The 4th International Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (ICODeL 2021) featured a special session that tackled Artificial Intelligence with international speakers from India, Malaysia and Bulgaria. It was held on 15 October 2021, the third and last day of the virtual conference.
The Special Session on Artificial Intelligence (AI) focused on the discussion of the initiatives and research studies of members of e-Asia Europe Meeting (e-ASEM) Research Network I. The session was moderated by Prof. Juvy Lizette Gervacio, Program Chair of UP OPen University’s Master of Public Management (MPM) program.
Prof. Karanaman Pushpanadham, Professor of Educational Management at The Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda, India, opened the session by sharing the impacts of AI in Education. He noted that AI is useful in creating individualized and specialized learning by customizing learning resources. Also, it helps in promoting professional working communities and also aids the teachers in improving their direct engagement with their learners.
Dr. Norazah Nordin highlighted the Future of Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence during her talk on the 2nd day of ICODeL 2021
In her presentation titled “Shaping the Future of Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” Dr. Norazah Nordin, Professor of Learning Technologies and Innovation and currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Industry Alumni and Community Partnership) at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, shared the heutagogical approach in teaching and learning.
She also presented the possibilities and issues of applying AI. Dr. Nordin concluded her presentation by emphasizing that the “impacts of Artificial Intelligence will drastically shift educational affordances and practices and would require curricular changes to enable learners and educators to be ready for the ever-changing evolution of learning, space and technology.”
Prof. Dr. Roumiana Peytcheva-Forsyth shared the TeSLA project and its results during the Special Session on Artificial Intelligence
Prof. Dr. Roumiana Peytcheva-Forsyth, Professor of Educational Technologies at the Sofia University and the Director of the National Centre for Distance Education in Bulgaria, highlighted the opportunities and challenges for e-assessment through her presentation on “Trust-based Authentication & Authorship e-Assessment Analysis: TeSLA Project and its Results.” She emphasized in her talk the topic of online cheating as one of the challenges of e-assessment and shared the results of TeSLA project, a system which aims to support the prevention and detection of cheating and academic dishonesty and promotion of academic integrity.
Prof. Juvy Lizette Gervacio moderated the Q and A forum of the Special Session on Artificial Intelligence
Recommendations on how to minimize online cheating and strategies for assessment were further provided by the speakers during the question and answer forum. The application of AI and its integration in the education system using the multi-disciplinary approach was also emphasized. The speakers closed the special session by encouraging the educators to see themselves as learning designers who are creative and innovative in designing the learning strategies and assessment suitable for their students.
ICODeL 2021 is a 3-day virtual conference held on 13-15 October 2021 with the theme “The University of the Future: Sustainability and Agility Among Disruptions.” It is the fourth in a series of biennial international conferences organized by UPOU to share and reflect on experiences, and collaboratively create and explore spaces and possibilities for open, distance and e-learning for development.
Written by the ICODeL 2021 Publicity Committee
Edited by Joane V. Serrano, Anna Cañas-Llamas and Alessa Shainne Hostalero
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