Dr Damian Maher a guest on ABC's The Minefield to talk about AI and education
Recently, CREDS member Dr Damian Maher was invited to be part of ABC’s The Minefield. Below, he discusses his research.
There has been much going on related to research I have been undertaking looking at the use of the AI in schools and universities.
Last year I conducted two research projects. One project looked at the use of chatbots to support PSTs’ understanding of behaviour management. A chatbot was designed called Jamie which has low level behaviour issues. It was done using Cogneti with Danny Liu from Sydney University. The other academics involved were A/Prof John De Nobile from Macquarie university and Dr Jose Hanham from Western Sydney University. The project was successful, and we are looking at doing some more work in the future. We have written one chapter, presented at two conferences and are currently writing one journal article.
The other project I led was the AI in schools project. This project involved working with a number of CREDS members and teachers from Trinity Grammar School and Ravenswood school. The teachers were part of the professional learning groups, which we were part of, and provided expertise for the sessions. The teachers completed a diary as part of the project, and we are used those to write a journal article. We also gave numerous conference presentations and wrote a journal paper where the focus was on partnerships. This will be published in May.
Currently a project is underway working with teachers and students where we will be looking at how AI can support students with literacy difficulties. Keith Heggart and Don Carter are working on the project with me.
As a result of this work, I have written a number of book chapters. I was also invited to be a guest on the Minefield- an ABC show with Walleed Ali and Scott Stephens. This involved a discussion in front of a live audience
Maher, D. (April 10, 2025). As schools increasingly adopt AI tools, ethical and educational challenges abound — how to chart a way forward? ABC.
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Keith Heggart
Senior Lecturer
Dr Keith Heggart is an early career researcher in the School of International Studies and Education, with a focus on learning and instructional design, educational technology and civics and citizenship education.