Higher Education Teaching: Crisis and Opportunity – A speaker series inspired by the work of John Dewey
This series of talks by international and UK speakers focuses on the theory, practice and policy of teaching in higher education in the current era of change and disruption. Speakers will illuminate ways that we can draw on John Dewey’s philosophy of democratic education to reimagine practices to support students inclusively in these challenging times. The series will be held throughout 2025-26, and occur online or hybrid to promote participation from a range of locations.
Join us for the second talk in our series:
Problem-based learning, student reflection, and expansive learning as lenses to analyse generative artificial intelligence in higher education
Dr Antonia Scholkmann, Aalborg University, Denmark
On Zoom
Generative AI can certainly be understood as a crisis-inducing event in higher education, as it challenges understandings and dynamics of knowledge, teaching and learning alike. Problem-based Learning (PBL) can serve as a pedagogical approach to engage students proactively, positioning them as knowledge co-contributors in an evolving situation rather than passive recipients of education policy.
In my talk I will draw on my current work on the emergent practices of generative AI in higher education understood through the lens of a Dewey-inspired PBL pedagogy that centres student problem-exploration and reflection. I will also elaborate on how Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and the notion of expansive learning based on the works of Yrjö Engeström can serve as an additional theoretical angle to understand the dynamics that unfold when generative AI enters educational spaces.
Dr Antonia Scholkmann, Dr. Phil. and Dipl. Psych., is Associate Professor at Aalborg University, Denmark. She researches how generative AI and digital transformation shape higher education, focusing on learning, teaching, and institutional change. Her work includes extensive publications on problem-based learning and universities adapting to technological and policy shifts.
Organiser: Prof. Andrea English, andrea.english@ed.ac.uk