Eduvos Academics to Present at Cambridge Generative AI in Education Conference.

Post by Eduvos, October 16, 2024.

We are excited to announce that our academics will be presenting new research at the Cambridge Generative AI in Education Conference in the United Kingdom from 15 to 17 October.  

Dr Miné de Klerk, who heads Design & Future Learning at Eduvos, will be leading a presentation under the title of "Navigating the Challenges of AI Integration in Global South Higher Education: A Technocritical Approach". The presentation is based on a paper Dr de Klerk and Eduvos Head of Research and Postgraduate Studies, Dr Nyx McLean, have co-authored.  

Under the guidance of Dr de Klerk, we are ethically embracing AI into our learning model. This presentation uses Eduvos as a case study to look at how we responded to AI and provides an approach for others to adopt AI in an ethical and sustainable way to respond to the ever-changing tech landscape.   

“This research explores how the rapid integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into higher education presents both opportunities and challenges, particularly in the Global South,” explains Dr Miné. “While AI tools offer exciting potential for enhancing learning, they also risk reinforcing inequalities in regions with limited access to digital resources. The study highlights the importance of critically engaging with AI technology, which is often shaped by Western-centric narratives, and calls for more inclusive approaches to its development.”  

Using Eduvos as a case study, the paper considers how AI-responsive teaching and assessment strategies can support more equitable and contextually relevant education. We have embraced the ethical use of AI in our lecture rooms and have a dedicated AI committee which seeks to understand the best ways to implement AI into the classroom and curriculum.   

The paper by the two academics also positions itself within our Research Agenda for 2023 to 2027 “Empowering Sustainable Development in Africa”. The Research Agenda, under the guidance of Dr McLean, is a roadmap for identifying and driving research activities across Eduvos.  

Dr McLean and Dr de Klerk both serve on our AI committee and Research committee. Through these engagements, they realised they shared a similar perspective on AI and its role within education.  

Dr McLean explains that “Our goal is to acknowledge that AI will shape both our present and our students' futures, so it's essential to learn how to collaborate with AI in productive and meaningful ways. We also aim to continuously ask important questions about how AI, largely trained on Western-centric data, can affect students whose lived experiences aren't reflected in its algorithms.”  

Their research applied these questions to a case study at Eduvos, focusing on AI-responsive assessment and curriculum design as AI usage increased rapidly among staff and students in the past year.  

As their presentation states: "We cannot afford to ignore AI’s impact – our challenge is to ensure it serves diverse realities, not just reinforce existing inequalities.”  

Eduvos wishes its academics the best as they travel to the UK to present their paper.

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