Education in the Age of Generative AI Showcase

Showcase Theme 2025

The Education in the Age of GenAI: Back to Basics Showcase will explore how the growing presence of Generative AI in students’ academic lives is prompting educators to revisit the foundations of meaningful learning. While questions about GenAI's long-term impact on foundational skills like reading, writing, critical thinking, and problem-solving are still unfolding, this event focuses on practical, classroom-tested strategies that promote deep engagement, intrinsic motivation, and intellectual resilience—even in AI-mediated learning environments.

Event Highlights

• Keynote Address by Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, who will offer research-based insights on the emotional and cognitive dimensions of learning in the age of AI.
• Parallel sessions featuring innovative teaching approaches developed by faculty across NYU Shanghai and other Sino-foreign universities. These sessions will focus on fostering effortful learning, adapting assessment strategies, and thoughtfully integrating AI into the classroom.
• Learning that Matters: Student-Faculty Dialogue on Purpose, Agency, and Identity in the Age of AI.
• Student Voices Feature: Spotlighting NYUSH student experiences with learning environments that motivate sustained effort and engagement.

Keynote Speaker

The Showcase will feature a keynote by Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, who will offer research-based insights on the cognitive and emotional dimensions of learning in the age of AI. 

Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, is the Fahmy and Donna Attallah Professor of Humanistic Psychology and a professor of education, psychology, and neuroscience at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, USA. She is the founding director of the USC Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education, or CANDLE. Immordino-Yang received her doctorate from Harvard University in 2005 and completed postdoctoral training in affective neuroscience with Antonio Damasio in 2008. She has since pioneered novel approaches to the study of child and adolescent social-emotional and brain development, and has written extensively on implications foe educational practice and policy. She has received numerous national and international awards for her work, and in 2023 was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Education

Keynote Title: Transcendence!: Supporting Youths’ Coordinated Neural Development of Abstract Thinking, Social Emotion, and Self-Awareness in the Age of AI

In her talk, Dr. Immordino-Yang will share groundbreaking research on how adolescents develop transcendent thinking—reflective, abstract thought tied to identity and purpose—and how this capacity is shaped by their social-emotional environments, especially in a world increasingly mediated by AI. She will also offer insights into the neuroscience of teaching, emphasizing the emotional and relational dimensions of skilled teaching and their implications in the AI era.

Parallel Sessions

Parallel Sessions Format: 4 TeachTalks & Panel Discussion

Schedule at a Glance

The conference is held in a hybrid format, allowing participants to join either online or in person.

Language: The event will be conducted in English.

Date: Friday, April 18, 2025