Keynote Speaker

Mike Sharples PhD, SMIEEE

 

 

Mike Sharples is Emeritus Professor of Educational Technology at The Open University, UK. He gained a PhD from the Department of Artificial Intelligence, University of Edinburgh on Cognition, Computers and Creative Writing. His expertise involves human-centred design and evaluation of new technologies and environments for learning. He provides consultancy for institutions worldwide including UNESCO, UNICEF, universities and companies. As Academic Lead for FutureLearn.com he led pedagogy-informed design of the open learning platform. He is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education. He is author of over 300 published papers in the areas of educational technology, learning sciences, science education, human-centred design of personal technologies, artificial intelligence and cognitive science. His recent books are Practical Pedagogy: 40 New Ways to Teach and Learn and Story Machines: How Computers Have Become Creative Writers both published by Routledge, and An Introduction to Narrative Generators, published by Oxford University Press.

Generative AI and Education: Opportunities and Issues

Generative AI systems such as ChatGPT are disrupting education. They can write essays, summarise scientific texts, produce lesson plans, engage in conversations, and draft academic papers. In this presentation I will discuss challenges that generative AI can pose for higher education. These include detecting student assignments that have been generated by AI; developing policy decisions and guidelines on appropriate use of AI for teaching and assessment; and establishing a program of AI literacy for staff and students. I will also explore opportunities for the use of AI in education, including roles for AI in teaching, learning and assessment, such as: Possibility Engine, Socratic Opponent, Co-Designer and Dynamic Assessor. Future developments in social generative AI could support team learning and communities of practice. Rather than seeing AI solely as a challenge to traditional education, we can prepare students for a future where AI is a tool for analysis, design and creativity, to be operated with great care and awareness of its limitations.