EDUCA Seminar: GenAI as an intellectual partner to improve the teaching and learning of STEM (hybrid event)

Prof. Joseph Krajcik (Michigan State University)

tiistaina 31.3.2026 15.15.00 → 16.30.00 Europe/Helsinki

Lecture Hall Agora XX (Agora / online)

EDUCA Seminar: GenAI as an intellectual partner to improve the teaching and learning of STEM
Prof. Joseph Krajcik

Abstract: Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly reshaping how we work, conduct scientific research, and learn. In STEM education, these technologies present both significant opportunities and important challenges. In this presentation, I will explore how GenAI can serve as an intellectual partner that supports teachers and learners rather than replacing human thinking. Drawing on work at the CREATE for STEM Institute, I will share examples of how GenAI can assist teachers in adapting lessons to better meet the needs of their students and how it can provide learners with constructive, actionable feedback that supports the development of usable scientific knowledge. I will also discuss the challenges associated with GenAI, including the tendency of these systems to provide direct answers rather than scaffold student thinking, and consider how educators can design learning environments that leverage AI to enhance, rather than diminish, student agency and sensemaking in STEM learning.

Biography: Joseph Krajcik is Director of the CREATE for STEM Institute and Lappan-Phillips Professor of Science Education at Michigan State University. A leading scholar in science education, his work focuses on improving STEM teaching and learning from kindergarten through higher education through innovation, research, and the design of project-based learning environments. His research has had a major influence on how science teaching supports student engagement, sense-making, and deeper understanding.

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Seminar can be followed online on Zoom: https://utu.zoom.us/j/61546170241