July 1-5, 2024

Brussels, Belgium

EdMedia Keynote & Invited Speakers

Keynote & Invited Speakers

Mike Sharples
Open University
UK

Ashley Finley
AAC&U
United States


Date TBA

“Future Learning: Designing Innovative Learning and Teaching for a World  of Social Generative AI”

Mike Sharples

Emeritus Professor of Educational Technology at The Open University UK

Abstract: The growth of Generative Artificial Intelligence is following a similar path to the World Wide Web: research, breakthrough, integration into workplace tools, development of apps. For the Web, the next major development was social media and services. I suggest we will soon see the emergence of “social generative AI” – AI systems interacting with humans and with other AI tools in complex social networks. Social Generative AI will have profound implications. In education it will offer new roles for AI as a conversational partner and collaborator; it will break down language barriers and connect people across cultures. However, it may also erode trust in information and create networks of interacting machines beyond human control. My talk will cover pedagogy-informed design at scale. I will propose we design future education that is not only effective and ethical but also caring and founded on good pedagogy.

Bio: Mike Sharples PhD, SMIEEE 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.


Date TBA

High-Impact Practices in the Digital Age: Leveraging Technology to Deepen Learning and Enhance Engagement

Ashley Finley

Vice President for Research and Senior Advisor to the President, American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

Abstract: Highly effective pedagogies, commonly referred to as high-impact practices, are not new. Individually, and in combination, these practices have long been known to hold tremendous potential for advancing student learning, development, and success. However, in an era of rapidly expanding digital resources, technology represents a new frontier in how we think about the implementation and execution of high-impact practices. This keynote will undertake a holistic exploration of the intersections of technology across a number of high-impact practices. Audience members will be invited to consider both the promising opportunities and cautionary considerations for leveraging technology across pedagogies, modalities for learning, and campus/community engagement. We will also consider the ways in which technology opens possibilities for the creation of the next generation of high-impact practices.

Bio: Ashley Finley is the Vice President for Research and Senior Advisor to the President at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). She was previously associate vice president for academic affairs and founding dean of the Dominican Experience at Dominican University of California and national evaluator for Bringing Theory to Practice. Currently, Dr. Finley oversees AAC&U’s research agenda through the coordination of projects and reports on pressing issues in higher education. She also advises on strategic initiatives to support member campuses. Dr. Finley’s campus engagements focus on aligning learning outcomes, vocational exploration, and assessment with students’ holistic development and equity goals. Her publications include: The Career-Ready Graduate: What Employers Say About the Difference College Makes;A Comprehensive Approach to Assessment of High-Impact Practices; and The Effects of Community-Based and Civic Engagement in Higher Education: What We Know and the Questions that Remain. Finley received a BA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MA and PhD, both in sociology, from the University of Iowa.



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