Professor Allison Littlejohn of University College London (UCL), United Kingdom, will present ‘Don’t Let AI Change What it Means to Teach’ at The 14th European Conference on Education (ECE2026), The 14th European Conference on Arts & Humanities (ECAH2026), and The 6th European Conference on Aging & Gerontology (EGen2026) in London, United Kingdom.
Professor Allison Littlejohn’s research explores how digital transformation is reshaping work and learning. Drawing on senior leadership roles across major institutions including UCL and the Open University, she is uniquely positioned to examine how educators can embrace AI without losing sight of the human purpose of teaching.
This keynote presentation will be held both onsite in London and online via live-stream. To participate in ECE/ECAH/EGen2026 as an audience member, please register for the conference via the conference website.
The presentation will also be available for IAFOR Members to view online as part of their membership benefits. To find out more about becoming an IAFOR Member, please visit the IAFOR Membership page.
Speaker Biography
Allison Littlejohn
University College London, United Kingdom
Professor Allison Littlejohn is Pro-Vice Provost for Grand Challenge Data Empowered Societies and Professor of Learning and Technology in the UCL Knowledge Lab at University College London (UCL), United Kingdom. Her research expands our understanding of the socio-technical impacts of digital transformation at work and how it impacts work and learning. Professor Littlejohn was previously Director of the UCL Knowledge Lab, University College London (2020 -2025); Dean (Learning & Teaching) at the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom (2019-20); Academic Director for Digital Innovation at the Open University, United Kingdom (2015-2019); and Professor and Director of the Caledonian Academy at Glasgow Caledonian University, United Kingdom (2006-2015). She holds the Ruth Wong Visiting Professorship at the National Institute of Education, Singapore.
Abstract
Don’t Let AI Change What it Means to Teach
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is permeating education systems worldwide, reshaping teaching, learning, and assessment. Research shows that most university educators now use AI tools in their practice (Wang et al, 2026). Even those educators who choose not to use AI in their teaching still encounter AI use in their work, because of the large number of students choosing to use AI to carry out coursework (Digital Education Council, 2025). For academics, the use of AI raises fundamental questions about professional identity and power. AI adoption risks transferring pedagogical choices from educators to technologists, shifting teaching practice away from human-centred practice towards the management of data and technology. This presentation examines how educators draw on cognitive, affective, and social practices to support learning. Practices such as real-time sensemaking through student cues, purposive instructional design anticipating misconceptions, and creating emotional scaffolds that enable learning. While AI can assist with some tasks, it cannot replicate the professional judgment needed for effective teaching. Taking a wider perspective, this keynote will explore the effects of AI and data usage on professional agency, highlighting power shifts and vulnerabilities of people in different professions. Ways to navigate these vulnerabilities will also be discussed through forms of professional development that allow the negotiation of future work in ways that ensure AI adoption empowers human workers, rather than the AI being empowered by human work.
