Knowledge Mobilisation Systems: responsibly integrating artificial intelligence for transformative professional learning

Dr Thomas Cowhitt, University of Glasgow

Dr Matt Gibson, Rector of The Glasgow Academy

Abstract

Inquiry is increasingly recognised as a transformative approach to professional learning. It encourages educators to critically reflect on classroom practice by engaging with evidence of student learning, pedagogical research, and their own experiential knowledge. Despite its promise, the workload demands of teaching make sustained engagement in authentic professional inquiry difficult to maintain. This paper introduces Knowledge Mobilisation Systems (KMS), a new class of educational technology that leverages advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make professional inquiry feasible within the realities of everyday teaching. A KMS can efficiently capture evidence of classroom practice and automates the use of relevant research to quickly render learning analytics. Importantly, KMSs then encourage focused and timely reflection on critical instructional moments by offering teachers the opportunity for text-based interaction with language models contextually engineered to perform like instructional coaches. Design principles for the responsible development and deployment of AI-powered tools for supporting professional learning will be discussed.

Bio

Dr Thomas Cowhitt is a Lecturer in Educational Change and Collaborative Improvement with the School of Education at the University of Glasgow. He works in initial teacher education and leads research into how to support inquiry approaches for professional learning.

Dr Matt Gibson, Rector of The Glasgow Academy, is a specialist in strategic leadership of learning and teaching practices in schools. Most recently, Dr Gibson designed, developed, and launched a research-led education project to improve online video instruction as a response to school closure during COVID. The resulting platform, Thinkfour, supported tens of thousands of learners across Scotland with free-to-access resources and was added to the national GLOW infrastructure for learning and teaching. In 2022, Thinkfour won the International TES Award for ‘Best use of Technology’ and was shortlisted for the International ‘Reimagine Education’ awards. His interests in EdTech innovation and equity has led to him continuing to work in the not-for-profit sector, collaborating with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Arizona State University, and NASA, to deliver extensive STEM learning content for under-represented student groups in the US College system.

Joining Online
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