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AI Ethics in Teaching and Learning Symposium

AI Ethics GenAI

Event Details

Date : 29 Apr 2025 (Tue)

Time : 2:00pm – 5:00pm

Venue : Learning Lab (RRS321, 3/F, Run Run Shaw Building, Main Campus, HKU)

Speakers & Panellists:

Prof. Herman Cappelen, Chair Professor, Department of Philosophy, School of Humanities, HKU
Prof. Cecilia Chan, Professor, TALIC, HKU
Dr. John Fung, Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU
Dr. Wilson Kwok, Assistant IT Director (CIO and Librarian Office), Information Technology Services, HKU
Mr. Brian Tang, Principal Professional Practitioner, Faculty of Law, HKU
Ms. Stephanie Biedermann, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, HKU
Ms. Nicole Lau, Assistant Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, HKU

MC : Dr. Jessica To , Lecturer, TALIC, HKU

Symposium Abstract

As Generative AI (GenAI) continues to evolve and integrate into the educational landscape, academics are facing a higher risk of plagiarism and students’ improper use. It is imperative for us to understand the ethical implications of GenAI use in education. This symposium aims to elevate higher education professionals’ awareness about the ethical implications of GenAI and to explore strategies for fostering academic integrity. The symposium will feature talks by distinguished speakers offering insights into the ethical use of GenAI in educational settings. Following the enlightening talks, there will be a panel discussion delving into the complexities of maintaining academic integrity in higher education. Panellists will share their experiences and discuss strategies for promoting academic integrity. This interactive session will provide participants with practical approaches to safeguarding academic honesty and fostering a culture of integrity within HKU.

AI in Teaching and Learning: An Ethical Framework

This talk presents a unified framework for evaluating the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence in teaching and learning. It begins with a goal-relativistic characterization of ethics and then shows how this approach can both articulate and resolve pressing ethical questions regarding the role of AI in education.

Speaker

Professor Herman Cappelen Chair Professor, Department of Philosophy, School of Humanities, HKU

Professor Herman Cappelen is a philosopher. He currently works as a Chair Professor of philosophy at the University of Hong Kong. Before moving to Hong Kong, he worked at the Universities of Oslo, St Andrews, and Oxford. Since 2008, he has been an elected fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. And since the same year, he has been an elected member of the Academia Europaea. Professor Cappelen is also the Director of AI&Humanity-Lab@HKU, and co-director ConceptLab Hong Kong. He is serving as the Editor-in-Chief of Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy. His current research focus is on the philosophy of AI, Conceptual Engineering, and the connections between those two. However, his philosophical interests are broad – they cover more or less all areas of systematic philosophy. His ten monographs provide a good overview of the kinds of issues he has been, and is still interested in, including:

Making AI Intelligible (w. Josh Dever, OUP 2021, Open Access) is a book about how to use externalist theories in metasemantics to interpret and communicate with AI.
Fixing Language: An Essay on Conceptual Engineering (OUP 2018, Open Access) develops an account of how externalists should think of conceptual engineering, argues that all of philosophy involves conceptual engineering, and also shows that conceptual engineering is almost impossibly difficult.
Josh Dever and himself have written a series of three introductory books to philosophy of language. The series is called Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy of Language. The three books are called: Context and Communication (OUP 2016), Puzzles of Reference, (OUP 2018), and Bad Language, (OUP 2019).
The Inessential Indexical (w. J. Dever, OUP 2014) is an exploration and defence of the view that perspectivality is a philosophically shallow aspect of the world. The authors argue that there are no such things as essential indexicality, irreducibly de se attitudes, or self-locating attitudes.
Philosophy without Intuitions (OUP 2012) is about the nature of philosophy and philosophical methodology.
Relativism and Monadic Truth (w J. Hawthorne, OUP 2009) is an argument against relativism about truth and in favor of the view that truth is a monadic property.
Language Turned on Itself (w. E. Lepore, OUP 2007) is about meta-linguistic discourse and various form of quotation: how language can be used to talk about language.
Insensitive Semantics (w. E. Lepore, Blackwell 2004) is about the ways in and extent to which meaning and interpretation is context sensitive. It is also about what contexts are and what it is to be in on. The book develops and defends two now influential theories: semantic minimalism and speech act pluralism.

AI-giarism in Education: Rethinking Assessment in the Age of Generative AI

As generative AI tools become increasingly accessible to students, educators face new challenges in maintaining academic integrity and designing meaningful assessments. This seminar explores the concept of AI-giarism—the misuse of AI to produce academic work—and its implications for current assessment practices. Drawing on real-world student experiences and emerging research, we will examine the blurred boundaries between support and dishonesty, and how institutions can respond with thoughtful, future-ready assessment designs. Join us to discuss practical strategies for mitigating AI misuse while embracing its potential to enhance learning and creativity.

Speaker and Panellist

Professor Cecilia K. Y. Chan is a Professor in the Faculty of Education and the Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre (TALIC). She has been playing a key role in enhancing engineering and science education, as well as teaching and learning in higher education. Her combined expertise in these fields and multi-cultural experience enabled her to lead and conduct research on topics such as assessment and feedback, experiential learning, technology enhanced learning, artificial intelligence in education and the development and assessment of 21st century skills spanning in education from east to west.

Transforming Healthcare Education and Practice with Generative AI: Insights from Simulation and Real-World Applications

The integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into healthcare education and practice is transforming the landscape of medical training and patient care delivery. This keynote will delve into the transformative potential of GenAI, focusing on its applications in patient simulation and the ethical considerations associated with its use.

Dr. John Tai Chun Fung, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Nursing, will share insights from his extensive research on GenAI’s role in enhancing graduate medical education. He will highlight how GenAI facilitates personalized learning experiences, simulates real-world scenarios, and enhances communication skills. Dr. Fung will discuss how GenAI patient simulation improves clinical competence and confidence among healthcare professionals, citing his recent trial that demonstrated significant improvements in clinical competence and cultural awareness among participants.

The presentation will also explore examples from Dr. Fung’s work on GenAI patient simulation, illustrating both the opportunities for improving patient outcomes and the ethical challenges that must be addressed. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on how GenAI can be ethically leveraged to advance healthcare education and patient care, while navigating potential pitfalls and ensuring the development of equitable and safe AI applications in medicine.

Speaker and Panellist

Dr. John Tai Chun Fung is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine. He is the Associate Program Director of Bachelor of Nursing Programme (Part-Time) for Registered Nurses and the Chair of Quality and Safety Education Subcommittee. He is also the first accredited simulation educator in Hong Kong within the Association for Simulation Practice in Healthcare. He has received multiple teaching awards, for example 2024 UGC Teaching Award (General Faculty Member) Finalist, 2023 Outstanding Teaching Award (Individual), and 2023 Teaching Innovation Award (Team Leader).

Panellist

Dr. Wilson Kwok is an Assistant IT Director at The University of Hong Kong. Prior to joining the University, he looked after the eLearning development and teacher training for five years in a public organization which had over 2,000 staff teaching in 30 member institutions. Under the co-branding strategy of the University Libraries and Information Technology Services, he currently holds key responsibilities in the development and support of hybrid learning, platforms, teaching spaces as well as e-assessment at institutional level.

Panellist

Mr. Brian Tang is a Principal Professional Practitioner in the Faculty of Law. He is the Executive Director of LITE Lab@HKU, the new interdisciplinary and experiential programme to foster law, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship (LITE) led by HKU’s Faculty of Law in conjunction with the Department of Computer Science. Brian is a frequently invited international speaker on his practice and research areas of law and innovation, capital marketplaces, regtech, lawtech, AI governance, virtual assets and future skills. He and his work were featured on CNBC’s Learning Curve Series and in Diana Wu’s book Future Proof: Reinventing Work In the Age of Acceleration (2019).

Panellist

Ms. Stephanie Biedermann is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law. She specializes in international law, immigration, forced migration, and discrimination issues, particularly for refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrant workers. Her legal experience includes work in the US, the Middle East, and Hong Kong, with a focus on public interest law and access to justice issues.

Panellist

Ms. Nicole Lau is an Assistant Lecturer at Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine. She is the Founder of the charitable organization Soul Prominence. With a specialised background in mental health, and as a Special Educational Needs (SEN) teacher and a trained life coach, her passion lies in the integration of mindfulness and cutting-edge AI technology in teaching. This unique approach has allowed her to enrich the learning experience of students, fostering an environment that emphasizes personal development and resilience.

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