NWeLearn 2024

While most of the world was captivated by the educational potential of AI tools like ChatGPT, educators in America by contrast seemed transfixed only by its ability to allow students to “cheat”. Our presentation, inspired by our experiences in AI faculty development, proposes that "cheating" as a concept, and our psychological framing of it, are inherently harmful to learning communities. We argue that all instances of cheating are instead more fundamentally instances of psychological substitution. In light of the adoption of AI, rather than focusing on punitive measures, educators should recognize and address psychological substitution both in students and in themselves. This, in turn, would empower educators to maximize the pedagogical potential of AI.
Our session will aim specifically to answer the question: If not “cheating,” then what is an efficacious and empathetic way to frame academic dishonesty? We will begin our session by stating and defending our core thesis: cheating does not exist. We will deepen our exploration by unpacking the interplay between policing, surveillance, hyper-individualism, as well as ableism, and how these factors shape our understanding of authenticity and rigor in education. Finally, we will invite participants to share their experiences and perspectives on implementing this revitalized framework in real-life educational settings. Participants can expect to leave with a more sophisticated approach to academic integrity in a world with Artificial Intelligence.

Join us for an interactive workshop designed for higher education faculty to explore how generative AI can enhance adult education. Incorporating AI can make visible to students the often-hidden curriculum and help them understand both the content and purpose of their studies. Live demonstrations will showcase techniques to create a supportive and engaging learning environment with AI.
Part of the workshop will explore the flipped classroom model, emphasizing its benefits and practical integration with AI tools. By using AI-generated conversations, educators can help students focus on acquiring knowledge via pre-work assignments and assessments asynchronously. This process preserves classroom time for engagement and collaboration where students can apply knowledge and skills gained throughout the course.
This workshop will also focus on integrating generative AI as a novel tool to engage in dialogue with learners to develop learning experiences involving metacognition. Faculty will learn how to use AI to develop strong reflection prompts as well as ways to assist students with discovering meaningful observations through their reflections. It will demonstrate how students can use AI as a conversation tool that provides them with immediate feedback on their learning process, which can help them self-identify both their challenges and successes.
By incorporating AI as a discussion partner in our classes, we will explore how this approach provides a resource learners can use to gain more insight about their learning process and identify gaps in knowledge as well as how it can assist in promoting deliberative practice and lifelong learning.

The key points covered in my presentation include:

• Understanding your responsibilities as an LMS administrator, such as identifying the eLearning decision-makers, clients (teachers and students), and institutional policies impacting eLearning.
• Determining if you are responsible for user support and training, and how to approach these tasks effectively.
• Encouraging your supervisor to provide a clear vision for your success, as they may lack technical or LMS experience.
• Realizing that you don't need to know everything about your LMS; instead, learn how to locate solutions and curate resources.
• Translating imprecise language used by clients into technically precise LMS terms.
• Investing time upfront on tasks like setting up competencies, user accounts, and quiz formatting, as it can yield significant rewards later.
• Understanding LMS user roles and permissions, and how to fine-tune them through testing and careful adjustment.