How is the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence disrupting and evolving teaching and learning? How can educators adapt their teaching and assessment strategies, now as well as prepare for the future? And what are some of the opportunities for harnessing this technology to re-examine teaching?
Shehroze Saharan
These are just some of the questions to be explored in Canada's biggest teaching with AI conference, to be hosted next month by the University of Guelph's Office of Teaching and Learning.
Teaching With AI is a fully virtual conference that will host nearly 60 speakers from 16 institutions and organizations around the world over five days, June 9-13. The conference is meant to be a forum for a wide range of attendees to share experiences and concerns, as the entire education sector adapts to the AI shift.
Amid concerns that generative AI (GenAI) will erode students' development of skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, the conference provides an opportunity to engage in critical conversations about pedagogy and how to create future-ready classrooms.
The goal is to encourage knowledge sharing between educators from across colleges and universities, as well as provide educators and administrators with tools for adapting their teaching and assessment methods and policies.
"The future of AI in education isn't just about technology - it's about people," says conference organizer Shehroze Saharan, educational technology developer in U of G's Office of Teaching and Learning.
"We're excited to be able to host this conference and be a hub for conversations about AI in education, as we can all benefit from investigating these challenges and opportunities together."
Providing educators with tools for adapting to the AI world
Saharan leads institutional AI strategy at the University of Guelph, helping faculty and instructors navigate the complexities of modern education. He and two U of G colleagues will co-host a session on establishing and communicating course-level expectations around the use of GenAI, offering a step-by-step framework for building policies that are pedagogically sound, equitable and adaptable.
Dr. Lesly Wilton, cluster leader of Artificial Intelligence in Education, Digital Life Institute, and sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto, will provide the keynote presentation, entitled Navigating the Uncharted Waters of AI in Education.
Other sessions will include a panel of higher education students who will discuss how GenAI is changing their approach to knowledge, creativity and classroom engagement and what they want faculty and administrators to understand about its evolving role.
A panel of experts on accessibility in teaching will contemplate how GenAI tools impact disabled students' learning, and the questions educators and learners must ask when evolving their teaching practices.
This conference is being offered at an accessible, low cost of $20, thanks to the support of partners and speakers
The full conference program and registration link are available online. Registration is open until June 5, 2025.
