Professor Jen Ross

Professor of Digital Culture and Education Futures

Jen Ross is a Professor in Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh. Her work focuses on understanding how digital technologies shape learning, teaching, and research practices in higher education and beyond. She is particularly interested in the social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of digital education, exploring areas such as online learning design, digital literacies, open education, and the impact of AI on educational futures. In her research, Professor Ross often explores the complexities and nuances of using technology in educational settings, moving beyond simple adoption to consider how digital tools and environments influence interactions, the understanding of knowledge, and the very nature of learning itself. She is committed to critically engaging with the opportunities and challenges that digital transformation presents for educators and learners. Professor Ross is delighted to be speaking at EdTech 2025 and looks forward to sharing some insights from her research and engaging in discussions with attendees.

GenAI:N3 (Generative AI: N-TUTORR National Network) is an ambitious project aimed at transforming higher education by leveraging the power of Generative AI.

This project brings together educators, students, and technologists across seven partner institutions to explore innovative ways Gen AI can enhance learning and teaching. By developing tools and resources, the project empowers educators with cutting-edge solutions for personalised learning, academic integrity, and assessment design.

Generative AI has been described as an “arrival” technology—sudden, ubiquitous, and seemingly inevitable. But arrival for whom, and at what cost? In this provocative panel, we challenge the narrative of inevitability and examine the complexities of GenAI’s rapid integration into Irish higher education. Are we witnessing the dawn of a more equitable and innovative era—or a moment of unchecked disruption, distraction, and deprofessionalisation?

Drawing on a range of institutional, pedagogical, and policy perspectives, our panellists will explore how educators, technologists, and leaders are responding with agency, caution, creativity, and critique. Together, we will ask not only “Are we there yet?” but also “Where are we going—and do we want to go there?”

Join us to hear from four diverse voices grappling with what this “AI moment” means for the future of education: opportunity, overreach, or something more complex entirely?

The Jennifer Burke Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. This award celebrates unique or pioneering approaches to teaching and learning, novel in a specific discipline or context. Importantly, innovation doesn’t have to involve technology—it’s about innovative and effective examples that showcase how to enhance the learning experience.