paths to learning: Micro-credentials and TNE. NARIC webinar on new trends in transnational higher education. Online presentation and discussion. https://youtu.be/Z_i3o__lHvM
Charles, T. (2020, October 3). The rise (and fall) of Learning Design. [Panel Discussion]. MBRU Medical Education Symposium. MBRU, UAE.
Charles, T. (2020, July 7). Transitioning to Online Teaching. [Webinar]. Blackboard’s Creating Educational Continuity Conference. Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T., Hill, C., Shebani, Z., Coutet, K., Hinchliffe, J., Johnson, P., Parsons, L., Brashear, L. (2020, July 1). Blended Learning. [Webinar]. Centre for Research in Digital Education, Dubai, UAE.
Charles, T. (2020, March 4). Getting started with Online Teaching. [Oral presentation]. The British University in Dubai, UAE.
Hill, C. and Abu-Ayyash, E. (2020, January). The Impact of Integrating Technology into Students‘ Presentations on Peer Evaluation in Higher Education. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Annual Conference. Dubai, UAE
Title – TEDxBritishUniversityInDubai
Date – 19th January 2022
Time – 18:30 pm
Venue – Marriott Hotel, Al Jaddaf, Dubai, UAE
Talk 1: “Inclusion” by Prof. Eman Gaad
Talk 2: “Blockchain” by Dr. Maria Papadaki
Talk 3: “Project Management” by Dr. Khalid Al Marri
Talk 4: “Online Teaching” by Dr. Tendai Charles
Talk 5: “International Higher Education” by Prof. Christopher Hill
For more information visit our website : https://tedxthebritishuniversityindubai.wordpress.com/
Enhancing Online Teaching Capabilities – Title
Date – 21st, 23rd & 25th June 2020
Time – 4pm to 8pm
Venue – Online via Blackboard
Day 1: “The fundamentals of online teaching”
by Dr. Christopher Hill & Dr. Tendai Charles
Day 2: “The design and development of online didactic materials”
by Dr. Tendai Charles
Day 3: “Advanced concepts and principles”
by Dr. Christopher Hill
Title: Research Seminar on Educational Technology in 2020
Date: 25th January 2020
Time: 12:30pm to 2pm
Venue: Auditorium, BUiD
Keynote 1: “Blended Learning: Enhancing Education in the Digital Age”
by Dr. Zubaida Shebani (Visiting Lecturer, Cambridge University, UK)
Keynote 2: “Our Digitally Divergent Community”
by Ms. Linda Parsons (Science Teacher, Deira International School)
Block 11, 1st and 2nd floor, Dubai International Academic City PO Box 345015, Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 279 1400
Whatsapp:
Email: [email protected]