Generative AI is reshaping how knowledge is created, shared, and applied — and with it, how we understand originality, authorship, and critical thinking. It is not just a new tool: it challenges how we teach, learn, and define expertise within disciplines. To prepare students for their futures, we need to design learning experiences that build on strong foundations in critical thinking, ethical reasoning and discipline-specific knowledge, enabling students to engage meaningfully and independently with AI technologies.
This sharing innovations workshop will provide an opportunity to hear from a range of colleagues about how the theme is being embedded at UoB, why it is important and what Generative AI projects, supported by BILT, are being undertaken at the University. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion with colleagues.
This 90 minute in-person workshop will take place in Room2.26, 35 Berkeley Square
Catering arrangements:
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided (from 1.15 pm). Drinking water is also available.
Target Audience:
Teaching and teaching support staff.
Facilitators
Sarah Davies
Aisling Tierney
Confirmed presenters (more to be added):
Marios Kremantzis
Laura Contu
Isabel Murillo Cabeza
Abstracts
Laura Contu: Enhancing Research Literacy Through Critical Engagement with Generative AI in Psychological Research Methods Units
While generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools offer promising possibilities for enhancing learning in Higher Education (HE), there are fears that over-reliance on GenAI may reduce opportunities for students to practice and develop critical thinking skills, logical reasoning and academic integrity. As employers’ demand for AI skills rise, there is a clear mission for universities to develop effective methods of teaching strategic and ethical use of GenAI in ways that promote the academic development of students. Through weekly interaction with GenAI for active revision and two assessed reflective tasks, this project aims to create and reflect on strategies and activities that aim to help students develop their research literacy, critical GenAI literacy and ethical practice. The research will involve 3 focus group sets distributed over the 2025-26 academic year, that aim to explore students’ views shift on GenAI, GenAI skill development activities and GenAI output evaluation summative assessment. The data will be analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis process underpinned by a realist perspective (practical views, likes, dislikes, changes) and separately underpinned by a social constructionist perspective (how the psychological objects of GenAI, activities and assessments are conceptualised). The findings will inform the development of GenAI pedagogical practice in HE.
