Tim Coughlan, Bart Rienties, John Domingue, Christothea Herodotou, Thomas Ullmann, Duygu Bektik, Chris Edwards, Denise Whitelock, Coughlan, Emily and Maciel Tessarolo, F. 2025. Holding a lead, or the tail wagging the dog? Exploring educator influence over the behaviour of AI Digital Assistants. EDEN 2025 Annual Conference. Bologna, Italy 15 - 17 Jun 2025
| Title | Holding a lead, or the tail wagging the dog? Exploring educator influence over the behaviour of AI Digital Assistants |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tim Coughlan, Bart Rienties, John Domingue, Christothea Herodotou, Thomas Ullmann, Duygu Bektik, Chris Edwards, Denise Whitelock, Coughlan, Emily and Maciel Tessarolo, F. |
| Type | Conference paper |
| Abstract | As GenAI tools become more pervasive in learning, the ways in which educators can influence the behaviour of these systems should be a focus for research and innovation. As part of designing and trialling an institutional AI digital assistant for study, we are exploring where and how educators’ technological, pedagogical and content expertise could be brought to bear in the way in which the assistant behaves. In this paper, we draw on feedback from 20 educators and education researchers who took part in a trial of a prototype of the system and reflect on the process of designing the system to be embedded into the study of online courses. We highlight six methods through which educators can exert influence over the behaviour of such assistants and reflect on the alignment, possibilities and limitations of these to meet educator goals. This contributes to opening up a space for educators to think strategically and creatively about teaching with AI. |
| Year | 2025 |
| Conference | EDEN 2025 Annual Conference |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 2025 |