Ed/Tech must-reads 290725

Has student-centred teaching gone too far? from Times Higher Education

I do like a nice click-baity headline and this is one of the better ones I have seen recently. Juliette Roswell (THE reporter) takes a rambling journey which combines genuine nuggets of the shifting dynamic between learners and educators in HE (and a growing tendency among students to regard themselves as customers who apparently expect their views carry as much weight as their lecturers) with a hodge-podge of anecdata and academics’ grievances about international students, student evaluations, and lecturing to empty rooms. It veers off briefly to discuss GenAI before finding its point - that focusing excessively on the preferences and sensitivities of students is diminishing the quality of learning and teaching. Does it propose solutions? Kind of. There is a not unreasonable observation that more attention could be given to explaining to learners why participating in class discussions aids their learning - but I suspect that there are many educators out there already frustratedly doing this. There is a kernel of an idea about fostering more effective partnerships between students and educators and I actually do think that we need to give more thought to the practical needs of teachers in the advice they are given about teaching practices. I’m not selling it but it is still worth a look.

Instructure announces plans to embed OpenAI (ChatGPT) into Canvas from Instructure

It was pretty hard to miss this story last week, which despite its seeming inevitability nonetheless brought home the reality of what GenAI in EdTech is going to look like. Instructure will kick off this partnership with “LLM-Enabled Assignments” - opening the door to outsourcing grading and assessment design to ChattyG. There is surprisingly little data about what happens to the teacher or students’ IP in these instances. Will it feed the LLM? Scroll to the bottom of this 248 page EULA to find out I’m guessing in the answer.

Are educators allowed to delegate some of their teaching work in a learning management system to an AI agent? Which work? from Anna Mills (LinkedIn)

Unsurprisingly, there has been substantial discussion of the entry of OpenAI into the LMS. Anna Mills, one of the most interesting educator voices on GenAI in teaching from the start, kicked off some interesting practical discussion in this post on LinkedIn. She was looking initially at testing GenAI agents in her LMS unit, getting them to login, review content and create assignment outlines. She then shares her thoughts on having it grade student work (not a huge fan). Discussion follows ranging across whether Instructure will lock down (other) bot access to Canvas, students desire for feedback from teachers (vs more timely or non-judgemental feedback?), GDPR ramifications in the EU and more. Fun times.

TELedvisors webinar – July 2025 Beyond Agile: Stop Iterating, Start Prototyping - Thurs 31st July, 12pm AEST from ASCILITE TELedvisors network

Returning to more prosaic matters, our TELedvisors Network webinar this month involves a sound practical overview of ways that you can apply a rapid prototyping methodology in creating something new. It isn’t restricted just to software or tech - it’s a way of thinking. Here is the blurb:

Agile project management has become the default in educational innovation, but its iterative model often clashes with the fixed timelines and limited user feedback cycles of real-world education contexts. In contrast, Rapid Prototyping offers a more responsive and pragmatic approach for Third Space teams, emphasising quick experimentation, structured decision points, and early engagement with stakeholders.

Dr Nikolai Alksnis has extensive experience leading curriculum transformation and innovation across education. Drawing on engineering and software design principles, he’ll show you how prototyping can be adapted for learning design, curriculum innovation, and student support tools. Nik will introduce a decision-based framework his team has used to scope, prioritise, and build prototypes that avoid waste while accelerating delivery.

By reframing your existing practices through a prototyping lens, this session will help you deliver projects faster, smarter, and with greater space for innovation. Register here