Symposium Presentations & Workshops

Morning Schedule

9:45-10:45

Mixed Mythologies: Duality, Change and the Role of AI in Education 

Keynote Speaker: Dr Martin Compton, College Lead for AI and Innovation in Education, King's College London, King's College London

Main Portal Space (Room 102), First Floor, Trinity Business School

AI inspires both promise and anxiety, urging us to rethink the foundations of education even as it destabilises long-held assumptions. In this keynote, Martin will explore the cognitive dissonance that generative AI provokes. Drawing on both Roman and Greek classical mythology, he uses figures such as Janus, the Roman god of thresholds and transitions, and Proteus, the shape-shifting Greek sea god, to frame AI as both a disruptive force and a potential vehicle (or catalyst) for transformation. 

Janus, who looks both backward and forward, might prompt us to reflect critically on conventional pedagogical practices while imagining radically different futures. Proteus embodies the volatility and fluidity of the AI landscape. AI's potential to adapt and reshape the contours of knowledge, teaching and assessment are set against its mutability and elusiveness. At the heart of his talk Martin will ask: What is the purpose of education in the age of AI? Have the purposes actually changed? What should we teach, and how? And what counts as meaningful assessment? 

With a nod to a less mythological Greek, Martin will invoke the Socratic paradox: “All I know is that I know nothing”  as he argues for a nuanced, informed, forward-looking and reflective response to AI. Rather than react with fear or fatigue, educators can use this moment to catalyse long-needed shifts in curriculum, pedagogy and the design of teaching and learning. 

Strand 1:
Impacting student learning through innovative practices
Room 115

Strand 2:
Generative AI in Education
Room 119

11:05-11:25

11:05-11:25

Turning despair into anger into analytical action: teaching and learning the commercial vectors of disease.

Assoc Prof Norah Campbell & Student, Trinity Business School

This presentation explores how student reading groups and student audits of Trinity's rich open lectures/public talks are used to develop students’ skills in tackling national and global health challenges. As part of a 20 credit capstone module with Business students in Senior Sophister year, the Reading Group method is used in the first semester to immerse students in industries such as, ultra-processed foods, alcohol, tobacco and opioids, and their corporate political activities.

Empowering faculty and students through scalable entrepreneurship support.


Mr Gavan Drohan, Head of Entrepreneurship and Mr Zaur Samadov-Unsizade, Student Entrepreneurship Programme Manager, Trinity Innovation & Enterprise

This presentation shows evidence of how entrepreneurship education fosters innovation by integrating creative thinking into faculty curricula. By introducing an AI mentor, which was designed to support students in building and refining their ideas, we will share how technology-driven mentorship can democratise entrepreneurship education, equipping students with the tools to transform their ideas into reality.

11:25-11:45

11:25-11:45

Sounding sustainability: integrating environmental themes into music education.


Dr Jonathan Hodgers & Student, School of Creative Arts

This presentation explores how a Senior Sophister undergraduate music module embeds ESD by examining the intersections of music and climate change. Through case studies on sustainable touring, eco-conscious music production, and climate-focused compositions, the course fosters critical thinking, industry awareness, and ethical reflection. This approach demonstrates how non-STEM disciplines can effectively engage with ESD themes, equipping students with the tools to shape a more sustainable future in the arts.

Using GenAI to transform teaching methods and enhance students' learning outcomes in Children and General Nursing students.

Ms Tracey O’Neill and Dr Lisa Kirwan, Assistant Professors, School of Nursing & Midwifery

This teaching and learning innovation focused on integrating generative AI into undergraduate children's nursing education, transforming current teaching methodology and students' learning outcomes for these units of study. Twenty-two Junior Sophister children and general nursing students used AI-generated frameworks to understand renal and endocrine conditions and develop individualised nursing care plans based on realistic clinical scenarios for children with these problems.

11:45-12:10

11:45-12:10

Visual narratives: exploring the concept of 'Home' through imagery.


Dr Rachel Hoare & Student, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies

This presentation examines how using image-based prompts, in a Masters level module delivered in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, entitled: 'Forced Migration and Identity: Reconstructed and Reimagined Futures', invites students to explore personal and cultural meanings of 'home' through visual association, encouraging deeper connections than text-based discussion alone.

Supporting an inclusive learning environment for students with a disAbility: using GenAI tools to assist note-taking and memory processing.

Mr Andrew Costello, Disability Officer/ Assistive Technology Officer

This presentation explores how inclusive and user-friendly generative AI tools can be used for notetaking and memory recall, common tasks that students with a disability may find challenging on a daily basis. These GenAI tools facilitate a novel approach to learning and comprehension of the subject matter, thereby enhancing student engagement in the module and improving learning outcomes.

12:10-13:00

Senior Lecturer’s Forum

Professor Vincent Wade, Dean of Undergraduate Studies and The Senior Lecturer, Trinity College Dublin.

Main Portal Space (Room 102), First Floor, Trinity Business School

Afternoon Schedule

Strand 1:
Impacting student learning through innovative practices
Room 115

Strand 2:
Generative AI in Education
Room 119

14:00-16:00

14:00-16:00

ESD Capacity-Building in Curriculum Design with CRAFTS

Dr Kieran Higgins and Dr Alison Calvert, Queen’s University Belfast

Invite Only Event

Join Dr Kieran Higgins and Dr Alison Calvert as they introduce the CRAFTS methodology for embedding Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into curricula. CRAFTS uses Design Thinking principles to support collaborative, values-driven curriculum design. The approach includes key stages like Co-Design, Theoretical Alignment, Learning Design, and more. It aligns with ESD theory and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, promoting active, transformative learning.

The workshop will explore how this framework can support Schools and programme teams at Trinity.

GenAI and assessment. Rethinking and designing Assessments in an AI era

Dr Martin Compton, College Lead for AI and Innovation in Education, Kings College London, Dr Ana Elena Schalk, Academic Developer Digital Learning Lead, Centre for Academic Practice and Mr. Kevin O’Connor, Learning Technologist, Centre for Academic Practice

In this workshop, participants will critically explore and reflect on developing innovative assessment practices in response to the impact of GenAI on higher education.

The workshop aims to facilitate discussion and reflection and to provide staff with practical ideas to incorporate into their assessment practice.

Symposium Close

16:00