“Higher Education at the Crossroads: Pioneering AI-Driven Paradigm Shifts”
Co-hosted by the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance (GMA), Tsinghua University, XuetangX, and UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, the third session of 2025 Online Education Dialogue (OED) was successfully held on June 5th, 2025. This session offered a comprehensive exploration of AI’s transformative potential, its challenges, and strategic pathways for integrating AI-driven paradigms into the educational landscape. It featured four winners of the 2024 GMA Awards, who shared their innovative approaches to online course design and new teaching practices in the intelligence era.
Speakers for the session, including Dr. Leonard Ng Wei Tat (Assistant Professor at the School of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanyang Technological University), Dr. Diana Laurillard (Professor Emerita of Learning with Digital Technology at UCL Knowledge Lab, University College London), Dr. Sergio Celis (Associate Professor in the School of Engineering and Sciences, University of Chile), and Dr. Zhang Kejun (Professor, Head of the Department of Industrial Design at the College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University), offered their expert insights on the evolving role of AI in reshaping higher education. Hongru Li, Manager of Tsinghua University’s Online Education Center and Assistant Secretary-General of Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance, hosted the session. The dialogue was broadcast live on XuetangX, attracting a global audience of over 5,000 views.
(From left to right) First row: Leonard Ng Wei Tat, Diana Laurillard, Sergio Celis
Second row: Zhang Kejun, Hongru Li
Ng used his innovative practices in the “Artificial Intelligence and Data Science” course as an example to introduce the team’s developed “AI Virtual Teacher Prof. Leodar.” This chatbot, built based on course-specific content, combines generative AI with a vector database to provide students with 24/7 course Q&A and example code demonstrations. The team found that students demonstrated stronger learning initiative and critical thinking while using the tool, while also greatly alleviating instructors’ repetitive workload. He emphasized that with reasonable design and ethically grounded limitations, AI teaching assistants can act as enhanced teaching resources, providing sustainable and equitable support for students from diverse backgrounds.
Laurillard, drawing on her years of digital learning research experience, proposed the “CoMOOCs Model,” main features including co-design and co-produce, using contributions from highly knowledge participants, and supporting the process of collecting that shared practice as a form of community knowledge building. She pointed out that AI in education is currently mostly used for surface-level tasks like text summarization or style modification, and has yet to fully realize its potential in supporting “inner feedback” and “active learning.” Through case comparisons, she called for using AI to support community knowledge development across the disciplines, assist the quality of teaching and professional development, and to improve the quality of learning using more intrinsic feedback.
Celis introduced an interdisciplinary course where students formed teams to develop AI applications for educational scenarios, from chatbots to learning management platforms, with project outcomes continuously iterated and upgraded. He emphasized that the course not only improved students’ technical skills but, through user testing and ethical deliberation, cultivated their sense of educational responsibility in the AI era. Students spontaneously focused on issues like data bias, usage boundaries, and interaction fairness, reflecting the new literacies learners should possess in the age of AI.
Zhang shared the overall framework and pedagogical tool innovations in Zhejiang University’s “Design Thinking and Innovation Design” course. The course constructed a “Six-Step Design Thinking Model,” guiding students from problem identification and prototype development to result publication, strengthening practice orientation. He further introduced classroom tools developed by integrating generative AI and AR/VR technologies, such as AI-assisted brainstorming cards and interactive video creation tasks, which significantly enhanced student creativity and engagement. Professor Zhang stressed that AI technology should serve students’ personalized expression and innovative capabilities, not the mechanical repetition of knowledge.
During the ensuing panel discussion, the panelists engaged in in-depth exchanges from an educator’s perspective, exploring questions concerning the role of teachers and the nature of teaching content in the Artificial Intelligence era. While it may be too soon to define the exact role of teachers in this evolving landscape, panelists emphasized that instructors should remain more than providers of answers—they are essential in guiding students to develop critical thinking and professional ethics. A strong consensus was formed for rethinking traditional course structures in favor of more modular and flexible formats, better suited to learners’ increasingly fragmented learning patterns. Emphasis was also placed on designing meaningful scenarios for social learning and collaborative engagement, particularly in disciplines like design, where deep understanding of the problem itself is more valuable than arriving at quick solutions. Panelists unanimously acknowledged that generative AI has become an irreversible force in education, underscoring the importance for universities to continually examine the boundaries of AI usage and revisit the fundamental goals of education—exploring new pathways for human-AI collaboration and technology-enhanced learning.
Through a series of thought-provoking presentations and a dynamic panel discussion, the speakers reflected on how AI technologies can reshape learning environments—enhancing personalization, supporting scalable instruction, and prompting a rethinking of educators’ roles. While embracing AI’s potential, they also called for thoughtful, ethical implementation that prioritizes student development and educational equity. We hope this session provides valuable insights and inspiration for fellow instructors navigating the evolving landscape of digital education. Look forward to 2025 OED Session 4 as we further investigate novel educational frameworks.