In our rapidly evolving world, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the skills that students need for their careers and broader lives. This talk will explore the challenges and possibilities for AI in Higher Education. We will address widely held concerns about academic integrity, assessment security, and ethics while highlighting AI's many exciting opportunities. Drawing on established scholarship from different parts of the globe related to learning, teaching, and assessment, we'll examine how AI could help us to enhance feedback literacy, develop critical skills, promote sustainable educational practices, and increase learner engagement. By focusing on where AI can positively impact the experiences of both staff and students, this talk encourages innovation and forward-thinking about AI in education. It concludes with a call for us to remain scholarly in our approaches to AI in teaching, using SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) to evaluate and critically appraise emerging technologies as the future unfolds and to share our learning across the global teaching community. 

Professor Lydia Arnold is Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning, Teaching and Digital) at Harper Adams University, where she leads Curriculum development, professional development, digital pedagogies, and the Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoTL). Acting as a developer and change leader, Lydia has long sought new approaches to teaching and learning. She writes and speaks on a range of topics, including assessment, SoTL, AI in education, and digital tools. She is also proud to remain active as an educator, teaching classes in research methods and teacher education. With a first Degree in Geography and Education with Mathematics from the University of Keele and a Doctorate from the University of Liverpool, Lydia has a varied discipline background. She is a Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE, a UK National Teaching Fellow, and holds a Certified Membership of the Association for Learning Technology. She is active on social media and shares ideas through her long-established blog. Beyond education, she enjoys walking, listening to live music, and reading. 

Connect at:

o   Blog: lydiaarnold.net

o   Linkedin:lydiajarnold

New generative AI tools such as ChatGPT have attracted enormous interest, and concern, about their potential impact on current teaching and assessment practices in Higher Education. This presentation will consider the current evidence base showing how these tools can, and cannot, be used to cheat on common assessment formats in higher education. We will also consider what this means, what we could do about it, and what we should do about it.n text goes here

Professor Phil Newton teaches evidence-based approaches to learning, teaching and assessment at Swansea University. He has worked extensively on issues of cheating and academic integrity, and how these can be moderated by effective assessment design. His current research focuses on the impact of new artificial intelligence tools on these issues. His day job is teaching neuroscience to students in the medical school. Prior to working at Swansea he spent 8 years at the University of California, San Francisco, having completed a PhD at the University of Leeds, UK.

Getting ‘AI for Learning’ right to sustainably grow student success. A global, multi-institutional case study.

In 2024, universities grapple with layered challenges: declining student participation, persistent equity gaps, student expectations for AI, and the very value of a degree. Leaders are looking for a more hopeful less fearful future - only possible with a student-centric transformation at the institutional level. With 2024 data from UK universities, Studiosity Regional Director Katya Burfitt, illustrates how a student-centric approach to AI can support student success and systematically strengthen universities that are trying to keep up with a rapidly-evolving, post-Covid educational landscape. Hear where universities should be investing, but aren’t; discover the institutions where leaders are unafraid to demand more of AI and their own systems; how educators are able to integrate proven pedagogy - inquiry, personalisation, feedback, critical thinking - at a never-before-seen scale; see growth in critical thinking, participation, satisfaction, and confidence: a playbook for those tasked with students’ ethical learning and wellbeing in the age of AI. Studiosity’s learner-centric paradigm - that is currently in practice around the world and expanding in the UAE - addresses some of the most common issues higher education institutions face, heralding a brighter future for learners - and for all the educators tasked with their care.

Katya Burfitt is a professional with over 15 years of experience in education. During her career, Katya has worked for high schools and universities in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, focusing on launching and successfully growing institutions' brands globally. Katya has vast experience in account management and partnerships and has in-depth knowledge of the Higher Education sector. As Regional Director at Studiosity, Katya focuses on offering best in class support to the partners, as well as continuing to build the Studiosity brand within the region and expanding the partner network in the Middle East.

Digital Assessment and Critical Thinking to Improve English: An Evaluation
This is a study evaluating the effectiveness of combining a critical thinking skills-focused textbook and digital, multi-level English language exam as placement and end-of-course assessments in an HE foundation course. The study analyses the impact on critical thinking, motivation, engagement, attitudes towards digital assessment and learning gains of participants. A cohort of approximately 175 students was studied to evaluate the effectiveness of using the digital multilevel English test, Linguaskill, as a placement test to determine proficiency levels in Listening, Reading and Writing. Students below B2 level were offered the foundation course, which uses the Unlock textbook series as its primary learning resource. The course consists of four levels, and at the end of level 4, students retook the Linguaskill. Pre- and post-course surveys, Linguaskill scores, classroom observations and interviews with teachers and students were used to collect data. Analyses of combined test scores showed significant improvement in post-course scores, with nearly a third improving by one CEFR level in all three skills. Participants had positive perceptions of the course and believed it improved their English and critical thinking. Teachers found the Unlock textbook to be good instructional material. The study highlights the effectiveness of the combination of Unlock series and Linguaskill test in improving English proficiency and critical thinking skills. Strong evidence of positive gains was found, with significant implications for language learning programs.

Nisreen Ash, Principal Impact Manager, has 20 years of education experience with a focus on teaching, assessment and evaluation. She has worked with educational institutions and ministries in Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Oman, UAE, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, delivering education reform projects and leading nationwide evaluation studies.

Microlearning Strategies for Faculty Development
This project was done to evaluate the effectiveness of microlearning in online self-paced faculty development materials for the purpose of research development and dissemination. 300 researchers working at 32 universities in the Iraqi region of Kurdistan were enrolled in 40 online self-paced courses where each course is comprised of standalone microlearning activities. Using LMS log data, course evaluation surveys, and SIS data, the effectiveness of the microlearning activities was evaluated by interpreting learner behavior within the context of Kurdistan's researcher ecosystem. Researchers engaged heavily with microlearning activities (over 900 microlearning assignments submitted) whilst whole or overall course completion rates were low. Incorporating microlearning elements into the course design succeeded in engaging researchers at HEIs in Kurdistan. Microlearning strategies have proved very successful in informal learning environments (such as Youtube learning videos, LinkedIn Learning). Our study shows that faculty at HEIs are just as prone to engage more with microlearning materials as informal learners or employees in corporate environments. Incorporating more microlearning strategies in faculty development programmes could aid in more flexible, faculty-driven professional development with increased engagement and knowledge retention.

Isaac Tabor has led digital transformation projects internationally and is the founder of an active Cambodian education initiative for HE matriculation. He is the Head of Digital Learning at Knowledge E, where he leads the development of a digital learning platform for the professional development of academics and researchers.

Harnessing AI to Transform Education
AI is reshaping higher education by enabling more personalized learning experiences, streamlining repetitive tasks, and fostering deeper student engagement. AI-driven tools support adaptive learning pathways, facilitate personalized feedback, and provide insights into student progress. This empowers educators to focus on designing impactful, student-centered learning experiences that enhance student success and outcomes.

FeedbackFruits harnesses AI to create inclusive, personalized, and active learning environments. Our tools streamline assessment, facilitate peer feedback, and support collaborative learning. With our AI-powered feedback assistant, Acai, students receive instant, actionable insights on their work, promoting self-reflection and improving feedback literacy. Additionally, Acai automates grading and content moderation, reducing faculty workloads and enhancing course consistency.

By embracing AI, institutions can drive innovation in teaching, improve learning outcomes, and prepare students for the future workforce. FeedbackFruits integrates AI seamlessly into existing Learning Management Systems (LMS), allowing universities to adopt these advancements without major infrastructure changes. In today’s digital world, AI in education is essential for fostering impactful, scalable learning experiences.

Mike is driven by a passion for enhancing education. Growing up in a country where education plays a pivotal role in shaping the future, he has experienced its transformative power firsthand. His mission is to ensure that every student graduates equipped with the skills to solve real-world problems.

AI in Education: Six AI Tools Available Today in Blackboard

Join us to learn about six Generative Artificial Intelligence pedagogical tools that have been collaboratively, ethically and securely integrated within the Blackboard Learn LMS.  

Anthology has partnered with Microsoft to provide the AI Design Assistant that helps teachers to create, design, and enrich their learning content by inspiring teachers to make course creation more efficient. 

Created within the guidelines of our Trustworthy AI Approach, these new capabilities give instructional designers and instructors a head-start on the course building process while remaining in control  – giving them more time to do what they do best: teach!

 The tools that we’ll explore in the session include:

1.     AI image generation with Unslpash

2.     Course builder aide to create draft modules, titles, and descriptions

3.     Content-based test generation

4.     Rubric generation

5.     Authentic Discussion, Journal and Assessment

6.     AI Conversation

Malek Ibrik is a Customer Success Manager with over a year experience at Anthology. Over the past year, Malek has worked closely with education institutions in UAE and the Middle East to share the latest in EdTech solutions and help institutions achieve their goals.