This initiative hosted by the UCD Teaching & Learning team aims to promote meaningful conversations on key topics in teaching and learning across the university community. The series is designed to facilitate opportunities where colleagues and students come together to understand and explore their various perspectives and experiences of teaching and learning. It will provide in-person and online opportunities to connect with others through conversation to find common solutions to shared problems.

Each academic year, the team will select a theme for exploration via the TLC Series. The theme will be informed by queries from those who teach and support learning across UCD while more broadly responding to changes happening within the higher education landscape. The TLC Series will be mediated via the already-established UCD Teaching and Learning Community in Google Chat; if you are not yet a member of the community we encourage you to join to learn more and get involved in the conversations.

GenAI Reading & Conversations Club
Timeline: October 2024 - April 2025

Each month, we invite you to join us for an informal discussion centred on the continually evolving field of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education. Our online group discussions provide an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to explore research and resources related to Generative AI. Two weeks prior to each session, we will post a resource - be it a research paper, article, or other relevant resource - in our Teaching and Learning Community in Google Spaces. The online discussions will invite general comments and questions on the paper/resource followed by more detailed insights on relevant aspects. In the spirit of maintaining an open and candid exchange of ideas, these sessions will not be recorded. We have identified the initial papers/resources for reading and discussion but we welcome your suggestions for future sessions. You can engage in the conversations in the UCD Teaching and Learning Community.

On the following dates, the conversations club will take place online; there is no booking required but you must use your UCD staff or student email address to log in to the session. (Zoom link to recurring meeting.)

• 23 October 2024 - 10.00-10:45 Review/read resource: UNESCO AI competency frameworks for students and teachers
• 25 November 2024- 12.00-12.45 Read the following paper which overviews the emerging research on AI chatbots in higher education focusing on empirical studies conducted from December 2022-23.
  McGrath, C., Farazouli, A., & Cerratto-Pargman, T. (2024). Generative AI chatbots in higher education: a review of an emerging research area. Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-024-01288-w
• 15 January 2025 - 10.00- 10.45 Reading/resource will be posted in advance
• 11 February 2025 - 12.00 -12.45 Reading/resource will be posted in advance
• 27 March 2025- 10.00-10.45 Reading/resource will be posted in advance
• 30 April 2025 - 12.00-12.45 Reading will be posted in advance
  
  

Workshop/webinar - Working with Students and GenAI
Timeline: 14 January 2025 - 12.00 - 13.00

This workshop will be online and will be open to faculty, staff and students. This event will share an example presentation for students centred around ‘Learning in the time of Gen AI’ followed by small group brainstorming discussions giving everyone an opportunity to connect and discuss in an informal and open group setting.

Students as Partners in Teaching and Learning

We welcome student perspectives and are in the process of inviting the new cohort of student partners to be part of the GenAI in teaching and learning conversations through our UCD Students as Partners in Teaching and Learning initiative.