About this year’s event
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is a form of machine learning with the capabilities to produce text, images, video, music, code, etc. It has had a profound impact on education and our wider world, especially with the recent launch of ChatGPT and others.
Over the past year, our UVic community has explored the possibilities and challenges of this new educational landscape. We will be exploring this topic further in our upcoming learning and teaching conference where we collectively reflect on what we have learned so far and what we will try next.
Presentation recordings
Keynote Presentation
Dr. Croft's bio
Professor Elizabeth Croft is the Vice-President Academic and Provost at the University of Victoria (UVic) in British Columbia, Canada, a research-intensive comprehensive university leading the world in climate action, sustainability, rights of indigenous peoples, health equity, and international research collaborations. She is internationally recognised for her leadership in research and education innovation and for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in academia and industry.
Professor Croft holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of British Columbia, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Waterloo, and a doctoral degree in robotics from the University of Toronto. She is an expert in the field of human-robot interaction. Her work advances the design of intelligent controllers and interaction methods that underpin how people and autonomous, collaborative systems can work together in a safe, predictable, and helpful manner. She has led large-scale collaborative research projects utilising robots alongside people in manufacturing and guided multidisciplinary initiatives with automotive and aerospace industry partners. Her outstanding contributions have earned Professor Croft considerable recognition, including the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Alan Blizzard Award, WXN’s Top 100 most powerful women in Canada award, and the Engineers and Geoscientists BC RA McLachlan Award.
Professor Croft is a fellow of the American Society of Engineers, the Institute of Engineers Australia, Engineers Canada, the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, and the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
Empowering a culture of innovative and critical thinking in an AI world
Dr. Elizabeth Croft
In this keynote presentation, we will explore the transformative role of ChatGPT and similar generative AI tools in academia. AI is becoming integral to learning and teaching strategies, which include generating content, enhancing curriculums, and reshaping assessment methods. We will discuss the balance between AI’s opportunities and threats, including effective usage versus skepticism and addressing AI hallucinations. Additionally, we will cover how AI influences different ways of thinking and how it is evolving in business and industry, ultimately enhancing and enriching the learning experience.
Lightning Talks
Short-form 10 minute talks to showcase a teaching strategy, innovative idea, personal experience, piece of advice, research finding, etc.
Topics
- Understanding nursing students’ perceptions of intelligence tools to better support them as scholars and practitioners (with Lorelei Newton & Angela Wignall)
- Student perceptions of learning with GenAI (with Mariel Miller)
- How can undergraduate students learn and leverage GenAI for professional writing in industry? (with Simon Minshall)
- Addressing machine learning tools in a first-year humanities course (with Dennine Dudley)
Discover sessions
Longer-form 20-45 minute sessions where facilitators and participants investigate a particular topic with interactive components.
- Toasters make bad cars: why ChatGPT is failing our courses (with Jane Butterfield, Chris Eagle, Michelle Edwards & Trefor Bazett)
Additional Resources
Virtual Gallery
