Part 1 The module

In this module we will explore discourses and debates around technology and its role in society, education and development.

There are four thematic units in this module in which we will use Problem-Based Learning (PBL):

• Unit 1 The digital learner and educator and discourses
• Unit 2 Learning theories, frameworks and practice in the digital age
• Unit 3 Inclusion, accessibility and the digital divide
• Unit 4 Datafication and generative artificial intelligence in Education

The module is dynamic and flexible and will wrap around your own professional and personal context, which we very much encourage you to bring with you to enrich our collective learning experience and so that you get the maximum out of it. You will be able to explore the past, present and potential future of your professional context.

A space to explore

The module is a space for exploration, a space for criticality and creativity, as well as responsible experimentation, also with digital tools and technologies, including generative AI (GenAI), a space for critical and creative engagement and connection.

What is GenAI?

“Generative AI (GenAI) is an artificial intelligence (AI) technology that automatically generates content in response to prompts written in natural-language conversational interfaces. Rather than simply curating existing webpages, by drawing on existing content, GenAI actually produces new content. The content can appear in formats that comprise all symbolic representations of human thinking: texts written in natural language, images (including photographs, digital paintings and cartoons), videos, music and software code. GenAI is trained using data collected from webpages, social media conversations and other online media. It generates its content by statistically analysing the distributions of words, pixels or other elements in the data that it has ingested and identifying and repeating common patterns (for example, which words typically follow which other words).” (Fengchun and Holmes, 2023, 8)

Curriculum design

The curriculum design is aligned to critical pedagogies (Freire, 2011; hooks, 1994) and centres around critical thinking, dialogue, collaboration and co-creation within a learning community rooted in practice and experience to explore and inquire into authentic educational challenges in a fast changing, complex and volatile environment. Authentic challenges, scenarios and problems will be driving inquiry-based learning. According to Freire (2011, 83-83) “problem-posing education bases itself on creativity and stimulates true reflection and action upon reality, thereby responding to the vocation of persons as beings who are authentic only when engaged in inquiry and creative transformation.”

Possibility thinking (Craft 2008; Craft et al., 2008) is also build-into this module as you will be invited to consider “What if” questions in a supportive space to foster curiosity, imagination and creativity, linked to your professional context as an educator and enable you to imagine alternative realities and future educational scenarios that could be transformative. Nobody and nothing operate without constraints. Embrace them and explore how these could benefit creativity!

This is also a circular curriculum by design and therefore a sustainable one (Potting et al., 2017). Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP) are part of the pedagogic ecosystem as mentioned above. Therefore harmonising OER and OEP to maximise impact on your learning (Tlili et al., 2025). You are encouraged to adapt open practices and create OER that could be included in this companion enabling wider re-use and therefore making a positive contribution to the wider community.

Module timeline

Making connections

Use this module to make valuable connections with a range of practices, the literature, connection with your peers, connection with others outside the module who have an interest in what we discuss and can stretch your thinking, understanding and practice.

While you will be engaging in learning and work on an assessment to evidence how you meet the module learning outcomes, this module will also enable you to

• present at the open unconference (organised near the end of the module) and
• publish a short post-assessment version of your assignment in Part 3 of the companion “Imagining the future of education” of this open living book under an open licence.