Online Education Dialogue 2024 “Empowering Higher Education with AI” -Session 2

In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming various aspects of society, it is crucial for higher education to stay at the forefront of these changes. In 2023, the dialogue centered around the theme “Navigating the AI-Driven Digital Transformation of Higher Education,” bringing together 33 speakers from 14 countries for a series of 9 global dialogues. Through the previous events, we recognized the AI’s vast yet largely untapped potential in empowering and transforming higher education through improving personalized learning, enabling efficient management, enhancing research capabilities, and facilitating international cooperation. Moreover, AI can assist higher education institutions in fulfilling their social responsibilities and contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

OED 2024 will follow the footprints from previous themes in depth and continue diving into AI-Led Transformation in Higher Education. Our goal is to equip educators and administrators with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the digital transformation driven by AI, ultimately benefiting learners and society as a whole. By exploring this theme, we aim to contribute to a wider understanding and capacity building of how AI can be effectively integrated into higher education to enhance quality, promote inclusiveness, and create impact. The discussions will foster collaboration, stimulate innovation, and provide insights to reshape the future of higher education in an AI-driven era.

Time

May 15, 2024, 20:00-21:00 (Beijing, UTC+8)

Objectives

• Exchanging insights from educational leaders on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Higher Ed Governance；

• Showcasing examples of frontline educators using new technologies such as generative AI to empower teaching and learning；

•   Facilitating dialogues on the renewal of educational ideas and pedagogies: Adapting curriculum and teaching methodologies to support a student-centered teaching model；

•   Promoting collaboration and international partnerships for knowledge exchange, joint research, and cross-cultural learning experiences on a global scale；

Audience

•    Administrators and decision-makers in higher education institutions；

•    Researchers and practitioners in the fields of online education and artificial intelligence；

•     Teachers and educators；

•     Higher education-related policy makers and industry experts；

•     Students and the public interested in the digital transformation of higher education；

Format

Keynote address and panel discussion featuring 3-4 distinguished speakers

•    Keynote Address: Each speaker will have 8 minutes to share their insights or practices；

•    Panel Discussion: A 25-minute interactive session after keynote addresses；

Organizer

OED is organized by Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance, in collaboration with Tsinghua University, UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education and XuetangX.

Agenda 

Beijing(UTC+8)	Agenda Items (by alphabetical order of last name)
20:00-20:05	Moderator   Opening
20:05-20:13	Keynote   1:Proadpran   PunyabukkanaChief   Learning Innovation OfficerAssociate   Professor of Computer Engineering Chulalongkorn University
20:13-20:21	Keynote 2:Francesca   PurcellFaculty   Co-Chair, Higher Education ConcentrationFaculty   Co-Chair, Online Master’s in EducationSenior   Lecturer on EducationHarvard   Graduate School of Education
20:21-20:29	Keynote 3:Hongyi   WenAssistant   Professor of Computer ScienceShanghai   New York University
20:29-20:55	Panel   Discussion
20:55-21:00	Closing

Guest Information

Proadpran Punyabukkana

Proadpran Punyabukkana was appointed as the Chief Learning Innovation Officer at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2022. In this role, she ensures the learning and teaching environment is supported by the most advanced tools and technologies. She has been part of the university since 1993 and also serves as an Associate Professor of Computer Engineering. Her previous roles include Assistant Dean of Engineering from 2004 to 2008 and Associate Dean from 2008 to 2013.

A recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, Proadpran completed her doctoral degree at Claremont Graduate University, specializing in speech technology, particularly speech synthesis and recognition in Thai. She co-founded the Spoken Language System Research Group in 2004 and launched the Assistive Technology Research Group in 2006.

Proadpran was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at MIT and Stanford University in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Since 2019, her research interests have expanded to include AI applications in medicine and educational technology.

Hongyi Wen

Hongyi Wen is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at NYU Shanghai. He received his BEng in Computer Science from Tsinghua University. He holds a PhD in Information Science from Cornell University. His research focuses on Recommender Systems, HCI and personalization in real-world applications. His work has been recognized by WWW, RecSys, WSDM, CHI, etc. Prof. Wen’s current research interest is to develop human-centered AI for improving the long-term values of personalizations, including applications such as AI for Education and Health.

Francesca Purcell

Francesca Purcell is a senior lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Prior to her arrival at HGSE, Purcell was the program director for education and the development of knowledge at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences overseeing educational policy and research activity including a multi-year, national study with leaders in education, business, and government entitled The Future of Undergraduate Education, The Future of America. She formerly served as provost/chief academic officer at Massachusetts Bay Community College providing leadership across three campuses enrolling over 8,000 students. Purcell also served as associate commissioner for Academic and P-16 Policy for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education where she engineered public policy on college completion, student transfer, developmental education, and performance-based student financial aid and oversaw the review of new academic programs and newly-established colleges and universities. She is the recipient of the Governor’s Commonwealth Citation for Outstanding Performance in recognition of her contributions to public higher education. Purcell has held adjunct faculty positions at Boston College, Suffolk University, and Roxbury Community College and has co-authored works on international women’s colleges and universities. She has consulted for the World Bank and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation National Fellowship Foundation. Purcell holds a B.A. from Amherst College, a M.S. from Northeastern University, and a Ph.D. from Boston College.

Brian Li

Senior Manager for GMA Development, Tsinghua University Online Education Center

Assistant Secretary-General, Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance.