The latest news related to the meaningful and effective implementation of educational technology and e-learning in K-12, higher education, corporate and government sectors.
Watch this video to learn more about the fully online, accelerated, project-based Master of Education in Educational Technology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. For more information, visit: https://www.utrgv.edu/edtech/index.htm
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
This 30-hour accelerated program designed to prepare persons in K-12, higher education, corporate, and military settings to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for the classrooms and boardrooms of tomorrow. Students in this program have the opportunity to earn one or more graduate certificates in E-Learning, Technology Leadership, and Online Instructional Design.
This is a fantastic program! Its practical, real-world based and applicable to many areas of industry where teaching and learning, training and development are used.
"At Digital Universities US, online and digital education practitioners wondered if the headwinds facing higher ed will urge colleges and universities to address long-standing fractures."
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
“AI is making clear some of the issues and fractures and making all of these problems that have probably been there for a long time more apparent, visible and urgent”
INBOUND speakers debunk the top AI myths in marketing, sales, and support, showing what works, what doesn’t, and how to adopt AI the right way.
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"The myths surrounding AI are misconceptions that are potentially costly blind spots for your business. But success doesn’t come from jumping on the latest tool. It comes from understanding where AI truly fits in your workflows and how to use it with intention."
"The influence of artificial intelligence and chatbots has significantly transformed teaching and learning processes in higher education. This study aims to analyze the scientific production on the role of AI-based chatbots in higher education and their connection to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."
Explore a values-based approach to using Generative AI in higher education with insights on ethics, transparency, collaboration, and sustainability.
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
A learning designer reflects on initial hesitation toward generative AI, acknowledging its risks, but ultimately embraces thoughtful engagement to align its use with personal and professional values.
"Higher education is in a period of massive transformation and uncertainty. Not only are current events impacting how institutions operate, but technological advancement—particularly in AI and virtual reality—are reshaping how students engage with content, how cognition is understood, and how learning itself is documented and valued."
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
Panelists identified six key technologies and practices—AI tools, generative AI faculty development, AI governance, cybersecurity, evolving teaching methods, and critical digital literacy—as the most likely to shape the future of teaching and learning.
ChatGPT’s advice on limiting AI-generated student submissions was surprisingly sound overall.
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"The best AI counterstrategy, however, seems... to be hyperlocalized assignments that require offline reporting or research. If this can be realized, it appears to be the most direct way to beat the machines without making things harder for us instructors or unnecessarily laborious for students."
As workforce requirements shift dramatically in an era of rapidly developing technology—including generative AI (GenAI), employers are shifting their focus from educational credentials to a focus on specific skills.
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
Both employers and students are rapidly embracing skills-based learning and micro-credentials, especially those focused on GenAI, citing benefits like reduced training costs, higher salaries, and increased program appeal.
"We often think the greatest obstacles in education are external—limited resources, shifting policies, or ever-changing standards. But sometimes, the most insidious barriers come from within. They hide in plain sight, embedded in our everyday language and mindsets. Harmless at first glance, these phrases quietly sabotage progress, limit potential, and preserve the status quo. If we want to transform education in meaningful ways, we must start by confronting the words that hold us back."
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"These phrases are more than just words—they're warning signs of fixed mindsets, low expectations, and a resistance to change. Left unchecked, they become part of the culture, quietly influencing decisions, limiting innovation, and undermining student success. To create schools that are responsive, equitable, and future-ready, we must identify and challenge the language that sustains outdated practices."
"The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education has the potential to further customise and personalise students’ learning, and encourage self-directed learning. It can also augment teachers’ professional practice by automating routine tasks and allowing teachers to spend more time with students and provide more complex guidance to advance learning. However, inappropriate AI use may impede the development of critical thinking skills in students or propagate misinformation."
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
The AIEd Ethics Framework outlines four principles of Agency, Inclusivity, Fairness and Safety.
What students need the most, beyond LLMs, is space to strengthen those muscles of focus, writes Michael Serazio.
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"Some of our students falsely assume that product—a final paper—is what we seek, because high-stakes testing has trained them transactionally, and that’s what grading tallies. But, of course, process is what we ultimately aim to sharpen: The steps and lessons learned along the way. AI rewires that relationship, short-circuiting effort from output."
Today, I am truly delighted to receive a copy of “Teaching and Learning in the Age of Generative AI” by Prof. Drs. Rene Corbeil, Ed.D. and Maria Elena Corbeil. Having co-authored and edited several books together, I have witnessed firsthand the unique and meaningful contributions they have made to our field.
It is a special honor for me, as Rene’s former graduate advisor and Research Assistant supervisor at UTTB, to have been invited to write the foreword for this important work. Watching Rene’s academic journey and growth has been a source of great pride.
I extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Drs. Corbeil for continued success and a meaningful journey in the ever-evolving landscape of teaching and learning.
#ai #elearning
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
Thank you Dr. Khan. Your mentorship has been with me since the very start of my journey in higher education. From my master’s degree to co-authoring articles and co-editing books, you’ve guided and supported every step. Today, Maria Elena and I are proud to stand on our own with this significant publication—made possible because of the foundation you helped us build. Grateful beyond words!
This summer, Microsoft is expanding availability of its Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot products for students aged 13 and older. Administrators will be able to grant access for students based on their institution's plans and preferences, the company announced in a blog post.
"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping higher education by enhancing learning experiences, streamlining administrative tasks, and expanding research capabilities. ChatGPT and similar AI-powered assistants are playing a pivotal role in personalized learning, content generation, academic research, and student support."
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"This article explores the transformative potential of AI in higher education, balancing its benefits with challenges to ensure responsible and effective implementation."
AI revolutionizes eLearning with ADDIE by enabling personalization, interactivity, and continuous improvement across all phases.
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"AI is changing the way we approach eLearning, making it more dynamic, personalized, and captivating. When thoughtfully integrated with the ADDIE model, AI enables Instructional Designers to create learning experiences that are effective, memorable, and tailored to each individual."
"Imagine having access to your target learners' thoughts, behaviours and emotional responses throughout your entire design process. While this may seem like science fiction (and, perhaps, risky), recent research by Park et al. (2024) demonstrates that AI personas built from intentionally gathered, structured data can predict learner behaviour more accurately than traditional human-centred approaches, achieving approximately 85% accuracy in behavioural simulation and prediction."
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"Recent research demonstrates that AI personas built from intentionally gathered, structured data can predict learner behaviour more accurately than traditional human-centred approaches."
Two studies indicate students are using chatbots in a way that undermines what they learn.
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"The two studies were conducted by a team of international researchers who studied how Chinese students were using ChatGPT to help with English writing, and by researchers at Anthropic, the company behind the AI chatbot Claude. They both come to a similar conclusion: Many students are letting AI do important brain work for them."
A discussion between the tools joining our teams. It takes a team, if not a village, to work together to deliver quality higher education. Fortunately, we have a new cohort of colleagues joining us at colleges and universities. These new colleagues are eminently qualified; most have been knowledge certified as above-average for Ph.D. holders in their field. They are truly tireless, working 24 hours a day, without holidays, vacations or breaks. As you have guessed, I am writing about AI applications. What more do we know about these new co-workers?
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
Inspired by Jurgen Gravestein’s newsletter, the author set up a dialogue between Claude 4 and a custom-trained GPT model, resulting in a fascinating exchange on how AI perceives interaction with humans.
"While generative AI tools like ChatGPT offer great opportunities for personalized learning, it is important to think critically about what type of learning we are reinforcing through the convenience and customization offered by AI."
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
The big takeaway: While AI can enhance personalized learning, overreliance may hinder students’ critical thinking, independence, and collaboration skills, highlighting the need for balanced integration.
"This article explores seven emerging UI layouts and the perceived roles of AI agent, analysing how each one influences user behaviour and expectations through discoverability, user interaction patterns and agent capabilities in the experience."
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"LLMs aren’t just tools to be queried, they’re a new computing medium, one that we’re only beginning to understand. Just as GUIs, the web, and mobile interfaces reshaped design in past decades, LLMs demand a rethinking of how intelligence lives in our products, not just what it says, but where it sits, how it’s triggered, and how it guides the user."
"With Generative AI’s (GenAI) rapid development and the ability to generate sophisticated human-like text, it has evolved as a powerful technology in various domains. However, its application in the education domain was initially met with resistance due to concerns about disrupting traditional learning and assessment methods, raising questions about academic integrity, and provoking ethical dilemmas related to data privacy and bias."
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"This study conducts a literature review to investigate GenAI tools from the perspectives of key stakeholders in the educational domain— students, educators, and administrators—highlighting their benefits while identifying challenges and limitations."
“'You can tell when a student is lost in a classroom. But can you tell when they’re lost online?' That question has stuck with me ever since I started studying online learning patterns in graduate education. In a traditional classroom, instructors rely on visual cues—blank stares, confused expressions, or raised hands—to gauge whether students are keeping up. But in an asynchronous online course, all we have are… clicks. Scrolls. Logins. Time stamps."
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"One of the most surprising things we found in our research was that the frequency of activity didn’t always translate to depth of learning."
Explore how students are using generative AI beyond writing—to create visuals, design slides, enhance presentations, and communicate more effectively in business communication courses.
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
AI has limitations in creativity and cultural understanding, but it can still help students visualize and develop their ideas.
Avoiding common online program pitfalls can mean the difference between creating a thriving online program and one that never gains traction.
EDTECH@UTRGV's insight:
"[D]eveloping high-quality online courses and programs is no straightforward task. Many colleges and universities stumble into common pitfalls that can derail an online program before it ever gets off the ground. Here are four key mistakes institutions can avoid when building and scaling online learning."
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"[A]s AI adoption accelerates, one critical question remains: Will AI strengthen learning, or will it undermine it?"