The AI Educator: From Disruption to Design: Practical Pathways for AI-Empowered Teaching

The AI Educator traces how artificial intelligence is reshaping the purpose, practice, and ethics of education. Rather than treating AI as a threat or cure-all, the book situates it within a long history of technological disruption, from the printing press to the internet, revealing the recurring patterns of fear, adaptation and renewal that accompany each wave of innovation.

Drawing on classroom research, case studies and contemporary scholarship, it examines how generative AI challenges traditional pedagogies, assessment practices and professional identities. Chapters explore the erosion and restoration of academic integrity, the evolving role of teachers, the design of ethical guardrails and the shift from product-oriented to process-based learning. Central to the book is the argument that AI’s educational value lies not in automation, but in how thoughtfully it is integrated to deepen reflection, creativity and critical inquiry.

Through accessible examples and practical frameworks, such as AI-permission models, generative assessment design and prompt engineering for learning, the book offers educators concrete strategies to harness AI as a collaborative partner rather than a replacement. It introduces concepts such as meta-AI literacy and generativism to help teachers and students navigate new forms of authorship and knowledge-making.

Ultimately, The AI Educator calls for a human-centred pedagogy grounded in empathy, integrity and purposeful innovation. It invites educators to reclaim agency in the design of AI-enhanced classrooms and to reaffirm what remains irreplaceably human in teaching and learning.

Dr. Penny de Byl is the Program Director of the Bachelor of Computer Science and Senior Educational Specialist at Adelaide University, dedicated to advancing STEM education through innovative teaching and learning design. Formerly a professor of Games and Interactive Multimedia at Bond University, she is also the founder and CEO of Holistic3D.com, where she develops and delivers online courses in game development, computer graphics, artificial intelligence, mathematics and related fields. Her award-winning work, including a Queensland State Government Award, a Unity/Google Mobile Curriculum Development Award, a Smart Women in ICT Award and a State Government Research Fellowship, reflects her long-standing commitment to educational innovation. Dr. de Byl has authored several influential books and collaborated with industry leaders such as Unity Technologies, continuing to pioneer the integration of games-based learning and AI into contemporary education.