MIT - unified framework of five principles in AI society

 This article, A unified framework of five principles for AI in society, written by L. Floridi and J. Cowls in 2019, provides a synthesis of other frameworks. The work predates the arrival of ChatGPT but the principles are even more important now as Gen AI moves towards becoming Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

Table 1 in the article summarised where each principle is also present in 9 frameworks. The principles are beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice and explicability. These concur with the principles published of late, calling for increased ethical actions as Gen AI and agentic AI take hold. 

From personalised to precision learning

This paper from Educause was in George Siemen's presentation last week. It proposes a tightening of personalised learning through 'precision learning'.

The paper was published in Novermber 2025 with authors from the U S of A - 

Tanya Gamby, David Kil, Rachel Koblic, Paul LeBlanc, Mihnea Moldoveanu and George Siemens.

The article proposes a 'computed curriculum' using AI to generate and deliver content and activities dynamically.

An important first step is to review institutional data architectures so that they can be drawn on to support the demands of adaptive and personalised learning. Real-time adaptivity is required so that 'just-in-time' feedback is availed to learners. Hence, in the article, the following is required:

"Delivering real-time recommendations and interventions that improve learning outcomes requires a fundamentally reimagined architecture. Instead of static, siloed data collection, institutions need systems capable of dynamic ingestion, immediate processing, and centralized analysis of learner interactions and performance. Such an architecture might leverage event streaming platforms, robust APIs, cloud-native databases, or other technologies to make data available and actionable the moment it is created. With this shift, educational systems can identify learning gaps, trigger personalized recommendations, and adapt curricula in real time—moving from post hoc analysis to proactive support."

The combination of agile learner data and LLM can then allow for real-time support and intervention. Then, combining the above with learning profile and curriculum leads to 'precision learning'.

The paper provides a way forward, explained in lay language for those with little computer science background. Now the first steps are to find out how my institute stores their learner data and see how complex or large the task ahead will be to format and provision precision learning!

The precursors to this article are also worth a read - Ai tsunami is here (2025 - Sept); and Dialogue at scale (October 2025).

Aotearoa AI Tertiary Network (ATAIN) - George Siemens on 'AI in Higher Education"

 Session 2 for 2026 from ATAIN with  a presentation from Professor George Siemens on 'How AI changes practices in higher education'.

Abstract of the presentation: 

After several decades of bold proclamations and unending hype of the future of learning, from Web 2.0 to open courses to flipped classrooms, artificial intelligence arrives in our university classrooms at a moment of change fatigue across the sector. This presentation will explore how AI impacts learning and knowledge practices, focusing on which specific tasks, now done by humans, are most amenable to AI. System level Implications of the core change of “what is done by human cognition and what is done by artificial cognition” will be explored.

Notes:

Mark Nichols introduced George. 

Began with the conundrum represented by the arrival of AI. Too much is changing and things are moving very fast. Almost impossible to anticipate what is going to happen. AI said to replace software developing but the data does not hold up on job replacements in this area.

We are currently moving from chatbots to agentic AI. Many platforms being launched and many people using, experimenting, evaluating. Check podcast - Software developers provide the idea but AI does the coding. Examples out there where coding is being done by AI by startups etc. 

Provided an example of how Claude can work if provided a folder of sources - pdfs, reports, etc. The ppt created is accurate. Therefore AI becoming a work bot. Then put the ppt back into Claude to tidy it up and 'approve' the various items that will be used to build the slides. Therefore, one 'manages' AI . 

Started the main presentation with assumptions that we are familiar with Gen AI, multimodal and world models, reasoning models, advances in models and encroachment into human capabilities. The uncertainty of labour market impact and that negative aspects of AI (bias, hallucination, IP abuse, environmental and human harm etc.)

Postulated that with distance education in 2002 - open education helped scale content. Then in 2008 open courses scale instruction and now, perhaps ability to scale engagement. 

Benefits - personalised learning, positive influence on learning, reduced planning and admin, greater insight into student understanding but negatives in ethics, need for learning design for AI.

All the AIs are dropping LMMs - Claude for education; chatGPT study mode etc.

However, students tend to rely on AI, rather than learn from or using AI :( 

Explained how AI LLMs may work. We can not just send students to Claude/ChatGPT to learn; the value add for education is the structure, curriculum, pathways, learning support etc. which are required to help novices learn specialised knowledge. Therefore connect learner profile and content knowledge, through systems prompt/context window (LLM) and compute personalised curriculum in the form of learning content, learning activities which matches the preferences and profiles of the learner.

Agents in higher education can support:

recruitment/registration; wellness support; guide and direct through university experience; create content; teach and coach; assess and evaluate; research. Therefore agents will be LMS, textbook, assessments, teaching, tutoring, apps etc.

Software engineering provide examples of what will happen. In the last 18 months, companies have been built in a weekend; product speed is accelerating and this will happen across many 'knowledge work'. 'Its building coalitions that work - issue by issue, with partners who share enough ---

Stages of engagement:

personal - join open spaces and contribute (your blog, huggingface, share your learning); 

coordinate: across institutions, share governance, share strategies and resources.

systems level:

Agency is important as individuals. We can create with AI but there is importance in first defining, thinking, planning and develop the skills to monitor and track what is available.

Encouraged getting lined up with key AI tools and the infrastructure that supports them. Git, Obsidian and file systems, skills and similar repeatable processes and start taking all the free courses (OAI, Deeplearning.ai, Anthropic, Gemini). 

Q & A followed.

As a summary, things are moving rapidly and there is no turning back. As individuals, need to keep up with the play. As institutions, need to be pro-active, collaborate and resource innovation/change.

World Economic Forum - Four futures for jobs in the new economy: AI and Talent in 2030

The World Economic Forum published a white paper in January 2025 on 'Four futures for jobs in the new economy: AI and Talent in 2030.

It is a short report - just 20 plus pages. 

The report is based on their annual survey of 10,000 executives (globally).

The scenarios are:

- Supercharged progress

- The age of displacement

- Co-pilot economy

- stalled progress

Each is presented and discussed and as usual, there is no right/correct way through, but perhaps a combination. National and social imperatives - including workforce readiness, actual progress of digital and AI technologies, political environment etc. will dictate national, regional and global effects.

For education, it will still be a time of rapid change. Whether education can keep up is dependent on many variables including capability, capacity, resourcing and future vision. Best to keep moving along with building capability as all innovations will be founded on human interactions and reactions.

Microsoft Copilot for educators webinar

 Notes taken from Copilot for educators webinar this afternoon. 

The session hosted by Microsoft  based in Australia. Beginning with acknowledgement of country and instructions for live captions and transcriptions.

Hosted by Jennifer Ruan (overview/facilitator) and Victor Kochetkov (demonstrator).

Started with running through the 'Teach' module with its various teaching tools. Tools are specific to sectors. For example, alignment to standard for school sectors. Went though 'create lesson plan', attaching files (allows specific standards to be added) and the drop down menu. UK English will be available soonat present, only American English. Once the lesson plan created, save to onedrive as a word doc.

Standards for vocational education in plans to be added for Australia. 

Demonstrated how to then draw on the lesson plan that was created to generate lesson notes/handouts using 'new chat'. Then showed how to edit the handout in Notes and then add it to a Notebook. 

Advised to use custom instructions (in settings) to provide specific instructions that cover the tone and specificity of AI responses. 

Then showed capabilities in 'Create'. So infographics can be created from the handout/lecture notes. Now stored in the 'Library'. Then did the same with powerpoint which should have organisational template available. Images etc. for ppt are from microsoft pool for copyright accreditation or AI generated. Institutional images can also be availed. 

Then used new chat to compare transcript of the lecture with the notes to identify gaps in delivery.

Next, demonstrated rubric creator in Teach module. Description only allowed, as no download/attach file capability yet. 

Then showed how the quiz creator works. Created a quiz into microsoft forms. Then used Analyst agent to do a analysis of the quiz responses (converted into excel spreadsheet). Then using the analysis, create another lesson plan which addresses the content that students did not achieve in the quiz. 

Then went back to 'create module' to create a video based on the ppt slides with a voice over.

Lastly, focused on notebooks - to collate items in one topic and how this forms the base for use in different ways. Especially for putting parameters on AI reference for responses, to create quizzes, flashcards etc.

Q & A ensured.

Many of the participants seemed to not have used copilot M365, so time spent to show how to access and where the Teach module is, how to  navigate through Copilot and use the various icons, enterprise/organisational data security etc.

Presentation recorded for further review. 

Case studies - AI - special issue of International Journal of Designs for Learning,

 The International Journal of Designs for Learning published a special issue on Gen AI in learning design at the end of 2025.

There are 30 articles, including 6 'short-form design cases.

There are 8 case studies followed by a special section with 16 articles on learning design for Gen AI.

An editorial by the special edition editors, opens the issue. Articles and themes across the issue are summarised

-Gen AI as a facilitation tool for learning workflow

- Gen AI as a site for AI literacy and critical thinking

- Gen AI as a creative and material partner

- Gen AI, ethics and the work of 'holding the line'

- Designing with Gen AI in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Of note for learning design in the VET  context are the articles:

- G. Fares' article Ch(AI)r: Advancing furniture design through AI craftsmanship - using poetic prompts to generate images using Midjourney and DALL-E. The images are then used as starting points for students' engagement with materials to create a chair.

-  Capturing elusive technology: designing a course on Ai for learning and development practitioners by Da Silva - the learning design of an asynchronous online course for learning desigers.

-  J. Yu and H. Rho on 'just seeing can be deceiving: Gen AI - supported design case for critical visual literacy -  uses AI as a 'cognitive partner' to intentionally create misleading versions of students' data visualisation to encourage and learn critiqueing skills.

-  R. M. Quintana, C. Quintana and M. McCurry on 'unpacking design of an online course series - Gen AI as a learning design partner - presents and discusses the opportunities and applications of Gen AI for supporting and enhancing learning design activities

- Implementing AI course assistances: a rapid design case from concept to full rollout at Los Angeles Pacific University by G. Henshaw and M. Wilday. Used AI as a Socratic partner to support greater student engagement, critical thinking and motivation. Involved faculty as co-designers. 

-  Davis. J. Utilization of ChatGPT to create materials of flipped classroom. - Use to revise pre-class resources and found that develop that it as effective in saving resource development time, improvement in student outcomes noted and quiz questions did not have as many mistakes. 

- Brinkman, E. - redesigning an introduction to writing assignment in the age of AI - emphasised the use of AI as a writing collaborator. Worksheets, scaffolds for learning and prompts are shared in the article. 

- Designing for AI literacy: a modular, Gen AI integrated course interdisciplinary graduate students in education by N. King and J. Yan. - describes the development of a graduate seminar to explore what Ai is and how to use it. 

Many of the articles provide good examples for educators as to how to incorporate AI into courses/programmes. Projects drew on disciplinary and constructivist pedagogies, with AI used to support rather than replace learning. Overall, a good resource to show how AI integration needs to be founded on Ai literacies, good understanding of pedagogy and the learning contexts, and the reflective practice required to utilise technology to enhance learning. 

Short papers from 2025 eportfolios Australia conference

 Short papers from the 2025 eportolios Australia conference are now available. 

There are 8 published papers.

- From foundation to practice-the journey of co-designing an eportfolio that supports reflective, competent occupational therapy graduates. The project was undertaken at the University of Tasmania - Associate Professor A. Hamilton, H. Titmuss, Professor A. Berndt, S. Batur, and C. Hunter. A new programme, so the opportunity to create eportfolio for assessment and learning to support student's professional progress was undertaken. Details the process and principles for programmatic assessment and eportfolio practice.

- Beneath the surface: advocating and influencing eportfolios practice - Dr. I. D'Souza and C. Sapsed from Monash University. Presents the work of educational designers on using an adapted TPACK in humanities and health disciplines. 

- Developing global competencies in agricultural sciences: eportfolio assessments as a catalyst for global citizenship and leadership in agricultural education with T. P. Nguyen, Professor S. Schmidt and Dr. N. Robinson from University of Queensland. Mixed methods survey of students to gauge their perspective on whether eportfolios contribute to supporting professional skills development.

- Authenticity in the age of AI: A framework for eportfolio assessment based on process, provenance and persona by N. Taptama from the University of Queensland. Details a framework to record the learning journey as AI becomes integrated into programmes of learning. The framework includes the PROCESS to capture the learning journey. PROVENANCE as a way to make visible and evaluate students' progress to document, synthesise and appy learning. PERSONA focuses on the unique human qualities students bring to the process.

- Resolution of building resilient eportfolios for online higher degree by research students by M. B. Fisher from the University of New England. Records the processes and journey of PhD and MPhil students using eportfolios to support their learning journey and the supports and strategies required to support them.

- Finding the sweet sport: Portfolios, programmatic learning and student belonging - H. Pate and R. Scriven from Edith Cowan University. Details the merging of programmatic learning with a whole course portfolio to help students engage with learning and build a sense of belonging to their profession.

- Making audience tangible in career-focused eportfolios with Dr. H. L. Chen and Dr. J. J. Tarbox from Stanford University. The application of eportfolios from a career planning and development focus. 

A good collection of papers, providing good concepts to follow through.