Over a decade of collaboration and innovation…
Future Learning was established in 2013 to support collaboration in isolated communities. Tim worked with local schools and organisations in the Tāirawhiti region with the vision ‘Don’t let location limit learning’. At the cusp of a digital revolution in schools, with the introduction of ultrafast broadband and tech companies vying to dominate the educational landscape, Tim recognised the potential for learners to take charge of their education in digital spaces, thereby amplifying their real-world impact.
As AI tools and generative AI continue to evolve, we stand on the brink of another transformative shift in education. Future Learning’s latest mission is to build capacity in this new frontier. Our team, comprised of expert practitioners and researchers, employs an evidence-informed approach to the thoughtful integration of AI tools in education.
What sets the Future Learning team apart is our active engagement as teachers and researchers. We possess firsthand experience and a nuanced understanding of the opportunities and challenges posed by generative AI. Our team has developed comprehensive guidelines, implemented innovative learning and assessment strategies, and deeply analysed the data to evaluate these approaches. Unlike consultants who rely on outdated theories or the influence of large tech companies, we provide evidence-based advice to ensure the responsible and effective integration of AI tools in education, guiding best practices for a future-ready learning environment.
Future Learning Team
Tim Gander
With a PhD in coaching in education, Tim has been working with schools and organisations for the past 15 years to support change and build adaptive competence. As a consulting practitioner, Tim comes from a position where he has 'skin in the game' and has been faced with the challenges of creating policy for AI integration, how it impacts academic integrity, and how it might support more engaging teaching and learning.
Tim’s expertise lies in strategic vision for AI integration, facilitating interactive workshops on developing effective AI policies and guidelines, utilising AI tools for teaching and learning, integrating AI into assessment processes, and, most importantly, fostering AI literacy among educators and students.
Bee Shaw
Bee (Brendon) Shaw works in the tertiary sector as a te reo Māori kaiako for adults at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and assists with marking and student guidance for academyEX. He is also a kaiako for Māori Bilingual classes at a South Auckland primary school, giving him a real-time view of how governmental policies affect our schools. His master's degree was centred around Place-Based Learning, and his research interests tend to focus on artificial intelligence in education and improving engagement between schools and mana whenua.
Bee is passionate about using AI to advance Māori education and safeguard data sovereignty. He is dedicated to exploring how AI can be ethically and effectively incorporated into educational systems, ensuring these technologies honour and preserve the Treaty of Waitangi as well as the distinct cultural and social characteristics of Māoridom.
Kathryn MacCallum
With over 15 years of experience in digital education and a background in IT, Kathryn brings a unique and diverse skillset to support change and foster effective practice in educational settings. As a consulting practitioner, she has a deep understanding of the implications of AI, both positive and negative, to engage schools and teachers in this continually evolving space.
Kathryn’s expertise lies in fostering teachers’ technical and pedagogical knowledge and skills to effectively utilise AI tools for teaching and learning. Her focus is on building AI literacy to support deeper engagement with effective digital pedagogies. As an Associate Professor and Director of UC’s Digital Education Futures Research Lab, Kathryn applies a research-informed approach to practice, ensuring that educators and students are empowered to become active users of AI.
David Parsons
David’s long and varied career across higher education and the software industry in Europe and Australasia has given him a wealth of knowledge and experience. He is a leading international researcher in technology-enhanced learning, the founding editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, and a Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technologies.
He has previously held senior academic roles at Southampton Solent University in the UK and Massey University and Unitec in New Zealand, as well as specialist contract roles with Software Education Associates and The Open Polytechnic.
He has a keen interest in research that brings together technology and learning, with a particular focus on the role of AI and digital technologies in education, agile and lean thinking, curriculum design, and contemporary software development. He has produced over 200 publications, including several authored and edited books.
Relevant Publications
Gander, T., & Shaw, B. (2024). AI in Education 2023: Understanding the impact on effective pedagogy, inclusive learning and equitable outcomes. He Rourou, 1(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.54474/herourou.v1i1.9137
Gander, T., & Harris, G. (2024, September). Understanding AI Literacy for Higher Education Students: Implications for Assessment. In Proceedings of the New Zealand AI in Higher Education Symposium, University of Otago, 4 September. https://doi.org/10.54474/herourou.v1i1
Gander, T., & Parsons, D. (accepted). Evaluating the Impact of an AI Critical Friend on Student Research Proposals, Critical AI Literacy, and Transparent Collaborative Assessment Practices. Paper accepted at ASCILITE 2024
MacCallum. K., & Parsons, D. (2024). AI tutors could be coming to the classroom – but who taught the tutor, and should you trust them? The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/ai-tutors-could-be-coming-to-the-classroom-but-who-taught-the-tutor-and-should-you-trust-them-234660
Parsons, D., MacCallum, K, & Burilin, E. (2024, September). Supporting Tertiary Students’ Critical AI Literacy: A Practical Tool for Educators. In Proceedings of the New Zealand AI in Higher Education Symposium, University of Otago, 4 September. https://doi.org/10.54474/herourou.v1i1
MacCallum, K., Parsons, D., & Mohaghegh, M. (2023, December). Identifying the Components of Foundational Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy – Early Results from a Delphi Study. Paper presented at ASCILITE 2023. December 3 – 6, 2023, Christchurch, New Zealand.
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