Along with Jon Chandler (UCL), I’ve just had a blog published with ALT. It previews a presentation that we’re giving at the ALT conference (ALT-C) in Glasgow tomorrow. Our paper is entitled “Reimagining Historical Thinking: Aspiring Teachers, GenAI, and the Future of Learning” and in it we report on some research into History students’ views of AI and teaching and learning. Both Jon and I run modules called Teaching History, which are taken by students who are interested in pursuing careers in the education sector. We thought it would be interesting to find out what these students thought about AI, both in their current contexts and university and in their potential future careers as teachers.

Here’s the opening bit:

Much of the debate about generative AI in higher education has focused on the “death of the essay” and whether machines will make independent research and deep reading redundant. These concerns are particularly strong in the Humanities and Social Sciences, where essay writing has long been a central part of the learning process. But the real issue is not that AI has destroyed traditional forms of learning; it’s that we already lacked robust ways to teach students how to read and write effectively in digital spaces.

To read the rest, follow this link.