By Jennifer Kiilerich
Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, with Florida State University Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, and the University of Kansas School of Education and Human Sciences, hosted a four-day gathering of some of the world's leading minds from institutions of education. Held on Peabody's campus from October 21 to 24, the Global Education Deans' Forum united leaders from 30 colleges and universities spanning four continents.
This year's theme, "Navigating the AI Transformation: Colleges of Education in the Evolving Higher Education Landscape," featured presentations and panel discussions from field experts and researchers, with lively dialogue at each session. No matter their home country, higher education leaders agreed: Schools of education play a pivotal role in harnessing AI for the betterment of teaching and learning.
As co-host Rick Ginsberg, Dean of the School of Education at the University of Kansas, said during one session, "AI presents the chance to completely remake and rethink education."
Conversations delved into the concept of AI as a paradigm shift, exploring how it can reimagine and reinvigorate the practice of teaching and learning. Guests contemplated how to train future teachers with AI and incorporate it into classrooms at all grade levels. AI's role in translating research into impact was also a high-priority topic.
Overall, the forum highlighted a growing consensus that AI works best as a thought partner, not as a replacement for human skills. How to shepherd the tool in that direction was at the heart of many dialogues.
A WARM VANDERBILT WELCOME
The event kicked off on October 21 with an evening welcome from Peabody's Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, followed by insightful remarks from Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and a conversation with John Geer, professor of political science and Gertrude Conway Vanderbilt Chair. Diermeier touched on the challenges facing universities around the world, from public trust to the global AI boom, emphasizing the importance of integrating AI across disciplines while not overreacting to hype. The role of universities, he noted, is to innovate by absorbing new technologies into the work of researching and teaching-a role that's distinct from that of private sector companies developing AI.
Guests then enjoyed dinner while listening to further remarks from Ginsberg and fellow co-host Damon Andrew, Dean of Florida State University Anne Spencer Daves College of Education.
"The Global Education Deans Forum," said Andrew after the event, "is an annual reminder that, no matter how different the educational structures are in different countries around the world, we all face similar challenges and have best practices to share that can elevate the global education environment."
Over the following days, visitors enjoyed sessions inside the storied Wyatt Center rotunda at Peabody. They also ventured out around campus, enjoying a tour of Vanderbilt University and a demonstration of the university's creative engineering outpost, the Wond'ry. Other excursions included a tour and dinner at the Belle Meade Mansion and the opportunity to visit the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt, the Susan Gray School and Roberts Academy and Dyslexia Center.
PANEL DISCUSSIONS: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AI IN EDUCATION?
"There is a crisis of relevance in education," said Alyssa Wise during the first panel session of the forum. "When we use AI to connect learning with students' interests, experiences, and aspirations, it can enhance both relevance and real-world engagement." Wise is a professor of technology and education at Peabody and heads up Vanderbilt's LIVE Learning Innovation Incubator.
Wise joined Shouping Hu, director of the Center for Postsecondary Success and Louis W. and Elizabeth N. Bender Endowed Professor at Florida State University, and (via teleconference) Danny Bielik, president of the Digital Education Council, to explore how AI can serve as an educational tool rooted in critical thinking, while avoiding becoming a path to "cognitive laziness," a concern raised by Hu.
Peabody's Amanda Goodwin, professor of language, literacy and culture, moderated the impactful discussion, during which Bielik noted that AI can expand the work of education beyond what was once possible. It can find what might be missing, filling in gaps that may evade the human brain. Similarly, Wise urged educators to consider how AI might deepen cognitive engagement if used in tandem with critical thinking skills. She cited projects like the Peabody Hub for Mindful AI Innovation, a new interactive website devoted to encouraging learners to think deeply about the fast-moving technology.
The pace of AI itself also prompted deliberation. How can educators become agile enough to keep up with the technology? In the panel, "Global Perspectives in Higher Education and the Advancement of AI," Allen Karns, chief AI technology officer at Vanderbilt's Center for Generative AI, joined a spirited chat. The speed of AI's evolution, he said, "is like flying a plane and replacing the wings mid-flight."
Moderated by Laurie Cutting, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Neuroscience and professor of special education at Peabody, panelists and guests shared a range of skepticism and excitement around the breakneck speed of AI entering classrooms. Josh Newman, associate dean for research at FSU's Anne Spencer Daves College, pointed out that before implementing new AI tools in education, it is paramount to think through what humans can do better than AI and vice versa. To reinforce best practices, Yong Zhao, Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas, pointed out that it's important for teachers to let their students know when they've used AI effectively.
BEYOND AI: UNIVERSITIES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES
"Community links are the superpower of schools of education," Erin Henrick, assistant professor of the practice and co-director of Nashville PEER, a Vanderbilt partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools, told the audience during a session on research practice partnerships.
Nicole Patton Terry, director of the Florida Center for Reading Research and Olive and Manual Bordas Professor at Florida State University, emphasized the urgent need for higher education institutions to communicate the value they add to communities. "Start in your own backyard, communicate your work, and embed research practice partnerships into grants from the beginning," she advised.
Isak Frumin, who visited from Germany, is head of the Observatory of Higher Education Innovations at Constructor University's School of Business, Social and Decision Sciences. "Every university leader seemed to be wrestling with how to partner with their communities," he shared after the summit. "Whether it's embedding universities in real-world school reform or figuring out how to stop MOUs from being just paper trophies, everyone wants more impact and less ivory tower."
In a session entitled "Translational Science-Interplay between Research and Policy for Impact," Cynthia Osborne drew sounds of agreement from the crowd when she shared her best advice for translating research into practice: "You have to speak the language of your audience versus the language you are trained in," she said. Osborne is executive director of the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center and professor of early childhood education and policy at Vanderbilt.
James Brasham, professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas, noted that "we [researchers and educators] operate in an area that's gray. Legislators are looking for solutions." Panelists outlined action steps for walking their work from concept to real action (and clear solutions) with policymakers and communities.
Later, in an energetic, education-geared take on TED talks, leaders of several Peabody research-based learning centers including Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth, the Roberts Academy and Dyslexia Center, the Susan Gray School (an inclusive preschool) and the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt; as well as FSU's Seminoles ASPIRE and STRIDES programs; and Kansas University's Center for Reimagining Education, detailed their processes and impact. These types of K-12 learning centers, operating as outposts of universities, are somewhat unique to the United States, drawing interest and questions from international guests.
A BOLD CLOSING: GLOBAL CONVERSATIONS AND EXPERT INSIGHTS
With a warm introduction from Dean Benbow on the summit's third day, Ellen Goldring, Peabody distinguished research dean and Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy, engaged the room with a guided discussion on the future of teaching as a profession. She addressed the decline in teacher licensures since 2010 and a global teacher shortage, proposing solutions: building educator preparation partnerships, thinking about long-term development, incorporating AI for future teachers, and considering alternative licensure programs. In addition, she argued that the field should offer a more varied career trajectory, allowing paths for teachers to move into leadership and consulting roles over time.
"Teaching students should have a choice as to what they can do with their degrees," commented Mbulungeni Madiba, a professor and dean of education at the Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
Fittingly, the closing keynote was presented by Dean Matthew Johnson-Roberson of Vanderbilt's new College of Connected Computing. A strength of AI, he noted, is that it allows educators to build tools for themselves that meet specific needs, "without needing a huge engineering team." For example, he shared, grading papers is a practical way that AI can streamline the day-to-day teacher workload.
During the forum's closing discussions, Dean Ginsberg noted that, "As educators, our roles have changed. I think this is a tsunami that's building. If we do it right, we can dramatically change our pedagogy."
Camilla Benbow also expressed excitement about the future of education. "It was an honor to welcome our esteemed peers to Vanderbilt Peabody's campus," she said. "AI is quickly shaping the future of learning, and the Global Education Deans' Forum illustrated that institutes of education are prepared to thoughtfully guide the transformation."
How that sea-change emerges is something colleges and universities are thinking about carefully. Higher education programs can, and will, play an important role in shaping the future of AI in teaching and learning.
Read the Global Education Deans' Forum press release here.
