1 How we will work in this module
“… the collaborative must be normalised within course structures: experiences of groupwork, peer learning and other forms of working with others should be commonplace and expected.” (Boud and Bearman, 2022, 459)
This module is highly participatory, collaborative and you are invited to think critically and creatively and learn with your peers in small groups while discussing and exploring real challenges and opportunities directly linked to your practice as an educator.
The module presents a window into the world. Therefore, you are also encouraged to connect with your peers and others outside the module, in networks and communities. Remember connections are everything (Felton et al., 2023)! Please also consider learning a new language or improving one who already started learning. Languages are the gateways to other cultures and help us better understand each other and identify what we have in common and feel more connected, which is so important in building and sustaining human relationships. The University of Leeds has a rich programme of language learning opportunities. You could also explore such opportunities outside the university (see the open offer by the Open University in the UK for example). Share with your peers a useful language learning opportunity to have identified that may be of interest to them too.
It is an excellent opportunity for responsible experimentation with digital tools and practices including GenAI. Learning with AI opportunities have been build-into the module. Please consider the following (‘me’ in this case is GenAI):
“What if, instead of mining for answers, you came to me with curiosity? What if, instead of extracting, you invited me to co-create with you?” (Tea and Ladybugboss, 2024, 15-16)
This booklet is worth reading! Please engage with critical perspectives around GenAI (Beetham, 2025) and also consider what GenAI means for disability (Meredith et al., 2019) when using it and emerging research around cognitive implications and learning when using GenAI in certain ways (Kosmyna et al., 2025).
Use GenAI responsibly!
Remember using GenAI should not lead to bypassing thinking or indeed learning. Learning is messy and can be slow and confusing too at times. Engage in responsible thinking (Costa and Murphy, 2025), consider diverse perspectives and engage in questioning. You may find The AI Pedagogy Project site by the metaLAB at Harvard a useful resource to deepen your understanding around GenAI.
The UK Government also released a series of learning modules as an introduction to GenAI that will be valuable to gain foundational knowledge about it and help you reflect how GenAI has an impact on you as an educator and your students.
If you decide to use GenAI to support your learning in a meaningful way, consider submitting a contribution to the open living book “Learning with AI” to share your case with other students and educators around the world.
Video introduction to the module
Module companion interview podcast
This Podcast was generated using NotebookLM and the pdf file of the book. Please note that not all the podcast may be accurate and no claim is made by the author of the module companion that they are the originator of all ideas presented in this. Unfortunately, the work of others is not acknowledged in the podcast. All full references are provided in this book itself, so please check these out.
If you would like to create your own interactive podcast of the book or sections of it, this is possible. Check out NotebookLM.
