Introduction

Panke, S.

Introduction

The Asian University for Women Graduate Program in Education's course "Educational Technology for Strong Schools" created its second open-access book. The majority of the students who contributed to this book are Afghan evacuees and/or belong to minority communities. The book is a petri dish to see how AI and open pedagogy writing assignments can productively intersect.

Overview of the class

After the first successful open-access textbook launch as a collaborative writing project, the Asian University for Women Master of Arts in Education program's "Educational Technology for Strong Schools" course created its second open-access book, co-authored by the graduate students, course instructor Dr. Stefanie Panke, and Teaching Fellow Israt Jahan Oeeshi.

This graduate program is a humanitarian crisis response program established in 2021 with the aspiration to empower women in tertiary education, particularly the brightest female reformists and educational entrepreneurs dedicated to creating an impact through educational development and leadership. The majority of the students who contributed to this book are Afghan evacuees and/or belong to ethnic minority communities from different regions of Asia.

The “Educational Technology for Strong Schools” course is a project-based learning class that integrates students’ future paths as educators, policymakers, innovators, and school founders. The topic 'AI in Education' lends itself well to exploring the overlap between AI and writing, especially with this student cohort, many of whom used AI tools for the first time in the context of this class.

How it fits into the overall curriculum of AUW Master of Arts in Education program

This graduate program serves as the cornerstone of the Women Teaching Women, Women Learning from Women (WTW-WLW) initiative, which is an endeavor by AUW designed to help grow a network of young women educators and female students across many refugee shelters and displaced communities. Through student-led initiatives, group discussions, and social events, this program aims to cultivate a profound sense of community development in collaboration with multiple universities in the United States. It emphasizes the development of policy, administrative, and leadership expertise, as well as knowledge of the economics, philosophies, and dynamics of education provision.

By utilizing their newly acquired skills to develop and implement sustainable educational programs, expand their educational resources via networking, and exert influence over local and regional education policy, program graduates will be able to apply their newfound abilities effectively.

"AI in Education" is an appropriate subject for a discourse on the curriculum of the program. With education practitioners and policymakers in mind, the courses of this program cover a wide range of topics, including curriculum development, educational leadership development, design thinking for education, education in the context of globalization, and education in the technological age. Given that students enrolled in this program participate in reading and writing seminars meticulously designed to cover fundamental theoretical principles, processes, and practices in the field of education, digital practices in education are among the most consequential of these practices.

Why AI as a topic?

Generative AI tools are extremely effective writing aids. Instructors and students alike can increase their efficiency and effectiveness by deliberately and creatively leveraging AI prompts. An important caveat is to remain critical of results and not let technology silence the scholar’s personal voice, dull their imagination, or overwrite their personal tone and style. Learners who have trouble focusing and completing projects, or students who are less strong writers, can use AI as an assistant with unlimited patience, turning rough ideas and bullet points into complete outlines. We encouraged students to use AI tools to proofread paragraphs and correct any grammatical mistakes without changing the tone or style, a great strategy for non-native English speakers.

Overall, the chapters in this book are a petri dish to see how AI and open pedagogy writing assignments can productively intersect. At the same time, the students have produced thought-provoking and personal contributions that explore AI in various educational contexts.

While most students did use AI tools responsibly and productively, you will see occasional segments that seem predominantly AI-generated without genuine, discernable student input. Writing with AI is not easy, and navigating the productive use of AI without letting it think for you is a skillset that students have different levels of mastery in. Students were given the option to not publish their chapter if they felt that their work did not reflect their capabilities.

The Technology Tools Introduced and the Competencies Students Gained Through Writing and Technology

Throughout the semester, students gained hands-on experience with various educational technology tools by practicing through class assignments, attending expert guest speaker sessions, and gradually developing their book chapters on their topic of interest. Like last year's open-access textbook platform, "Pressbooks," this year the students worked on a similar platform called "EdTech Books" for this collaborative writing project. Through this project, participants learned how to use various educational technology tools in conjunction with generative AI and creative commons materials. They applied a variety of textbook genres, conducted independent research and writing, and gave productive feedback in a peer review process. During the semester, students explored generative AI tools and created a collaborative textbook on AI in Education. They connected AI with learning sciences and instructional design, as well as the broader landscape of educational technology.

In this book, students used AI image creators such as NightCafe to design their chapter covers, as well as the main book cover image and other visuals. Each of the chapters reflects students’ critical ideas, observations, creative thinking, and lessons from distinguished guest speakers around the globe. The chapters are also a fruitful outcome of students’ interactive discussion and mind-mapping activities throughout the session. In addition, the book remarks on a crucial part of the modern educational process: the use of diverse technology and tools in education and learning. To support multimodal content and introduce students to instructional design tools and techniques, we used a variety of other technologies, i.e., YouTube for podcasting, Canvas badges for micro-credentials, H5P interactives, Flip and Padlet for designing interactive activities. Moreover, for students to practice and acquire effective AI research exploration strategies, we used Lateral, Research Rabbit and Zotero libraries for shared research collection and experiences. Students also conducted podcast interviews and created AI video scripts and videos through Pictory to make their chapters more engaging with multimedia.

Students gained practical competencies in diverse digital tools with the study lessons as well as a conceptual understanding of the implications of generative AI usage. Many of their book chapters reference AI policies and ethical considerations.

Student Voices

Guest Speakers for Strong Schools

Guest speakers play a significant role in the AUW graduate courses. Diverse speakers from educational technology and learning sciences are offering students a multifaceted understanding of the field. This exposure helps students to understand the complexities and nuances of implementing educational technology.

We are beyond grateful to the international community that supports the Master of Education at AUW. This semester students engaged with guest lectures from over ten different institutions.

Richard West, Brigham Young University, on EdTechBooks and Open Access Recording
Johannes Cronje, Cape Peninsula University, (recorded past semester) on Academic Writing Recording
Marieta Jansen and Robyn Bunt, North-West University, on Micro-credentials and Badging Recording
Claire Paulson (recorded past semester), UNC Chapel Hill, on Micro-credentials and Badging Recording
Pedro De Bruyckere (recorded past semester), Arteveldehogeschool, Ghent and Utrecht University, on Evidence-Informed Approaches and Resilience Recording
Curt Bonk (Indiana University) and Mein Zhu (Wayne State University) (recorded past semester) on MOOCs and effective online learning Recording
Tina Seufert, Ulm University (recorded past semester), on cognitive load theory and cognition Recording
Sherose Baharuddin and Chelsea Porter, UNC Chapel Hill, on Web Accessibility Recording
Prajakta Lily Girme, Dublin City University on Open Education, Access and Equity Recording
Corinna Stiefelbauer, WU Vienna, on AR/XR Virtual Worlds Recording
Paul Kirschner, Open University, on Evidence-Based Teaching and Myths in Education Recording
Hsun-Ta Hsu, UNC Chapel Hill, on Institutional AI Policies and Strategies Recording
Chryssa Themelis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (recorded past semester) on the portfolio of her edtech projects Recording

Thank-you Notes from Students

Teacher Perspective

This course is always a labor of love. Faculty and TA have spent countless hours preparing the material, troubleshooting technology issues, and creating handouts and how-to collections. Connecting the creativity and curiosity of my students with the expertise and tools needed to envision, build, and sustain Strong Schools makes it all worth it.

Israt Jahan Oeeshi

Israt obtained a research-intensive Master’s degree in Economic Policy in Global Markets from Central European University, with a concentration on higher education policy. With around two years of combined work experience in international development, financial/programme management, research, and higher education outreach, she envisions herself as an aspiring educator/research analyst committed to promoting sustainability and equality. Israt is also an alumna of the Asian University for Women; she graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a minor in Development Studies. During her Master’s studies, Israt also attended a fully-funded exchange certificate programme at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, USA, titled “Advanced Certificate in Inequality Analysis. Israt co-taught “Educational Technology for Strong Schools” and “Design Thinking” with Dr. Stefanie Panke at the AUW graduate program in Education. Israt’s primary research interests in the education sector include the future of AI in education, the implementation of affirmative action policies in combating higher education inequalities, and the future of investments in women in STEM programmes and EdTech schemes.

Stefanie Panke

Asian University for Women (AUW) / Web Science Program

Dr. Stefanie Panke is an educational technology specialist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is native German, and holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics and Literature from the University of Bielefeld, which she completed in 2012 with summa cum laude. Her research interests comprise social media, informal learning, open educational resources, and design thinking. As social media coordinator for AACE she is responsible for the blog AACE Review. Stefanie is an adjunct professor for teacher education at the Asian University for Women. She also teaches Web Science at Cologne University of Applied Sciences and Design Thinking at Münster University of Applied Sciences.

This content is provided to you freely by EdTech Books.

Access it online or download it at https://edtechbooks.org/ai_in_education/introduction.