GenAI Seminar Series
MTU Generative AI Seminar Series, a series of short talks exploring how ongoing developments in Generative AI are intersecting with learning, teaching, and academic work.
This free online series will, week by week, bring together leading voices in academia and industry to open discussion and generate ideas on the evolving role of AI in higher education.
Session 1: Mairéad Pratschke
“Generative AI : The Next Normal”
29 January 2025 • 10am • Online
Mairéad Pratschke has been working at the intersection of digital technology and education for 25 years, as a designer, researcher, consultant, author, and speaker. Born in Galway and raised in Canada, Mairéad has worked internationally in the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Belgium, and Spain, and across sectors, from online and campus-based learning to professional and executive education, lifelong learning, and edtech start-ups.
Author of Generative AI and Education (Springer, 2024), she is focused on the future of learning and work, and how to meet the challenges and opportunities that this wave of technological change presents.
Mairéad is the SALC Chair in Digital Education at the University of Manchester, Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Data Science Institute, Visiting Professor at Abertay University in Scotland, and a Research Fellow at the USA’s National AI Institute for Adult Education and Online Learning (AI-ALOE).
She is a member of AI-ALOE’s External Advisory Board, the Digital Learning Institute’s Industry Advisory Council, and the Government of Portugal’s National Council on Pedagogical Innovation in Higher Education.
Session 2: Colman O’ Flynn
“How will you use AI to achieve your potential?”
5th February 2025 • 10am • Online
Colman O’Flynn is the site lead for Dell Technologies in Cork. He combines this with the role of Vice President of Strategic Transformation. As a seasoned executive in EMC and Dell, Colman has led teams of all sizes around the globe. Since his move to Vice President of Process Transformation his work has primarily focused on large value creating projects. He is known to do this by increasing cross team collaboration, communicating collective focus on a common goal and forming the structures to achieve those goals.
As site lead Colman focuses on creating an inclusive environment where team members can do their best work as part of Dell’s collective purpose – creating technologies that drive human progress. Colman is an active advocate for Dell’s Employee Resource Groups, particularly True Ability. This group aims to empower team members by educating, raising awareness, and serving as a resource for those impacted by disabilities.
His passion for continuous development is evident through his educational achievements. Colman holds a Certificate in Advanced Business Studies from the Institute of Technology Tralee (1992), a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies from the University of Limerick (1994), and a Master of Science from TU Dublin (2005). Colman has served on the governing body of Munster Technological University since 2022.
Session 3: Prof. Richard Watermeyer
“The implications of GenAI for academic labour and leadership”
11th February 2025 • 12am • Online
Professor Richard Watermeyer will delve into the evolving role of Generative AI in academic labor and leadership, drawing from recent qualitative data gathered from UK academics. This insightful talk will explore academics’ perceptions of the benefits and risks associated with Generative AI in their professional work, addressing critical questions about its adoption, resistance, and ethical considerations.
Richard Watermeyer is a Professor of Higher Education and Co-Director of the Centre for Higher Education Transformations at the University of Bristol.
As a sociologist of educational policy, practice, and pedagogy, his research focuses on analyzing changes in higher education driven by global capitalism and its policy implications. He is renowned for his internationally comparative and critical analyses of public engagement and the societal impact of academic functions.
Professor Watermeyer has authored numerous academic books, including, Competitive Accountability in Academic Life: The Struggle for Social Impact and Public Legitimacy. He is also the co-editor of the volume, Pedagogical Peculiarities: Conversations at the Edge of University Teaching and Learning. He is the chief editor of the forthcoming, Handbook on Academic Freedom
Session 4: Prof. Peter Byrant
“Does Generative AI Dream of Digital Sheep? The creative engine of a post-digital university”
27th February 2025 • 10am • Online
In this talk, Professor Bryant explores the potential role of generative AI as a creative engine for the university in the post-digital age, discussing its potential to disrupt, and redefine research, knowledge production, and learning and teaching functions.
Peter Bryant is a Professor of Business Education and Associate Dean (Education) at the University of Sydney Business School, Australia. He has international expertise in strategic educational change, particularly in business and social sciences, with 30 years of teaching and research experience in the UK and Australia. His work spans higher education strategy, educational innovation, online learning, and creative industries management. Before joining the University of Sydney, he held leadership roles at LSE, the University of Greenwich, and Middlesex University.
Peter is the Co-Director of the Disruptive Innovations in Business Education Research Group, which explores the future of business education and leadership development in a post-pandemic world. He is also a Trustee of the Association for Learning Technology and Chair of the Editorial Board for Research in Learning Technology. His research focuses on innovative teaching, learning technology, educational spaces, and student co-design.
Session 5: Richard Whittle
“Universities and GenAI: What happens when cheap knowledge meets a financially precarious sector”
5th March 2025 • 10am • Online
With Generative Artificial Intelligence it is possible to produce (often questionable) replicas of human knowledge activity. Whilst GenAI can be a useful tool aiding in numerous academic endeavours, this session will look at the wider forces impacting knowledge production, questioning if there is a point where okay but cheap AI produced outputs are preferable to good but more expensive human produced outputs. The session will discuss if GenAI is at the ‘point of practicality’ in higher education, and if so what determines if it will be complementary or substitutive.
Richard Whittle is an economist specialising in the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Behavioural Science, and Decision Making. His expertise lies in analysing the impact of AI on universities, behavioural design, sludge, and dark patterns. He works closely with individuals, organisations, and regulators to navigate the challenges of digital transformation, framing it within a broader political economy and applying a behavioural science perspective to enhance understanding, adaptation, and resilience.
His research has been published in leading academic journals, including Public Administration and Work, Employment and Society. He has led technical research on the retail economy for the Greater Manchester Independent Prosperity Review and conducted financial “rules of thumb” research for the UK’s Money Advice Service—work that directly influenced the HM Treasury and FCA Financial Advice Market Review. Richard has secured research funding from esteemed organisations such as the ESRC, Research England, UKRI, the NHS, and GMCA.
Session 6: Tricia Bertram Gallant
“Empowering Learning with Integrity in the Age of AI”
13th March 2025 • 2pm • Online
Are Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools a threat to academic integrity or an opportunity for us to evolve teaching, learning and assessment? The answer is both, of course! In this session, we’ll focus on understanding the threats and opportunities and then identifying the options that faculty have for minimising the threat and amplifying the opportunities. In thinking about one thing we can do next week, next term and next year, participants will leave the session empowered to craft their GenAI and AI policy while creating a culture of integrity within their classes.
Tricia Bertram Gallant, Ph.D. is the Director of Academic Integrity Office and Triton TestingCenter at the University of California San Diego(UCSD), Board Emeritus of the International Center for Academic Integrity, and former lecturer for both UCSD and the University of San Diego. Tricia has authored, co-authored, or edited numerous articles, blogs, guides, book chapters/sections, and books on academic integrity, artificial intelligence, and ethical decision-making. Following her 2022 co-edited book with David Rettinger – Cheating Academic Integrity: Lessons from 30 Years of Research (Jossey-Bass, 2022), Tricia & David’s “The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of AI” will be released by the University of Oklahoma Press on March 11, 2025. Tricia regularly consults with and trains faculty, staff and students around the world, on academic integrity, artificial intelligence, and ethical decision-making.