Iterationism is a theory of AI and education which places an emphasis upon cognitive effort as the main focus for co-learning (multiple humans partnered with AI). This is a focus on process as much as product for authentic learning. Such processes and processing of engagement are enabled by AI technologies in social and synthetic learning activities. ‘Algorithmic’ and ‘generative’ are descriptive computational terms. Iterationism, on the other hand, is an educational theory in which AI moves from being merely ‘generative’ (adjective) to become reimagined as an archivist (noun). This archivist function supports the collection, distribution, and curation of artefacts resulting from cognitive effort in a course also conceived as fluid. Rather than being merely defined in descriptive terms (generative), ‘AI as an archivist’ points to a key role in partnership with different stakeholders. This includes generativity but goes beyond to serve individual and collective needs for documentation, inscription, reflection, analysis, and sense-making. The archivist function also goes beyond a traditional ‘memory’ function to serve learning activities within the implementation of a given co-learning design. This interactive session will explore the implications of Iterationism as a theory for co-learning design. Participants will gain an initial first-hand experience of Iterationism and ‘AI as an archivist’ applied to synthetic learning and co-learning with the additional aim of supporting critical thinking and AI literacy.
Please click on the facilitator’s name in the session info to view their bio.
Session duration: 75 minutes
Prep for session: Background chapter on Participatory Educational Archiving https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003503149
This session will be recorded and shared with participants.
Session Resources
