AI in Education Podcast

Dan Bowen and Ray Fleming

Dan Bowen and Ray Fleming are experienced education renegades who have worked in many various educational institutions and educational companies across the world. They talk about Artificial Intelligence in Education - what it is, how it works, and the different ways it is being used. It's not too serious, or too technical, and is intended to be a good conversation. Please note the views on the podcast are our own or those of our guests, and not of our respective employers (unless we say otherwise at the time!)

  1. 4d ago

    Two Free AI Resources Every Teacher Should Download

    Two Free AI Resources Every Teacher Should Download Lee Barrett joins Ray to unpack the biggest AI in education news and research. This week, while Dan enjoys the Pacific Northwest, Ray is joined by returning guest Lee Barrett (from CEnet) for a wide-ranging discussion on the latest AI in education news and research. The episode explores why one of the world's leading law schools is restricting technology in first-year classes while embracing AI later in the course, what Anthropic's new Claude for Teachers initiative could mean for educators, and why headlines about AI "writing" university assignments deserve much closer scrutiny. The conversation also dives into five new research papers covering AI-assisted teaching, student feedback, assessment reform, learning analytics, and how students are really using AI in higher education. Along the way, Ray and Lee discuss why assessment - not AI detection - is becoming education's biggest challenge; why productive struggle still matters; and why good teaching remains at the heart of meaningful learning. This week's free resources Show Your Work: Assessment in the Age of AI – a practical collection of ideas for designing assessment in an AI-enabled world. The Science of Learning and Generative AI: A Practical Guide for Secondary Teachers – a research-informed guide from La Trobe University that connects learning science with practical classroom use of AI. News mentioned Chicago Law School's first-year technology changes Anthropic's Claude for Teachers More than 50% of Australian university assignments used AI - and Turnitin's Learning Integrity Insights Report AI in Education Research Reports Generative AI can harm teaching https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=7007339  Artificial intelligence and feedback in university education: effectiveness and student perceptions https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02602938.2026.2697962 Grading in an age of assessment reform: the elephant in the room https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02602938.2026.2694451#d1e187 Interactive learning dashboards: rethinking learning visualisations as engagement tools https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10639-026-14082-1 Illuminating complex student realities of artificial intelligence through an entangled pedagogy framework https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10734-026-01730-1  Just one of the papers from the excellent https://aiinhe.org/ project

  2. Jul 23

    Why AI in Education Starts With Better Conversations: Dr Jo Orlando

    How can schools and parents help young people navigate AI while supporting learning, wellbeing and critical thinking? In this episode, Dan and Ray are joined by digital wellbeing researcher Dr Jo Orlando to explore how AI is reshaping education and the lives of young people. They discuss AI literacy, digital wellbeing, equity, social media, and why understanding how students actually use technology is essential. Jo shares practical advice for educators and parents, arguing that the most important tool isn't another policy—it's better conversations. A thoughtful discussion on helping students use AI as a thinking partner, rather than letting AI do the thinking for them. Jo's website is https://www.joanneorlando.com.au/ for more details on her, her book, and her professional work. Jo's book, Generation Connected, is available on as both a printed and audiobook

  3. Jul 18

    Higher Marks, Lower Learning? AI's Favourite Magic Trick

    Higher Marks, Lower Learning? AI's Favourite Magic Trick This week, Ray and Dan unpack a bumper collection of AI in education news and research, all pointing to one critical question: Is AI helping students learn…or just helping them score higher? The episode begins with a striking case from Brown University, where a take-home exam averaged 96%, only for the same cohort to average 48% in a supervised final. From there, Ray and Dan explore what the latest research says about AI-assisted assessment, automated marking, AI tutors, critical thinking, and the growing importance of student agency. They also discuss: New evidence on AI marking compared with human examiners Research showing how guided AI tutoring can improve maths learning Why critical thinking is the biggest predictor of successful AI use The risks of "never-skilling" when students rely too heavily on AI AI detectors: what they can (and can't) reliably tell us New Australian data on AI's impact on employment The latest Digital Education Council survey of university students Online safety and the growing challenge of AI-assisted image abuse As always, the episode is packed with practical insights, research summaries, and plenty of discussion about what all this means for educators, schools and universities. Links - News Voice got an upgrade https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-live/ Inside Higher Ed article: Brown Professor Suspects Majority of His Class Used AI to Cheat https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty/learning-assessment/2026/07/08/brown-professor-suspects-most-his-class-used-ai-cheat Digital Education Council AI in Higher Education Global Survey https://www.digitaleducationcouncil.com/resource-library-items/ai-in-higher-education-global-survey-2026 One in 25 teens affected by AI-assisted online abuse, study finds. Read Lee Barrett's opinion: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lee-barrett-a7624923b_boys-major-victims-of-ai-assisted-online-share-7480417534723244033-OjWU/ AI and employment in Australia - report from Department of Education and Workplace Relations https://www.dewr.gov.au/download/17666/ai-and-employment-australia/43205/ai-and-employment-australia/pdf   Links - Research AI in University Assessment: Evaluating the Opportunities and Risks of Automated Marking https://www.emotional-cognition.psychol.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/OpRaise%20Report_DIGITAL.pdf LLM Performance on a Real, Double-Marked GCSE Benchmark https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.24973 Teaching with Gemini: Measuring the impact of Guided Learning on student mathematics progress in Sierra Leone https://deepmind.google/blog/measuring-the-impact-of-learning-with-ai-in-sierra-leone-and-beyond/ https://storage.googleapis.com/deepmind-media/LearnLM/learnLM_sierraleone_may26.pdf Access is Not Enough: Human Support Improves Engagement with AI Tutoring https://nssa.stanford.edu/studies/access-not-enough-human-support-improves-engagement-ai-tutoring The Generative AI Learning Penalty: Evidence from Chinese Secondary Education https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6868618 The agency gap: perceived human AI agency, reflection and generative AI learning across UK and China based higher education contexts https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075079.2026.2686986 How Do Autonomy, Critical Thinking, and Artificial Intelligence Value Perception Affect University Student Self-regulated Learning? https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11528-026-01203-3 The cognitive impact of ChatGPT in higher education: A systematic review of critical and creative thinking outcomes https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666920X26000330 AI-induced never-skilling in medical education https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04438-y (Paywalled) Who wrote this? Evaluating the reliability of AI detection tools in higher education https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40979-026-00226-w  .

  4. Jul 9

    What schools and small business can teach each other about AI

    Most Australian students won't graduate into global tech companies. They'll build careers in small and medium businesses. So are schools and universities preparing them for that reality? In this episode, Dan and Ray are joined by Amanda Rose - Co-founder and Director of Women in AI Australia and Founder & CEO of Entrepreneurial & Small Business Women Australia (ESBWA) -to explore what education can learn from the businesses driving Australia's economy. Amanda shares practical advice on introducing AI without losing critical thinking, why educators should partner with local businesses to bring authentic problem-solving into the classroom, and how simple AI policies can help schools and organisations move from uncertainty to action. The conversation also tackles AI equity, bias in AI systems, and why students need to develop their own voice and judgement before relying on AI tools. If you're a teacher, school leader, university educator or anyone interested in preparing learners for an AI-enabled workforce, this episode offers practical strategies you can put into practice straight away. Find out more about: Women in AI Australia Entrepreneurial & Small Business Women Australia (ESBWA)

  5. Jul 2

    We've Read the AI Reports So You Don't Have To

    This week, Ray and Dan dive into a mountain of new AI in education research, so you don't have to. They unpack major reports from around the world covering how students are really using AI, why schools are still struggling to provide clear guidance, and what the latest AI literacy and education readiness frameworks mean for teachers and leaders. Along the way they discuss Norway's AI restrictions in primary schools, student concerns about AI data centres, new guidance on AI in assessment, and the growing importance of the human skills that AI can't replace. If you're trying to make sense of where AI in education is heading, this episode brings together the latest evidence, trends and practical insights in one conversation. And hopefully you won't have to read all the reports below, but our conversation has given you a head start to find the right one(s) for you! Power Toys (to turn your Copilot button into a shortcut for any AI) https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/keyboard-manager  EU: Norway imposes near ban on AI in elementary schools https://www.reuters.com/technology/norway-imposes-near-ban-ai-elementary-school-2026-06-19/  Australia: Sunshine Coast students push back as Australia positions itself as a global AI leader https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-23/students-protest-ai-amid-growing-national-concerns/106808776  UK: Navigating AI in Education - Pupils' perspectives on the role of AI in the classroom https://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/oxed/research-reports/Navigating_AI_in_Education_Research_Report_June2026_v05.pdf  US: Common Sense Media Census: AI use by Teens and Tweens https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/a-comprehensive-report-on-teens-tweens-and-ai  Australia: Learning First School Research https://learningfirst.com/s/Learning-First_AI-use-in-schools-Taking-action-now_FINAL.pdf  Global: AI Literacy Framework from OECD & EC https://ailiteracyframework.org/  Global: New WEF report: Shaping the Future of Learning: Education Readiness for the Age of AI https://www.weforum.org/publications/shaping-the-future-of-learning-education-readiness-for-the-age-of-ai/  Australia: AI in Higher Education Research in Australia https://aiinhe.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-hedx-conference-260617_0114.pdf  US: Lumina Foundation/Gallup - "AI in Higher Education: Widespread Use, Unclear Rules" https://www.luminafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Lumina-Foundation-Gallup-SOHE_AI_Report.pdf  Australia: TEQSA's new guidance on detecting AI use in student assessments https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/protecting-academic-integrity/academic-integrity-toolkit/risks-academic-integrity-ai/detecting-plagiarism-ai-generated-text-student-assessments-and-securing-take-home-written-assessments  Global: Preparing students for the future of work from Microsoft  https://info.microsoft.com/ww-landing-preparing-students-for-the-future-of-work.html Global: QS World Future Skills Index https://www.qs.com/world-future-skills-index/2027

  6. Jun 25

    Victoria Hedlund on AI bias: What every teacher needs to know

    AI systems are increasingly being used in education, but what happens when those systems introduce hidden bias into learning, feedback, assessment and career advice? In this episode, we're joined by Victoria Hedlund (AKA The AI Bias Girl), founder of GenEd Labs, former physics teacher, consultant and researcher specialising in AI bias in education. Victoria shares practical examples of how AI tools can produce different outputs based on gender, names, backgrounds and other personal characteristics. From explanations of how a light bulb works to career guidance and assessment, we explore how seemingly small biases can compound over time and influence attainment, wellbeing and opportunity. The conversation covers AI tutors, safeguarding concerns, assessment risks, the importance of keeping humans in the loop, and why educators need to adopt a more experimental mindset when working with generative AI. This is a thought-provoking discussion about fairness, agency and what every teacher needs to know as AI becomes increasingly embedded in education. For more background, here's two bits of Victoria's writing: Deep dive on using AI for marking https://victoriahedlund.substack.com/p/bias-bytes-special-edition-evidence  Deep dive on Squishmallow Top Trumps https://www.linkedin.com/posts/victoriamhedlund_biasgirl-biasaware-chatgpt-ugcPost-7452959849623220225-bIWG  And finally, free downloads from Victoria, including 8 bias-mitigating prompts for teachers, and a growing set of other resources on AI bias in education. https://genedlabs.ai/downloads

  7. Jun 18

    More A's, More Fails: What AI Is Really Doing to Student Performance

    What happens when AI helps students earn more A grades, and also contributes to more failures when it's taken away? In this episode, Ray and Dan explore new research on AI's impact on student performance, assessment integrity, and learning. They discuss studies linking AI to rising grades, the risks of over-reliance on AI, and growing evidence that AI tutors may support learning better than general-purpose chatbots. The conversation also covers AI detectors, AI humanisers, teacher workload, Microsoft's latest Copilot updates, and a new tool for measuring the environmental footprint of AI use. AI in Education Research Papers Artificial Intelligence and Grade Inflation https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80x8d3qd  ps WSJ wrote an article on this https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/a-grades-are-suddenly-everywhere-since-the-arrival-of-chatgpt-845baae7  Failing grades soar as professors see greater AI usage, dwindling math skills in UC Berkeley computer science classes https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/academics/failing-grades-soar-as-professors-see-greater-ai-usage-dwindling-math-skills-in-uc-berkeley/article_16fad0bf-02cb-4b8c-8d88-888ffd9f8608.html Building AI Companions that Prioritise Learning over Performance https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.04816 Effective Personalized AI Tutors via LLM-Guided Reinforcement Learning https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6423358 Law Professors prefer AI over peer answers https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/salinas_et_al.pdf Fixing teachers' problems? exploring teachers' repair and maintenance work around generative AI technologies https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01596306.2026.2657793\ Dramaturgies of Deception: AI Humanizers and the Performance of Legitimacy in Higher Education Assessment https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.02649 Homogenizing effect of large language models (LLMs) on creative diversity: An empirical comparison of human and ChatGPT writing https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S294988212500091X  AI Detectors Fail Diverse Student Populations: A Mathematical Framing of Structural Detection Limits https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.20254   AI News  Copilot Cowork released https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2026/06/16/copilot-cowork-is-now-generally-available/  Copilot notebooks released for all free copilot chat basic accounts https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/educationblog/copilot-notebooks-and-study-guide-now-available-to-copilot-chat-users/4527320 Andy Masley's Carbon footprint calculator| https://www.andymasley.com/visuals/ai-prompt-footprint/  Mazenod College: Year 12 students caught using AI to cheat https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-09/year-12-students-in-melbourne-caught-cheating-using-ai/106777700

  8. Jun 11

    Flourishing in the Age of AI: Schools Putting Humans First

    What does it mean to put humans first in the age of AI? Recorded at the Flourish Conference, this special episode brings together three school leaders who are using AI in very different ways, and with a common focus on human agency. You'll hear how students are designing their own learning agents, how AI can help teachers make better use of student data while keeping information secure, and how one school is using AI-powered coaching tools to support professional learning and culture change. Across all three stories, a clear message emerges: the most effective AI initiatives aren't replacing people - they're helping students and teachers flourish. Featuring: Alison Perosin (Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Broken Bay Diocese) Hamish Jefferies (John Therry Catholic College) Renée Williams (The Cathedral College, Rockhampton) A practical look at how schools are building capability, trust and innovation with AI.

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Dan Bowen and Ray Fleming are experienced education renegades who have worked in many various educational institutions and educational companies across the world. They talk about Artificial Intelligence in Education - what it is, how it works, and the different ways it is being used. It's not too serious, or too technical, and is intended to be a good conversation. Please note the views on the podcast are our own or those of our guests, and not of our respective employers (unless we say otherwise at the time!)

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