Honourslab AI
Honourslab AI

Shape the future with student-driven visions for AI in higher education

Though many organizations are already working with Artificial Intelligence (AI), education remains a field ripe for disruption. But do we truly want AI to disrupt education? And if so, how can we ensure this disruption is responsible? In this Honours Lab, you will gather insights from diverse stakeholders, for example by interviewing staff members of Microsoft and the iHub and conducting user research. You are going to explore both the opportunities and risks of AI in higher education, aiming to develop recommendations for how universities should approach AI.

    General

    For whom?

    For all students, BA2, BA3 and (pre-)Master's students, interested in exploring whether innovations related to generative AI should be integrated with education at the university level. Together we will dive into the ethical and philosophical questions that inevitable come up when discussing AI. Though you will be exposed to technical concepts like working with Generative AI models, it is not expected you have any background knowledge of coding.

    What are you going to do?

    This Honours Lab is designed to give all students, regardless of background, a practical understanding of Generative AI. 

    After meeting and aligning on learning objectives in the first session, the second session will be an all-day field trip to the Microsoft office at Schiphol. During that day, you’ll work hands-on with Generative AI models, exploring their application in chat-based tools to move beyond theory and gain a clear view of their current capabilities and limitations.

    During the remainder of the course, you will gather insights from diverse groups to understand different perspectives on the implementation of AI. Finally, you will consolidate your findings and recommendations in a published manifesto, outlining your future vision for how universities should approach AI implementation.

    To include a diverse set of perspectives before writing a manifesto on if and how AI should be adopted by universities, the following themes can be covered in this Honours Lab, depending on students’ backgrounds and interests:

    • Building Generative AI: Understanding the fundamentals of generative AI, including capabilities, limitations, and ethical considerations for educational applications.
    • Instructional design: Exploring methods to create effective educational content and learning experiences that align with AI-enhanced tools and pedagogical goals.
    • User research with teachers, students, and other stakeholders: Conducting user research to gather insights directly from teachers and students, ensuring AI implementations meet genuine needs and enhance the learning experience.
    • Data privacy and ethics: Examining the ethical implications and data privacy challenges associated with AI in education to ensure responsible and transparent use.
    • AI governance and policy: Establishing frameworks for AI governance, setting guidelines, and creating policies to ensure ethical and sustainable AI usage within the university.
    • Predicting future trends: Identifying and analyzing emerging trends in AI technology and educational innovation to anticipate future needs, challenges, and opportunities for universities.
    • How to write a manifesto: Guidance on articulating a clear, compelling, and actionable manifesto, structured to outline principles, goals, and recommendations for future AI adoption.
       

    Study load

    2 hours per week and 8 meetings (around 3 hours per week).

    Starting date

    To be announced
    Costs
    Free
    Main Language
    English
    Intake
    Yes
    Deadline registration
    03 February 2025, 11:30 pm
    Maximum number of participants
    15

    Factsheet

    Type of education
    Course

    Contact information

    Do you want to know more about the Honours Labs or do you have any questions? Please get in touch with the programme director: 

    Esther Fluijt
    esther.fluijt [at] ru.nl (esther[dot]fluijt[at]ru[dot]nl)  

    Programme

    24 February (6.30-9pm)
    During the first meeting, we will get to know each other, and decide on your personal learning objectives and final deliverable(s).   

    28 February (10am-4pm)
    During the second meeting, we will visit the Microsoft office at Schiphol. There, you will:

    • Experience how to work with Generative AI models through a hands-on exercise where you will be guided through building your own chat application prototype.
    • Talk to experts on how AI is used in education and responsible AI.

    10 March (6.30-9pm)
    Learn about the science behind education and how it is shaped to have the best impact on students. You’ll explore methods to create effective educational content and learning experiences that align with AI-enhanced tools and pedagogical goals.

    17 March (6.30-9pm)
    We’ll take a deeper dive into responsible AI by exploring a case study during this session. After the case study discussion, we’ll decide on what data we want to collect from various stakeholders (e.g. teachers, students, policy makers).

    7 April (6.30-9pm)
    You will present your collected data and findings. Together we’ll analyze any patterns we identify across all collected data. The second part of this session will focus on deciding what the final deliverable will be (depending on background, talents, and interests of students), and on what questions to ask the panel in the next session.

    14 April (6.30-9pm)
    Various experts (experts to be confirmed) will be invited for a panel discussion. You will have the opportunity to ask your own questions and introduce topics. After the panel discussion, we’ll summarize our findings and thoughts in a mind mapping exercise.

    12 May (6.30-9pm)
    The last two meetings will be focused on working towards the final deliverable. Through short exercises, you’ll learn to write a concise vision statement on if and how AI should be implemented by universities.

    19 May (6.30-9pm)
    Put the finishing touches on your final work. Depending on what was decided as the final deliverable (published manifesto, or something else) and the way it will be presented, this session might change. We’ll also link back to our original learning objectives to review what we have learned.

    Teachers

    • Mary-Jo Diepeveen (senior content developer AI at Microsoft and PhD candidate researching AI in education at VU Amsterdam) 
    • Yana van de Sande (PhD in misinformation and comparative cognition at Radboud University)

    Would you like to participate in this Honours lab?

    You can apply for this Honours Lab via the form below. The application deadline is 3 February 2025. Please include your CV and a motivation letter (of maximum 1 page) for the Honours Lab in your application.