AI4AL launched its online capacity-building programme on 6 May with the first workshop on ‘Facilitating AI Integration: Strategies for Methodological and Technological Transfer’ that was attended by 12 adult educators and trainers from Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Greece, Italy, Romania and Spain.
The AI4AL capacity-building programme consists of 4 online workshops that will be organised during the months of May and June in parallel with the ALL DIGITAL Weeks 2024 campaign. Each workshop is specifically designed to equip educators and trainers, as well as their organisations, with the knowledge and tools to integrate AI in their practices and organisations.
In this very first workshop, experts in facilitation methods from EAEA and EGInA guided participants through strategies and tools to effectively integrate AI solutions into their teaching practices.
Angeliki Giannakopoulou from the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) started the workshop by providing a historical overview of AI, an introduction to the use of AI in adult education and an overview of resources offered by AI4AL for adult educators and trainers:
- Engagement Kit consisting of a Methodological Guide and an Online Scenarios Repository for the direct involvement of educators in the process of adopting AI-based technologies in the ALE sector.
- AI4Al Matching Tool, an AI-based solution to link the assessment of the need for basic digital skills to micro-credentials to facilitate the construction of highly personalised training offers by adult educators.
- Self-based learning path for educators on the use of AI4AL and the application of AI technologies in the Adult Learning and Education (ALE) sector.
Angeliki’s presentation focused on the importance of facilitation in adult learning and education with a specific emphasis on how AI tools can empower adult educators and trainers. Facilitation in adult education promotes active participation and engagement, fosters critical thinking and enhances peer learning and collaboration. AI tools have several advantages for facilitation in adult education: They can help adult educators to create personalised and immersive learning experiences, assessment and feedback processes resulting in improved engagement of learners.
Following a quick overview of the tools that can be used by adult educators and trainers for facilittaion such as ChatGPT, Kahoot!, MindMeister, Mentimeter, Miro and AI4AL Matching tool, the workshop participants were split into two groups to have a hands-on experience on how to use AI-based tools for facilitation with two specific examples: ChatGPT and MindMeister. The participants meeting back in the plenary shared their insights with the larger group.
Angeliki concluded her presentation by highlighting that the integration of AI into education necessitates a re-evaluation of traditional teaching methodologies and that educators are required to adopt more facilitative roles, guiding students through personalized learning journeys enabled by AI. The integration of AI underscores the importance of continuous professional development for educators. Teachers need to become in control of integrating AI tools seamlessly into their teaching practices. This includes understanding how AI algorithms work, evaluating the effectiveness of AI-driven educational solutions, and adapting instructional strategies to leverage the capabilities of AI technology effectively.
Altheo Valentini, General Manager of the European Grants International Academy (EGInA) and Chair of the Board for ALL DIGITAL, complemented this discussion by presenting some resources that educators, trainers and learners can use to enhance their AI knowledge and skills.
One of them is the GenAIEdu courses developed collaboratively by Microsoft and ALL DIGITAL to empower and support stakeholders in digital education and transformation across Europe with a specific focus on developing knowledge and understanding of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and integrating GenAI into their education and training services. This course also aims to support educators on how to design and deliver training programs using GenAI. The courses in English can be accessed for free by registering to the ALL DIGITAL Academy platform.
Trainers and educators can also gain different perspectives on how to integrate GenAIEdu in their practices through a series of webinars to be organised during May and June.
Altheo highlighted the AI Curriculum for Adult Education (AIAE) project as another resource that aims at addressing the exciting topic of AI targeting a wide audience and non-technical professionals. The project offers training material for trainers in adult education to strengthen their own digital skills and acquire knowledge over AI, as well as learning material for adult learners to gain an overview of the fundamentals in the field of AI:
- 12 briefings on key AI concepts
- Audio-snippets from expert interviews
- A toolkit for capacity building in AI beginner courses
- An interactive online learning platform
- A handbook of didactic concept and training material
- Step-by-step guidelines for trainers in adult education
The capacity-building workshop was concluded with a moment of reflection on what has been learned by the participants, as well as expectations for future sessions.
Are you an adult trainer or an educator interested in integrating AI in your daily education practices? Are you running an educational organisation and want to make AI methodologies and technologies a part of your organisational setting? You can still join our capacity-building webinars to take place on 21-27 May and 7 June. Read more and register here.
If you missed this first workshop and are interested in learning more, you can find the presentations here. The recording will be available soon!
