Professor Jason LODGE Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Learning, Instruction, and Technology Lab in the School of Education, The University of Queensland
Title: The metacognitive frontier: Navigating the psychology of learning in AI-enabled environments
Abstract: As Generative AI and AI agents become woven into the fabric of higher education, the fundamental nature of how students engage with information (and themselves) is shifting. This keynote explores the intersection of educational psychology and emerging technology, specifically focusing on the evolution of self-regulated learning. We will move beyond the immediate challenges of academic integrity to address a deeper question: How do we ensure that AI augments, rather than replaces, the metacognitive processes essential for deep expertise? Drawing on recent research from the Learning, Instruction, and Technology Lab, this session will offer a framework for "re-articulating" learning that prioritises human agency in an increasingly automated world.
Bio: Professor Jason M. Lodge, PFHEA, is a Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Learning, Instruction, and Technology Lab in the School of Education at The University of Queensland, Australia. His work explores the cognitive and emotional mechanisms of learning with digital technologies, addressing critical questions of how technology, particularly AI, is shaping learning and education. Jason's research informs educational policy and practice across Australia and internationally. He serves as an expert advisor for the Australian Government and OECD, applying his work to enhance equitable learning for all students.
Date and Time: 10.00 AM – 11.00 AM (HKT), 21 May 2026 Venue: Jockey Club Auditorium
Professor Diana LAURILLARD Professor Emerita of Learning with Digital Technology UCL Knowledge Lab, University College London
Title: How can we ensure that GenAI improves pedagogy?
Abstract: We can imagine ways in which GenAI could make pedagogy worse. It derives its creations from the statistical analysis of vast numbers of apparently relevant texts that have already been created. The teacher-designer would offer guidance such as topic, type of students, size of class, duration of teaching-learning times and learning outcomes, and something intelligible would be returned. But the process of creation is vastly different from the kind of analysis a teacher would do with the same information. It would offer ideas but could not possess a single underlying pedagogic theory. The output of such a process is often impressively logical in structure and relevant in content, but devoid of creative thinking and detail. So, as a profession, we must work out how to use AI assistants in ways that instead elevate our creativity and support our collaborative approach to building pedagogic expertise. But how??
Bio: Diana Laurillard is Professor Emerita of Learning with Digital Technology at UCL Knowledge Lab, University College London, currently: investigating the impact of ‘co-designed massive open online collaborations’ (Co-MOOCs) to address the UNSDGs through large-scale professional development courses (CGHE, Oxford-UCL, ProCol, UCL-IGP); further developing the Learning Designer tool for teachers in all sectors. Formerly: Head, e-Learning Strategy Unit, Department for Education and Skills (2002-05), developing the UK’s first cross-sector strategy ‘Harnessing Technology: Transforming Learning and Children’s Services’; Pro-Vice-Chancellor Learning Technology and Teaching, Open University (1995-2002). Other positions: Thinker in Residence, Royal Flemish Academy of Sciences & Arts, Brussels; Vice Chair, Chair, President of the Association for Learning Technology; Governing Board of UNESCO Institute for IT in Education, Moscow; Visiting Committee on IT, Harvard University. Books: Rethinking University Teaching (2002), Routledge; Teaching as a Design Science (2012), Routledge; Online Learning Futures: An Evidence Based Vision for Global Professional Collaboration on Sustainability (2023), Bloomsbury. [151]
Date andTime: 4.20 PM – 5.20 PM (HKT), 21 May 2026 Venue: Jockey Club Auditorium
Professor Abram ANDERS Jonathan Wickert Professor of Innovation and Associate Director of the Student Innovation Center, Iowa State University
Title: Opportunity, Augmentation, Agency: Preparing Students for Human-AI Collaboration
Abstract: Recent scholarship has identified a gap between AI development and human need. While automation has drawn both investment and anxiety, the largest opportunity and the one workers most desire is partnership. This underserved "opportunity zone," where AI augments rather than replaces, is where education must prepare students to work. This keynote presents research on productive human-AI collaboration. Three threshold concepts emerge as transformative: AI use as experimental process rather than transactional exchange; effective collaboration requiring dialogue grounded in disciplinary expertise; and agency maintained through strategic oversight. These insights are operationalized through an integrated framework combining AI literacies with self-regulated learning. Empirical findings demonstrate significant gains in student self-efficacy across functional, critical/ethical, and creative literacy dimensions. The presentation extends to interdisciplinary innovation experiences, showing how intensive challenges cultivate human-centered approaches while building innovation capacities. Participants will gain practical insights into pedagogical design that promotes student capacities for human-AI collaboration.
Bio: Dr Abram Anders is the Jonathan Wickert Professor of Innovation and Associate Director of the Student Innovation Center at Iowa State University, where he leads the AI Innovation Studio. He created a pioneering Artificial Intelligence and Writing course and conducts research on AI literacies in education. His recent Computers & Education: Artificial Intelligence article demonstrates how integrating comprehensive AI literacies—functional, critical, ethical, and creative—with self-regulated learning can promote student agency and human-in-the-loop practices that augment rather than replace disciplinary expertise. His work on technological innovation, communication, and education appears in leading journals including College English and the International Journal of Business Communication. The Association for Business Communication has recognized his scholarship with multiple awards including the 2022 Outstanding Article Award. Learn more at abramanders.com.
Date and Time: 9.30 AM – 10.30 AM (HKT), 22 May 2026 Venue: Jockey Club Auditorium
