Spotlight on Digital Education

The Centre for Research in Digital Education provides a platform for ongoing discussion and learning about relevant, emerging and critical issues in digital education.

We routinely record podcasts and videos and host webinars and in-person seminars on key issues in digital pedagogy, policy and practice.  If you are interested in taking part, please get in touch: [email protected] 

Podcasts

All Aboard – AI for Inclusion in Teaching

In this latest Think Education podcast, Professor Christopher Hill talks to Dr Tendai Charles – Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, British University in Dubai – about AI and its function to support an inclusive learning environment.

Tendai talked about his recent attendance and presentation at the Advance HE Teaching and Learning Conference 2024, held at Nottingham Trent University, UK, and how AI dominated the conversation – even on sessions not necessarily focused on it.

We talked about work being done by Dr Philip Quirke – HCT – about the responsible use of AI in teaching and learning and the efficient ways it can be used to demonstrate both its value and its limitations.  Using AI as a tool to support engagement and critical thinking is a powerful way to implement it.

Tendai and I talked about the need to start these conversations with a focus on pedagogy and then work from there to see where AI and technology could best be used to enhance learning, rather than starting with AI and having fear or overwhelming support be the origin point.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/all-aboard-ai-for-inclusion-in-teaching/id1378025581?i=1000662628723

AI and Origami: Responding to New Challenges with Old Techniques

In this latest Think Education podcast, Judith and Chris continue their previous conversation about resilience and change, but with a focus on the use of technology in education – particularly AI.

Chris reflected on a conference he chaired – The 2nd Global Conference on Research in Education and Research (GCEL 2024) – this past week in Dubai, and talked about the challenges some participants had faced due to the floods in the UAE.  The sheer value of academic engagement and interaction was never more fully evident!

One of the presentations, talked about the use of origami in teaching mathematics – by way of encouraging creativity.  One of the audience members remarked that this was at least one teaching/assessment method that AI could not be used to subvert!  This led Judith and Chris down the verbal pathway of AI, cheating, creativity and technology usage, acceptance and distrust.

We talked about the role of AI in higher education and our response to new technologies more broadly.  Why are we threatened by it?  What does this say about AI and about ourselves?

We are eager to continue this conversation with colleagues engaged in the use of technology and to learn more about views on creativity.  If you are interested in joining a conversation about this, please do let us know.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ai-and-origami-responding-to-new-challenges-with/id1378025581?i=1000653668544

The Role of AI in Higher Education

In this podcast, Professor Christopher Hill and Dr Tendai Charles chat about the role of AI in higher education, how it is being used and how we in the community interpret its use and impact.

Tendai reflected on the role of assessment in higher education, the value of exams and the use of technology in teaching and learning more broadly.  We talked about the skills agenda and the extent to which we are accurately measuring student learning and outcomes.  We reflected on the use of AI as a source and resource for students and whether it represents the end of academia as we know it, or whether it can be embedded for good.

This outline was written by an actual human!

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/international-voices-tendai-charles/id1378025581?i=1000614445779

Videos

Technology in Education

Professor Christopher Hill and Dr Tendai Charles sit down to talk about the role of technology in higher education, with a particular focus on AI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJuQ2aEGRIk

Will AI replace teachers?

Dr Tendai Charles discusses the impact AI is having, and will have, on the role of teachers in the classroom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9oix-l9ryU