Assistant Professor, the Department of Education Policy and Leadership, The Education University of Hong Kong
Dr Jess Jiahui Luo is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Education Policy and Leadership, the Education University of Hong Kong. She obtained her doctoral degree from the University of Hong Kong and her MPhil from the University of Cambridge. As an academic, Jess studies the social, relational and ethical implications of advanced technologies (in particular, GenAI) on educational assessment, as well as the governance/regulation of these technologies through education policies at different levels. Jess’ research has been published in leading education journals, such as Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Educational Research Review, and Teaching in Higher Education. In recognition of her research performance, she was awarded the 2023 HKU Foundation Publication Award (RPG). She is also the Principal Investigator of several external and internal research grants on GenAI and education, including one funded by the Hong Kong Research Grant Council under the prestigious Early Career Scheme.
Assessment is arguably the most challenged educational area under GenAI’s influence, mostly in part due to increased risks of student cheating and the associated concerns around fairness and students’ learning attainment. Different stakeholders in education (e.g., students, teachers, school leaders, parents) are navigating a somewhat “uncharted assessment landscape” where there are many grey areas without well-established guidelines or consensus. Navigating this landscape entails risks – for example, students who acknowledge their use of GenAI in assessment may be implicitly penalised in the marking process; teachers who adopt innovative assessment could face backlash as traditional assessment methods (e.g. exams, essays) are often more well received by the public. For different education stakeholders to be open to taking these risks and to collaboratively explore this evolving AI landscape, building a culture of trust within our school/institution becomes crucial.
This talk will be guided by three related questions: (1) why is talking about trust important when we talk about leadership in the GenAI age; (2) how does GenAI affect the trust dynamics in our education, particularly through assessment policies and practices; and (3) how can we foster a culture of trust through school leadership in this GenAI age? To answer these questions, I will draw on three of my recent studies that shed light on the implications of GenAI on different aspects of trust dynamics in education. Real-life cases and other important studies in the field will also be shared in the talk to facilitate meaningful discussions. By the end of this talk, the participants will gain a more nuanced understanding of GenAI in education and be equipped with strategies to lead a culture of trust in a time of uncertainties.