AI Bytes Episode 24 – AI for Feedback: The Great TABOO!

With the increased use of generative AI to do many of the tasks we have long associated with teaching and learning, there is a genuine concern that rather than supporting and developing learning and understanding AI may be used in a way which is negating the need for it. In this session Nik will look at an alternative method of prompting and how it can lead to deeper cognitive engagements and better metacognitive understanding.
Nik will demonstrate and share a number of prompts that are specific to teacher development that participants can try out and evaluate for themselves.

AI has already infiltrated the workforce, so higher ed institutions have a responsibility to teach their students to use it responsibly and effectively.

Purpose 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...

AI, ChatGPT, and LLMs "have absolutely blown up what I try to accomplish with my teaching."

The core purpose of education is to foster meaningful learning: developing students’ knowledge, skills, and critical thinking. Thus, the most pressing question is how ubiquitous AI assistance affects student learning and engagement with course material. There are valid concerns that easy access to generative AI may encourage academic shortcutting at the expense of learning. Writing an essay or solving a problem set is not busy work; it is structured adversity that develops reasoning, creativity, and resilience. If AI tools simply hand students the answers, they risk short-circuiting that developmental journey. Indeed, early evidence suggests some students are becoming less engaged in the learning process when AI is there to do the heavy lifting. This attitude is troubling: if a generation of students concludes that studying is futile because a chatbot can do it for them, education could face a crisis of engagement.

It is widely acknowledged that continuous professional development (CPD) enhances the quality of teaching. However, there is relatively little high-quality research on CPD initiatives in low-resource contexts. This report has identified 12 key principles that contribute to the most successful CPD opportunities. It highlights challenges such as a lack of high-quality tools and resources, as well as an insufficient focus on student well-being.

When we think about media manipulation, we often picture advanced editing software, fake news, or AI-generated deepfakes. But for me, the question starts much earlier and much simpler: can a four or five-year-old understand that a photo might not show what really happened?

Last week in my Sunday Suggestions I shared a prompt that turned your AI chatbot into a critical friend as an example of how AI CAN develop critical thinking, we just have to think a little more critically about how we apply it!

However, I suspect that what many teachers mean, when they talk about the impact of AI on critical thinking, is that students will get information from AI sources and won't think critically about whether or not it's true.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant possibility. It is a defining reality of our present moment. From predictive analytics in admissions to generative AI tools shaping classroom practice and research workflows, AI is rapidly transforming higher education. Yet this transformation is not simply technological. It is cultural, ethical, and institutional. The question before us is not whether we will use AI but whether we will guide its use with purpose, clarity, and care.

We see increasing levels of disengagement from the curriculum. Fewer students carry on to higher education. The intellectual elites become smaller and more powerful, but we also see a disruption. Academia is peeled away. Innovation occurs outside of the walls of schools.

Then Pedraza was introduced to Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, the AI companion that helps with work tasks. A group of AI experts recently trained him on how to write effective prompts to quickly generate personalized activities for the students just by typing a few traits of each. He was amazed by the results.

AI, when intentionally integrated, offers unique opportunities to deepen critical thinking. AI-powered platforms can support inquiry-based learning, providing students with immediate feedback on the logic and coherence of their arguments or exposing them to multiple perspectives on contentious issues (Luckin et al., 2016). Advanced models can simulate debates, challenge students with counterarguments, and prompt metacognitive reflection: “Why do you believe this? What assumptions are you making? What evidence supports your claim?” In these cases, AI becomes a “thinking partner” rather than a shortcut or crutch.

While people who have spent years cultivating their writing skills might bemoan the arrival of AI-assisted writing, there is also a much more optimistic way to view these changes. Until now, the ability to write well was inherently elitist. People fortunate enough to have the time and financial capacity to pursue higher education were better positioned to produce excellent writing.

The current research landscape may be messy and contradictory, but it illuminates a crucial truth: the impact of AI on education isn’t predetermined by the technology itself—it’s determined by the educational system we choose to implement it within.

We thought it would be helpful to put together a glossary with definitions of some of the most important words and phrases that we use in our articles.

The AILit Framework proposes a shared vision that teachers, education leaders, education policymakers, and learning designers can use to advance AI literacy in schools. The draft competences are organized into four domains—engage, create, manage, and design—that define what every student should know and be able to do in an age of AI.

English through Environmental Education is a dynamic, content-based coursebook designed for university-level English learners who want to engage deeply with environmental issues while developing essential language skills. Developed by a team of dedicated educators across Indonesia, this book connects language learning to real-world challenges, empowering students to take meaningful action to protect our planet.