Exploring the Role of Students in the Age of AI: HyComm at UiB Læringskonferanse 2025

At the UiB Læringskonferanse 2025, held on October 17, the focus was on sustainability in higher education, with sessions focused on innovative teaching and learning practices. Among the many engaging presentations, Robert Gray and Matthew Russell shared their insights from the HyComm project, where they discussed the intersection of AI and pedagogy in higher education.

Their paper, So, what do we need students for? Writerly pedagogies in the age of AI, addressed the challenges posed by AI tools like ChatGPT to traditional teaching. Gray and Russell argued that emerging technologies require teachers to rethink the role of students and the purpose of higher education by proposing a forward-looking approach grounded in the Gray’s writerly framework. They also discussed how being more cognizant of the “heart of the work” behind an assignment or task can help identify the human aspect of higher education that transcends GenAI.

The writerly framework encourages meaningful learning processes, which challenges students to move beyond passive (or readerly) approaches. It emphasizes student engagement, active learning, and the co-construction of knowledge. Their presentation also showcased ongoing research applying the writerly framework, which demonstrates practical ways to integrate AI and Writerly practices into higher education teaching to create flexible ways of student learning.

The session highlighted how the HyComm project could also support teachers in supporting and designing meaningful student engagement in Hyflex course designs.

For more information on the UiB Læringskonferanse 2025 program, visit UiB Learning Conference 2025.

For more information on writerly teaching and learning, visit The Writerly Framework.