Learner Agency, Student Voice & Youth Futures in AI‑Mediated Education

Arzu is a doctoral researcher in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Woolf University. After 22 years as a mathematics teacher, she transitioned into academia to bridge classroom experience with educational research. As a third-generation educator, Arzu believes that meaningful educational transformation begins with a deep understanding of classroom realities. She believes that sustainable educational innovation must be informed by the lived experiences of classroom practitioners and that teachers' practical knowledge should play a central role in shaping educational research and policy. Her professional experience has inspired her commitment to contributing to the future of education through evidence-based research and innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

Her doctoral research, Examining Artificial Intelligence Integration in Teacher Education Toward a Sustainable Framework for Teacher Competence and Readiness in Turkey, explores how artificial intelligence can be integrated into teacher education to develop a sustainable framework for teacher competence and readiness. Her research interests include artificial intelligence in education, teacher education, educational innovation, digital transformation, and sustainable educational development.

Ingjerd Thon Hagaseth is Associate Professor in Organization, Leadership and Innovation at NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She describes herself as a pracademic, combining extensive leadership experience from education and public services with teaching, research and educational development in higher education. She leads development work on flexible and online study programmes at NTNU, with a particular interest in student engagement, progression, learning design and the balance between flexibility and structure in online education.

A well-known and recognized e-Learning expert, Prof. Richard Powers is currently a Professor, Trainer and Learning Designer with Stuttgart University in Germany, where he designs blended learning courses to develop competences in digitalization and diversity for pre-service teachers across five universities. He is an eTwinning Ambassador for Germany, training other teacher educators throughout the EU.. He teaches Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Project-Based Learning with eTwinning & Erasmus+ for Interculturality, and Instructional Design for Digital Accessibility. Prof. Powers won the 2022 Teaching Award for Excellence at Stuttgart University, and the 2023 European Union Award for best Teacher Training Institute for eTwinning Virtual Exchanges. He routinely teaches and trains faculty in Stuttgart and remotely at City Colleges of Chicago how to teach online with Moodle, ILIAS and Brightspace in webinars via Webex and Zoom. In 2025, Prof. Powers co-facilitated UDL, AI and instructional design training with universities in Ukraine, Malta, Lebanon and Namibia, partnerships he continues to support.

Eric Paquin leads the research and technology agenda at Learnovate, driving innovation for the future of learning and work. With over 20 years in technology, he has held leadership roles at Microsoft, Fexco, ADAPT Centre, and CLEAR Global, specialising in product innovation, digital transformation, and human-centred design. An active contributor to Ireland’s innovation ecosystem and the NSAI ISO 56000 standards group, Eric has co-founded a start-up, advised on AI strategies, and developed innovation training. Holding an MSc in Product Management, he is passionate about turning complex challenges into opportunities through collaborative innovation and inclusive, impactful design.