When AI quietly enters classrooms, are you still wondering, “Should I ban students from using AI?” Don’t panic! Recently, The CTL invited Dr. Freek Olaf de Groot — an AI in Education expert and Associate Professor from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU)’s Department of Applied Linguistics — to host a highly engaging ''AI + Teaching & Learning” workshop. Instead of tedious theories, the session offered practical, ready-to-use tips. Let’s recap this eye-opening learning journey!
At this workshop, faculty members from TESOL, Business and Management, and other departments actively participated. Our CTL thoughtfully prepared gifts and refreshments to create an engaging atmosphere for learning and exchange.
If you were unable to attend this event, we invite you to join us in revisiting the key highlights of the workshop.
Centered on core questions concerning the application of AI in educational settings, this workshop aimed to guide teachers in exploring and addressing three key issues:
What specific phenomena are currently emerging in the interactions among AI, teaching, and learning?
How can we theoretically interpret these interaction phenomena between AI, teaching, and learning?
Within our teaching contexts, what forms of collaboration with AI are truly “worthwhile”?
In educational practice, there is no need to adopt extreme attitudes toward AI—either “banning it” or “rushing to apply it.” Instead, AI should be viewed as a key participant in the teaching ecosystem. By refining task design, clarifying role positioning, and reshaping cognitive frameworks, educators can foster synergy among AI, students, teachers, and learning resources, thereby fundamentally reducing the occurrence of “AI shortcuts.”
The value of AI in education does not lie in a single “operational skill,” but in sustained, systematic application practices. Such practices are deeply intertwined with teachers’ perceptions of AI and the broader teaching ecosystem, and must be dynamically refined through continuous exploration.
Both teachers and students need to maintain reflective awareness during human–AI interactions: to document AI’s influence on their own thinking, analyze the strengths and limitations of human–AI collaboration, and clarify the appropriate positioning of AI within the learning process. This reflective approach ensures that AI serves the purpose of deep learning rather than replacing the learning experience itself.
At the end of the workshop, Dr. Freek raised a proposition of profound significance: "In an AI-mediated society, what core qualities should a ‘well-educated person’ possess?” The answer to this question lies within every reflection and practice related to AI applications in teaching and learning. In the future, educators will not only be disseminators of knowledge, but also designers of AI-collaborative teaching and learning systems. In integrating AI into education, staying true to the essence of learning and fostering students’ critical thinking and creativity will remain the central focus of educational practice in the AI era.
The outcomes of this workshop will serve as valuable references for subsequent teaching reform and faculty development within our department. We will continue to advance the exploration of teaching and learning models in the AI era, providing strong support for enhancing educational quality and cultivating talents who can meet the needs of future society.
These are the upcoming events we’re excited to share with you! The upcoming events have been updated on the CTL's website. For more information, please visit our website or click the link below to learn more: https://www.wku.edu.cn/en/ctl
We are pleased to announce the the last Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) of our semester — a signature faculty development program designed to strengthen teaching practices through experiential learning.
Session #23: November 15–16 & 22–23
Participants will explore core teaching and learning concepts, reflect on current practices, experiment with new instructional strategies, and engage in supportive environments.
We look forward to discussing this excellent opportunity to increase student engagement with interested faculty and staff of WKU. Please note that participation is limited to five individuals, and all four days of the workshop are required.
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Author: Jingru (Claire) Cheng
Chief Editor: Yirui (Sandy) Jiang