We are pleased to announce the full programme of our 2025 preseminar Using Generative AI in Educational Research – Do’s, Don’ts, and How to Do It. Please note that registration for the preseminar has closed, but the keynote speech given by Prof. Petri Nokelainen is arranged in hybrid format, and you can join us online via zoom, even if you have not registered for the preseminar (zoom link below).
Preseminar programme, Wednesday 5 November 2025
10:00–11:30 AI Literacy in Doctoral Research: Challenges and Opportunities – Keynote speech, Prof. Petri Nokelainen (TAU) + Q & A
This presentation examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI, in doctoral research within the Finnish educational sciences. Using Tampere University’s Education and Society doctoral programme as a case, the presentation situates AI use within FinEd, the national doctoral education network.
A distinction is made between everyday “ordinary” AI tools and generative large language models (LLMs), which became widely accessible only in late 2022. Existing European guidelines on responsible AI use are reviewed, alongside Tampere University’s doctoral regulations and the programme-specific guidelines developed for supervisors and students. These specify permitted uses (e.g., language editing, translation, formatting, reference management), prohibited uses (outsourcing reasoning, unverified content, handling sensitive data), and the requirement to disclose AI use both in the dissertation text and through a reporting form.
The dissertation process — supervision, external pre-examination, and the public defence — is highlighted as a key arena where originality, authorship, and integrity must be safeguarded. Doctoral researchers must retain full ownership of their work, particularly in the oral defence where no technological assistance is possible.
Finally, the presentation foregrounds the equity challenge: doctoral researchers differ not only in access to AI tools but also in levels of AI literacy, from basic grammar-checking to advanced prompting and programmatic use. Generative AI should neither be mandatory for success nor a substitute for scholarly expertise. Looking ahead, the question is whether doctoral education should include structured training in AI literacy to ensure integrity, ownership, and fairness in an AI-rich research landscape.
Link to Prof. Nokelainen’s keynote https://uef.zoom.us/j/68390043208?pwd=gyuKi4LGbMjjDsbbIsrIaLIncxrrum.1, Meeting ID: 683 9004 3208, Passcode: 388362
11:30–13:00 Lunch (self-funded)
13:00–14:30 Artificial Intelligence for Research in the Human Sciences – Workshop run by Senior Researcher, Dr Ville Heilala PhD (JYU)
This brief and intensive workshop introduces educational and human-sciences researchers to practical, ethical ways of integrating AI into their research workflow. Participants will be introduced to how AI can support tasks such as literature review, data analysis, and transparent reporting without requiring advanced technical skills. The workshop emphasizes responsible use, reproducibility, and maintaining interpretive depth in human-centered research. The workshop lead, computer scientist and Senior Researcher Ville Heilala, Ph.D., works at the University of Jyväskylä focusing on applying computational methods such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to human sciences. His main aim is to examine how emerging technologies can augment learning, support wellbeing, and bring out the best in people. Before research career, he worked for over a decade as a teacher in Finnish primary education.
