How can educators support ethical engagement, meaningful authorship, and learner agency as generative AI reshapes how knowledge is created and shared?
Nicola Marae Allain, Thomas P. Mackey, and Eugenio Solis de Ovando, all from Empire State University, will explore these questions in their panel, “AI and Metaliteracy: A Framework for Ethical Engagement, Authorship, and Agency.” The session will take place at the AAC&U Conference on AI and Higher Education in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 29, 2026, from 2:15 to 3:00 p.m.
The session will explore metaliteracy as a pedagogical framework for designing AI-mediated learning experiences that prepare learners to become reflective and ethical knowledge producers. Metaliteracy integrates the cognitive, behavioral, affective, and metacognitive domains of learning, encouraging individuals to understand their roles and responsibilities as authors, researchers, and participants.
The forthcoming book AI and Metaliteracy: Empowering Learners for the Generative Revolution, edited by Nicola Marae Allain and Thomas P. Mackey, provides a foundation for the panel’s discussion. Featured projects include the AI & Metaliteracy OER Toolkit, supported by a SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG), and the forthcoming Coursera course AI Learning with Metaliteracy. These projects offer examples of adaptable assignments, AI disclosure strategies, reflective activities, and rubrics.
The panel will also feature AI avatar videos produced by Eugenio Solis de Ovando for these projects, connecting their development to the broader discussion of ethical engagement, authorship, and agency. For a preview, watch “Module 2 Overview — Evaluating and Producing Information in AI-Mediated Environments” from the AI & Metaliteracy OER Toolkit. This video features an AI avatar of Tom Mackey introducing the module.
During the conference session, participants will engage in a guided design activity using an assignment or learning activity from the toolkit. Working in small groups, they will consider how to integrate AI use, ethical disclosure, and metaliteracy-informed learning outcomes into their own teaching. The activity will provide opportunities to share ideas and explore applications across disciplines and institutional contexts.
The presentation is intended for faculty, instructional designers, academic leaders, and educational developers interested in connecting a comprehensive learning framework with practical approaches to AI integration.
If you plan to attend the conference, we look forward to seeing you there and exchanging ideas about AI and metaliteracy!
