Building Student Agency in AI-Assisted Learning

This experiential session addresses a critical question: How do we design learning experiences where AI enhances rather than replaces student thinking? Drawing from my experience using AI for my doctoral action research project, facilitating communities of practice, and developing AI-enhanced projects for secondary students, I’ll briefly share concrete examples and key insights. Participants will then be divided into small groups and examine questions like: What does student agency look like when AI is part of learning? How do we know if students are thinking more deeply with AI or just producing more output? The session will conclude with collaborative framework development where participants co-create practical criteria for evaluating AI integration. They will address task design, student role, evidence of learning, and red flags. Participants will leave with a framework grounded in practice that they can apply to their own teaching contexts.