This unit examines long-term strategies for embedding ethical oversight into AI-supported self-nudges. Learners will explore how to sustain in the long term the integration of self-nudging prompts into daily routines. These practices contribute to the development of a sustainable culture ethical AI integration in education.
Changing a habit or creating a new one start with a first step of setting the right intention. To use more digital and AI tools, educators can play with a great variety of self-nudges, as explored in the previous units. However, in order to make self-nudging really effective, educators can take into consideration simple yet valuable recommendations. The first one would be to value the power of time. Ensuring that nudges such as sticky notes, advertainments, pop-ups and notification can create the wanted effect can be strengthened also by the frequency with which these self-nudges are used. Weekly reminders, monthly newsletter and pre-set notifications can support creating the habit of using available digital tools in the classroom at least once a week or month. Another recommendation consists in implementing the new habit (e.g. the use of visuals created with generative AI) gradually and consistently. This will allow the educator to familiarise with the tool at their own pace and to test it in their daily work making sure that it is effective for themselves as well as for their students. Finally, another recommendation is to be creative in choosing the self-nudges. Whether they are physical (e.g. a sticky note, a fun t-shirt or a coffee cup with hugging image followed by “embrace AI” logo on it) or digital (e.g. preconfigured pop-ups), educators can use different types of self-nudges and create news ones using their creativity, experience and innovation.
The following strategies exemplify how social nudges can be embedded into professional routines to foster a culture of ethical AI integration:
a) Discussion Groups Monthly peer-led meetings provide a structured space for educators to share experiences, surface ethical challenges, and collaboratively problem-solve. These forums normalize reflection and create gentle pressure toward responsible practice.
b) Shared Guidelines Co-created ethical principles or checklists for AI use serve as collective reference points. They reinforce shared values and reduce ambiguity around acceptable practices, promoting consistency across classrooms and institutions.
c) Mentorship Models Experienced educators support peers through observation, feedback, and collaborative experimentation. This relational form of nudging builds trust, encourages ethical risk-taking, and accelerates professional learning.
To inspire collaborative reflection that reinforces self-nudging practices toward a greater use of digital tools and AI in ethical digital practices, educators should establish a culture of shared learning, openness, and critical dialogue around the use of technology in education. This process begins with creating regular opportunities such as workshops, staff development days, or informal discussion groups where educators can come together to reflect on how they use AI and digital tools in their daily work. These spaces allow them to collectively examine questions such as:
How do digital tools influence student participation and inclusion?
Are we protecting students’ data and digital rights?
How do we balance innovation with ethical responsibility?
Through such discussions, educators can uncover new perspectives and identify gaps in their own approaches, transforming individual reflection into a collective learning process.
Collaborative reflection can also be facilitated through sharing self-nudging techniques and tips on how to implement them. Educators can share their experiences with specific tools and discuss the pro and cons of using them. Self-nudges can work differently for differently for different people: for example, one educator might share how they used an AI teaching assistant to improve their lessons planning, while another might highlight the effectiveness of having always at disposal the link to a collaborative online tool like MIRO BOARD or METIMETER to remind themselves to actually use them with their students.
These exchanges can also lead to ethical considerations of the tools used, helping educators more aware of the challenges and risks they may encounter as well as supporting them in using the tools ethically in their daily work. Sharing together experiences, concerns and innovative ideas on how to take advantage of digitalization can greatly support to increase educators’ digital skills and readiness.
The benefits of collaborative reflection extend beyond individual growth. It helps institutions to take into account educators needs and requests (e.g. using more updated systems, creative tools, and innovative materials) and to develop a shared ethical framework for the use of AI and digital tools that aligns with broader educational goals and values. Moreover, engaging in reflective dialogue fosters trust among educators, strengthens professional relationships, and encourages a mindset of continuous improvement.
Ultimately, collaborative reflection transforms self-nudging for ethical digital practice from a solitary effort into a collective responsibility. It embeds self-nudging strategies into the fabric of professional life, empowering educators not only to remain aware of emerging technologies but also to lead by example in modelling critical, responsible, and human-centred approaches to digital transformation in education.
Watch this TEDx talk by Jim Chilton, Executive Vice President and Group CTO at Cengage Group, as he explores how AI’s vast potential in education—personalised tutoring, access, and tailored learning—comes with serious risks of bias, misinformation, and eroding trust, warning that without prioritising accuracy and truth, we risk creating tools our students can’t rely on.
Objective
Establish a long-term routine for ethical AI use through reflection, collaboration, and boundary-setting.
Instructions
Before closing, take a moment to reflect on what you’ve learned and how your own practice has evolved.