We are delighted to welcome Dr Mark Carrigan as the keynote speaker for our Annual Seminar. Mark is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Manchester and an AI Fellow at the Institute for Teaching and Learning. He is widely recognized for his critical insights into the social and educational implications of emerging technologies.  

In an era where artificial intelligence sparks moral panic, existential crisis and deep anxiety, can we move beyond fear and controversy to harness the genuine opportunities this technological wave presents? Should we move from dystopian dread to fond embrace, or should we refuse to become plugged into the AI matrix. Mark Carrigan, one of our most prolific and thought-provoking voices on AI and academia, will challenge us to rethink our relationship with – Systematic Approaches to Learning Algorithms and Machine Inferences (AI’s other less glamorous name).  Rather than viewing these learning machines as substitutes for human thought, Carrigan explore their potential as catalysts for deeper thinking and creativity.  

Whether you are a teacher, academic, researcher, or student, this keynote invites you to shift the conversation from the “what” and “how” of GenAI to more fundamental questions of “if” and “why.” Together, we will interrogate the politics, purpose, ethics and educational value of AI, exploring how it can enrich—not replace—our intellectual practices.  

To register for the event, please visit our Eventbrite website linked here 

EVENT PROGRAMME 

9.45 - Delegate Arrival

9.55 - Welcome and Introduction with Prof Carol Azumah Dennis

10.00 - Keynote: Dr Mark Carrigan - Generative AI and Scholarly Practice: Creative Possibilities, Structural Difficulties and Collegial Responses

10.30 - Keynote Q&A chaired by Prof. Carol Azumah Dennis

10.40 - Scribe: GenAI to assist with course production presentation with Thomas Ullmann

10.55 - Praxis project presentation with Sharif Haider - Equipping the Educators: Supporting Practice Educators to Guide Social Work Students in a Digital Practice Landscape

11.10 - 5 minute Wellness Break

11.15 - Praxis project presentation with Olivia Kelly - Better Words for AI: A Collaborative Dynamic Lexicon

11.30 - Praxis project presentation with Poppy Gibson, Helena Staszkiewicz and Sagan Shrestha - An exploration into Gen Z students’ experiences, attitudes and agency in choice of digital tools when collaborating on group work

11.45 - Projects Q&A chaired by Prof. Carol Azumah Dennis

11.55 - Close