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Webinars

Why Universal AI Rules Don’t Work: How to Build Responsive AI Policies with Your Students

Thursday, October 23, 2025
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)

Students are already using AI, and they want to know how to use it ethically and effectively without compromising their learning and academic integrity. Right now, so much student use of AI happens in the shadows — and we need an open, supportive space for discussion that encourages transparency.

What is appropriate AI use in one assignment/project in one subject might be counterproductive in another. One-size-fits-all policies don’t capture the contextual nuances across learning contexts (e.g., subject, learning objectives). AI evolves rapidly, and so should classroom AI policies.

Responsive AI policies aren’t written by administrators or teachers alone. Students must be invited to co-create and negotiate these rules through open discussion so they have more buy-in, a clearer understanding of the reasoning behind these policies — and ownership.

This webinar explores responsive AI policies as they relate to:

  1. Learning context: The same AI use can be appropriate or inappropriate depending on the learning objectives or subject areas.
  2. Developmental stage: Younger learners need different protection and scaffolding compared to teenagers or adult learners.
  3. Value and beliefs: Create safe, open spaces for dialogue in which diverse values and beliefs are made visible to reach a shared understanding.
  4. Technological development: As AI capabilities rapidly evolve, policies need built-in mechanisms for regular review to stay current and relevant.

Host:

Lydia Cao image
Dr. Lydia Cao
Assistant Professor of Digital Technologies in Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto
Lydia received her PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge in 2022. She has held postdoctoral fellowships at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and University of Toronto. Her research focuses on developing collaborative AI systems and learning analytics, transforming Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) with digital technologies, and investigating AI-powered immersive technologies for complex skill development and assessment. She has delivered numerous invited talks and guest lectures on a variety of AI and sustainability topics to audiences in Australia, Canada, China, India, Singapore, the UK and the US. She currently teaches Introduction to AI in Education at OISE, University of Toronto.