The latest episode of the AI for Educators Design Lab podcast hosted by Next Path Design is live! In Episode 4, we shift from questions about assignment design and learning aims in the age of AI to a question about the role of human interactions. As AI is integrated into learning experiences, where is human connection essential?
This episode begins by arguing that we've asked versions of this question before. Decades of distance learning research have examined the implications when technology mediates the relationship between teachers and learners. However, the current AI conversation is largely proceeding as if none of that research exists. It's an amnesia we often see when educational technology changes. I argue that learning is shaped not just by how students interact with technology, but by the people who design, guide, and participate in those interactions.
Listen: Podcast Episodes Available Now
π nextpathdesign.com/podcast | Spotify | Apple | YouTube
Here's a recap of the episodes available now:
- S1E0: AI for Educators Design Lab Podcast Trailer introduces the podcast's mission to help educators navigate the complexities of AI integration in teaching and learning.
- S1E1: Academic Integrity in the Age of AI examines academic integrity and assignment vulnerability as a learning experience design challenge, not a detection problem.
- S1E2: Rethinking Learning Goals in the AI Era explores how AI not only makes assignments more vulnerable but also prompts a review of traditional learning goals.
- S1E3: AI Literacy: Helping Learners Think Critically About AI makes the case that AI literacy needs to be a consistent design intention running through the full learning experience.
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S1E4: Designing for Human Presence in AI-Integrated Learning explores what it looks like to make deliberate design decisions about human presence when AI is in the mix.
Looking ahead to Episode 5, we're going to tackle the ethical considerations associated with data privacy, security, and safety in the AI Era. When students and educators use AI tools, they often forget theyβre sharing data. Sometimes a lot of data. And as educators, many of us donβt pause to consider what we're asking students to expose, what we might be putting at risk, or our responsibilities to protect them.
Design: Free Companion Design Briefs
π nextpathdesign.com/designbriefs
The free Design Brief for Episode 4 picks up where the podcast leaves off. Building on the design considerations discussed in the podcast, a Human Presence Design Map is offered as a diagnostic tool to help you work through those design questions in a real-world learning experience of your own. This Design Brief activity takes about 15β20 minutes and helps you consider where in the learning process human interaction is most essential, which tasks are worth delegating to AI, and how we can ensure that human connection is available to students when they need it.
When you sign up for the free Design Briefs, you get access to the full library. The library includes this Design Brief and all future Design Briefs as they're released.
Looking Ahead: Summer Design Sprints
π Add your name: Design Sprint waiting list
Later this summer, we'll be hosting AI for Educators Design Sprints, short design challenges where small cohorts move from diagnosing the problem to making design decisions tailored to your context. While the podcast and Design Briefs help you surface the design tensions, the Sprints are where we pivot to application. More details coming soon.
Thank you for being here. I look forward to engaging with you in this conversation.
Jennifer Maddrell, PhD
Next Path Design
About the Podcast Series:
With AI, we're facing a tension I like to call the convergence of messy and the magical. AI promises exciting innovation and efficiency, but it also raises significant concerns. This podcast series isn't quick tips or AI tools to hype. Instead, it's about the agency we have to design effective learning experiences and make informed decisions in the face of this new reality.
