Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1528582
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 OCTOBER 2024 10 OPINION Embracing AI: Preparing students for the future AS the new academic year begins, students and educators are increasingly recognising the potential of generative AI in education. These powerful tools can provide person- alised feedback, offer explanations, and suggest improvements in writing, making them valuable assets in the learning jour- ney. However, it is crucial to use AI as a supplement rather than a substitute for learning. For parents, AI can serve as a dig- ital tutor at home. Generative AI can guide parents through explaining complex con- cepts or provide extra practice for children who need help grasping specific topics while ensuring that the learning process remains interactive and meaningful. In higher education, the focus shifts to using AI ethically, enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills rath- er than bypassing them. While these tools can help generate ideas, outline essays, or clarify difficult concepts, it is critical that students do not turn to AI to do the work for them. Instead, they should engage with AI in a way that enhances their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, en- suring they maintain academic integrity and develop the skills they need for their future careers. Educators are increasingly emphasising the importance of understanding how to integrate these tools responsibly for re- search and the learning process. Gener- ative AI also opens up new avenues for collaboration and creativity, especially in group work or projects. It can facili- tate brainstorming sessions, offer fresh perspectives on course material, or help create visual and written content for pres- entations. These capabilities give students an edge in enhancing their academic out- comes and their ability to work within teams. When used properly, AI empow- ers students to take ownership of their learning journey. These skills are not on- ly essential for academic success but also for future careers. As students prepare to enter the workforce, many industries are adopting AI technologies, making it essen- tial for them to develop the skills needed to use these tools ethically and effectively. It is vital to approach AI as a comple- mentary tool rather than one that com- pletes the work for students. Higher edu- cation students, in particular, must ensure they are using AI to support their critical thinking and creativity, not bypass them. Ethical usage of AI is a conversation that needs to be at the forefront of academic circles. As we start the new academic year, rather than fearing AI, we must embrace it by teaching students how to use these tools ethically and responsibly. AI is here to stay, and by learning how to leverage it responsibly, students can better equip themselves for both academic and profes- sional success. As an educator specialising in technol- ogy-enhanced learning, I encourage stu- dents, parents, and fellow educators to explore AI's benefits while keeping ethical implications in mind. By embracing AI responsibly and teaching students to use these tools ethically, we can better equip them for both academic and professional success in an increasingly AI-driven world. My recently completed PhD in E-Re- search and Technology Enhanced Learn- ing, sponsored by the Tertiary Education Scholarship Scheme (TESS), has deepened my understanding of this exciting field, and I look forward to continuing research on integrating AI into our educational practices. Cassandra Sturgeon Delia Cassandra Sturgeon Delia is a senior lecturer The way ahead POLITICS and how to do politics in a fair and stimulating manner are the basis of a paradigm shift occurring in Malta, without fanfare or hullabaloo, as we go past the halfway mark of the current leg- islature. Once again, Labour is showing the way. The Prime Minister's Sunday morn- ing activities have undergone a refresh- ing transformation, intended to create a veritable platform of discussion rather than scoring or resurrecting old political points. Instead of a Prime Minister pontificat- ing to a convinced audience, these Sun- day appointments offer a mixed panel of speakers, many of them apolitical experts on the issues under discussion and ready to share their experiences and goodwill. So much has already been talked about, and so much more is in the offing. It is a unique exchange of professional views that, treated with absolute liberty and impartiality, makes politics all the more sensible and credible. Unbiased participants and politicians with a gen- uine desire to streamline their strategies while seeking innovation is the picture that is strongly emerging on Sunday mornings. It takes true grit for a politi- cian to stand aside and let the experts discuss what's best in their given fields of specialisation. This is a process of socio-political harmonisation that is al- ready bearing fruit and giving Maltese politics the breather it deserves from old- style methods of reaching out to the peo- ple. It creates an atmosphere of unbri- dled discussion aimed at explaining what lies ahead, how to achieve new goals, and bring about the changes to make things happen, rather than just showcase what has already been achieved. Tomorrow's budget for 2025 marks an- other milestone in 21st Century Malta. It is yet another window from which the country can assess, with facts and figures, what has been achieved and how to keep up the tempo through new initiatives and more positive measures. Prime Minister Robert Abela has already made it amply clear next year's budget is designed ac- cording to the country's new realities, based on the success of consecutive eco- nomic advances achieved in recent years. He also said that a lot has yet to be done as more ambitious government plans un- fold to help move the country economi- cally even more forward. The budget also offers time for a review of what has been achieved in this fast-age- ing year as we look ahead to the new one. In the inclusivity and voluntary sectors, over the past two and a half years, 84% of what was promised in the 2022 electoral manifesto has already been implement- ed. In concrete terms, this has inevitably and happily led to a better quality of life for persons with disabilities and the crea- tion of new opportunities in both sectors. Persons with disabilities have smooth- ly transitioned into the labour market and with a newly found sense of self belief they have successfully secured a solid source of daily independent living. Families and carers have witnessed this wonderful transformation of loved ones rightly establishing themselves in an evolving and much more equal Maltese society. They do so in the knowledge that there is more to come, a process that has also been established within the volun- tary sector. Among several other ongoing projects, a new respite centre under construc- tion in the south of the island (electoral pledge 687), will offer better accessibility to families in the region as the two other respite centres in Mtarfa and Mosta al- ready do. The €1.4 million project at Ħal Kirkop, undertaken by Agenzija Sapport, will also include facilities and essential and specialised services for persons with disabilities and their families. Independ- ent living and the right to inclusivity, in conformity with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, underscore the objectives of this project, which is expected to be completed by the middle of next year. We are committed to addressing even more challenges in the disability and voluntary sectors, both of which have already seen extraordinary investments, changes and improvements during re- cent years. The reality of our work is that there is never a point of conclusion. So- ciety evolves and our targets and pledg- es evolve with it, as we remain steadfast in our belief in individual freedom and equality. Julia Farrugia is minister for inclusion and the voluntary sector Julia Farrugia