Online Education Dialogue 2024 “Empowering Higher Education with AI” -Session 5

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

 October 17, 2024, 8:00-9:00 PM (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.

Guest Information

Abhisek Karmakar

Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Galsi Mahavidyalaya, West Bengal, India

Dr. Karmakar completed his MPhil and PhD at the University of Burdwan. His book, Making of a Democratic Intellectual Tradition in India, was published in 2019. He has authored over 41 articles in esteemed international and national journals including Scopus Indexed and UGC CARE listed journals. In 2025, his co-authored book Federal Thought, is set to be published as it is signed by Routledge. He edited Challenges to Democracy in South Asia (2021) and has co-edited three additional books. A regular contributor to major English dailies, Dr. Karmakar has participated in international conferences in Germany, Italy, and Bangladesh. He is a life member of several academic associations and frequently appears in electronic media as a political analyst.

Jing QIAN, Ph.D.

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.

Dhawal Shah 

Founder and CEO of Class Centra 

Dhawal developed a passion for education while pursuing his Master’s in Computer Science at Georgia Tech. With the rise of free online courses from top universities, he created a one-page website to curate these offerings. That site, Class Central, is now the leading destination for finding online courses and MOOCs, as well as understanding trends in online education. Since 2011, more than 80 million learners have used Class Central to decide which online courses to take. Dhawal has completed over a dozen MOOCs and has written 200 articles on online education, read by millions of people every year. He has written for publications including TechCrunch, EdSurge, VentureBeat, Quartz, and The Observer.

Brian Li

Senior Manager for GMA Development, Tsinghua University Online Education Center

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