Designing in the Times of AI: Co-Creation as a Strategy towards Emergent Learning Design

Abstract

This paper explores co-creation as a strategy for emergent learning design in developing a new postgraduate diploma in blended and online learning (BOLD) at a large South African university. In this conceptual paper, grounded both in theory and critical collaborative autoethnography, we examine how co-creation functions as an epistemological, ontological, and political project in learning design. The “Designing with AI" design process illustrates the complexities and uncertainties inherent in emergent learning design. Our reflections reveal that co-creation challenges traditional notions of expertise disrupts established roles and processes, and addresses issues of social justice and equity in education. We propose a set of principles for co-creation in emergent learning design, including the affirmation of multiple knowledges, embracing entangled processes, and recognising the importance of affect and power dynamics. The paper highlights the potential of co-creation to navigate the uncertainties of rapidly evolving fields like AI in education while acknowledging the challenges and tensions inherent in this approach. We argue that co-creation when applied thoughtfully, can lead to more flexible, inclusive, and responsive learning designs. However, we also recognise that institutional contexts and individual positionalities within higher education may influence the ability to engage in such emergent practices.