Generative Artificial Intelligence and Professional Learning in Initial Teacher Education

30 Sep 2026

Craig Neville, Lorraine Chadwick and Caroline Conlon were delighted to launch their research report, Generative Artificial Intelligence and Professional Learning in Initial Teacher Education, this afternoon at the School of Education, University College Cork.

This research would not have been possible without the generous support of SATLE (Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement Funding in Higher Education), and the researchers are very grateful for the funding that enabled them to undertake this work.

They would also like to extend their sincere thanks to the treoraithe (cooperating teachers), student teachers, tutors and lecturers who gave so generously of their time, experiences and perspectives throughout the research. Their contributions were central to the study and helped the team to develop a richer understanding of the opportunities, questions and challenges associated with generative AI and professional learning in Initial Teacher Education.

The team want to extend a special word of thanks to their administrative colleagues, whose support and assistance throughout the project was greatly appreciated.

Finally, it was wonderful to be joined this afternoon by so many colleagues from the School of Education, UCC. The research team greatly valued the opportunity to share their work, reflect together on its implications for teacher education, and continue the important conversation about how generative AI is shaping teaching, learning and professional practice.  Thank you to Dr Camelia Bran who chaired the discussion so expertly.

The full research report is available here: https://cora.ucc.ie/server/api/core/bitstreams/c68c5e63-f201-49ad-9753-ce0ebe50e932/content