ACFAS – 507 – Responsible AI and digital approach to lifelong learning development: between empowerment and well-being (Event in French)

The race to mobilize digital and AI for pedagogical transformation is becoming a priority for educational institutions to better meet the development needs of human and technical skills and the shifting labor market, while embracing critical and ethical approaches. The goal is to put people at the center to add relevance to higher education, making it more agile and sustainable. In the current economic climate, the needs of our post-COVID societies imply lifelong learning, which requires personalization, diversification and flexibility of learning. These three requirements imply putting equity, inclusion, empowerment and emancipation at the heart of our practices and paying particular attention to the mental health of learners and actors in education and training. Demographic and economic changes, the demand for short, rapid and flexible training, and the notion of competencies of the future are guiding ethical and critical reflections on the use of emerging technologies, notably artificial intelligence and virtual, augmented, mixed and intersecting realities, in the education of the future.

This symposium aimed to facilitate constructive discussions and reflections around 1) responsible and effective appropriation of AI and digital for augmented, adaptive, inclusive, equitable, and most importantly, more human learning experiences, 2) technical and human competencies required to design, develop, deploy, and facilitate AI and digital-enabled education in a critical, ethical, responsible, and sustainable manner (environmental, sociological, and economic dimensions), and 3) empowerment and well-being by and through responsible AI and accessible digital.

We decline the relevance of this colloquium in 3 pillars: 1) AI in education as a field of research to be built, 2) AI, a challenge for tomorrow’s education, and 3) a transdisciplinary community to be federated. This symposium was a concrete way to offer a common place for sharing research results and for reflection on all sides. It was co-organized by OBVIA, GRIIPTIC, CRIEVAT and 4 teaching and research chairs: the Chair in Educational leadership in Innovative Pedagogical Practices in Digital Contexts – National Bank (Naffi), the Concordia University Research Chair on Maker Culture (Davidson), the Canada Research Chair on Digital Equity in Education (Collin), and the Chair in Educational Leadership in Pedagogy in Higher Education (Paquelin).