MIT Open Learning speaker series bridges AI and open education
By Sara Feijo
MIT Open Learning is fueling a global dialogue on the future of open education in an AI-driven world. Building on the momentum of its newly launched AI + Open Education Initiative that supported the publication of rapid response papers tackling the promises and pitfalls of this emerging field, Open Learning is now taking the conversation further with a virtual speaker series designed to spark deeper international exchange.
Kicking off on April 30, the new AI + Open Education Initiative Speaker Series shines light on the recently published rapid response papers — written by researchers and practitioners in Armenia, Brazil, Canada, Ghana, India, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States — with a focus on professional education, the judicious use of AI, and open practices. Clint Lalonde, director of open education at BCcampus in Canada, will lead a discussion with Aigerim Shilibekova, author of “Addressing Challenges in Faculty Professional Development: UDL Training through AI-Enhanced OER in a Non-English Context,” and Royce Kimmons and Torrey Trust, select co-authors of “Judicious AI Use to Improve Existing OER.”
“MIT sparked an important conversation with the launch of the AI + Open Education Initiative and the release of the first round of rapid response papers exploring the relationship between AI and open education,” Lalonde says. “The incredible global response to the call for papers illustrates the importance and timeliness of this initiative to the open education community, and I am looking forward to continuing the discussion as part of the AI + Open Education Initiative Speaker Series.”
On May 12, Nick Baker, director of the Office of Open Learning at the University of Windsor in Canada, will lead a conversation on AI literacies and evaluation with Angela Gunder and Josh Herron, select co-authors of “AI Literacies and the Advancement of Opened Cultures,” and Hannah-Beth Clark and Margaux Dowland, select co-authors of “Auto Evaluation: A Critical Measure in Driving Improvements in Quality and Safety of AI-Generated Lesson Resources.”
“It’s very exciting to be part of the global conversation that these projects are catalyzing with the release of the Open + AI rapid response papers,” Baker says. “AI has the potential to significantly shift how we work in open spaces as it changes how humans create and share knowledge. There is both great potential and risk of amplifying existing biases and inequality, so there is also a need for caution and care as we approach AI in open.”
Both webinars will be focused on how AI might accelerate responsive open education practices and the inequalities that might become more entrenched through AI applications. The April 30 discussion will also explore the future of open education in an ecosystem shaped by AI systems, while the May 12 conversation will dive into new literacies needed for creators of open content co-creating with AI.
Through the speaker series and more broadly the AI + Open Education Initiative, MIT Open Learning aims to bring contributors and funders into public conversations that catalyze research, infrastructure, industry, and teaching innovations to advance open education for learners worldwide.
Both Lalonde and Baker have seen the impact of the AI + Open Education Initiative in their own work around AI and open education.
“The rapid response papers have given us a broader view of the ways in which AI can be applied to solve problems that are both innovative and practical, while continuing to highlight challenges and issues that come with working with AI,” Lalonde says.
And Baker adds: “Applying the values of the open community — collaboration, sharing, trust, connected communities, reflective practice, co-creation, transparency, care, ethics, and equity — seems like the most appropriate way to address the challenges and opportunities of AI.”
The AI + Open Education Speaker Series is hosted by the MIT OpenCourseWare Collaborations Program, part of MIT Open Learning. Register for the April 30 webinar at 2 p.m. EDT and the May 12 webinar at 11 a.m. EDT. Both webinars will be recorded and provided as open educational resources.
MIT Open Learning’s AI + Open Education Initiative is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The nine rapid response papers are published under an open access license and can be downloaded for free. Visit the initiative’s website and sign up for the initiative’s mailing list for more information.
Want to learn more about the AI + Open Education Initiative? Read about the initial call for proposals at the intersection of AI and open education, as well as the announcement of the publication of the nine rapid response papers.
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