The Erasmus+ funded project Pathfinder (Pioneering AI Technology in Higher Education to Facilitate Innovation and Nurture the Development of Entrepreneurial Resources) held a meeting in Liechtenstein on April 18-19, 2024, to kick start the project and collaborate on the development of the teachers’ training on AI for teaching and learning.
The idea of the Pathfinder project (LAB 2024) was born as a result of a successful previous collaboration between LAB, the University of Liechtenstein, the University of Dubrovnik, and Liechtenstein-based private school formatio. During the previous project, SLEM, the partners tested the AI tools to create course videos. This experience opened up opportunities that AI creates for teaching and learning.
In the Pathfinder project, the partners will focus on three main results that will boost AI literacy among teachers and students. First, the teachers’ training will be organized in each institution during the academic year 2024‒2025 to support teachers in navigating the changing landscape of AI. At the same time, the Pathfinder team will create guidelines for teachers on how to use AI for teaching and learning. An AI-based tool will be created to support teachers in curriculum development, lesson planning, and assignments. During the academic year 2025‒2026, the AI course for students will support innovativeness and critical thinking.
Teachers’ training: AI for teaching and learning
The training programme “AI for Teaching and Learning” will be organized in LAB from August 2024 to January 2025. It is aimed to equip the LAB teachers and RDI specialists with the necessary AI skills. The programme will include a variety of topics. First, it will start by addressing fears, misconceptions about AI, and ethical considerations.
The second workshop will focus on introducing the fundamentals of AI, trying and testing tools, and prompt engineering. During the third session, the teachers will be introduced to AI-driven curriculum and lesson planning, including creating relevant tasks and exams. The final session will cover AI-assisted teaching and learning. After the training programme, the wrap-up sessions will be organized to discuss lessons learned and collect feedback.
The topics will be addressed during 3-hour hands-on workshops which will include meaningful activities and take-away materials for individual work. The pilot will also involve an evaluation of the training, the skills of the teachers, and the satisfaction of their students. Altogether, ten workshops will be organized face-to-face on both LAB campuses in Lahti and Lappeenranta.
Author
Olga Bogdanova works as an RDI Specialist at LAB University of Applied Sciences and acts as a project manager at the Pathfinder project.
References
LAB. 2024. Pathfinder. Pioneering AI technology in higher technology to facilitate innovation and nurture development of entrepreneurial resources. Project website. LAB University of Applied Sciences. Cited 16 May 2024. Available at https://lab.fi/en/project/pioneering-ai-technology-higher-education-facilitate-innovation-and-nurture-development
