Source: Ara Institute of Canterbury
Ara Institute of Canterbury is celebrating the publication of a pioneering book that reframes the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, shifting the narrative from plagiarism prevention to unlocking its potential for better learning.
AI in Vocational Education and Training, published by Springer Nature, brought together a multi-disciplinary group of educators and researchers from Ara and Otago Polytechnic to critically explore the use of AI-supported learning across a wide range of vocational education contexts.
The book was edited by Dr Selena Chan, an Ara Education Developer and previous Ako Aotearoa Prime Minister’s Supreme award winner for excellence in tertiary teaching. The collection presents practical insights and research-backed strategies for integrating teaching and learning to improve student success.
Dr Chan said the book offers a roadmap for using AI tools effectively in vocational education and training (VET).
“It also addresses ethical concerns, ensuring AI supports learning rather than undermine academic integrity,” she said.
While the arrival of AI-powered natural language chatbots such as ChatGPT have sparked widespread debate about plagiarism, Dr Chan said the book offers an alternative perspective – highlighting AI’s enormous potential to support deeper engagement, critical thinking and independent analysis.
Covering disciplines from construction management and graphic design to nursing and business, the book also highlights a significant project exploring how AI can be adapted to support neurodivergent learners.
Dr Chan said educational developers, learning designers, tutors and senior students collaborated on designing AI-supported activities that not only engage learners but also foster independent analysis and strengthen practical application skills.
She wanted to acknowledge the invaluable input of ākonga (students) in the research, “without whom the work would not have been completed,” as well as the support of Scott Klenner who is both Ara’s Research Manager and the Director of Rangahau, Research and Postgraduate Studies at Otago Polytechnic. “Scott’s guidance on inclusivity, rangahau (Māori research) and the incorporation of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) in research design was invaluable.
Klenner said the publication highlighted the two institutes’ leadership in applying AI to vocational education in New Zealand. He commended “our academics’ te hinengaro me te ringa mahi (thinking and work) for producing leading research, with an international publisher, exploring the most significant evolution of education this century”.
With case studies, guidelines and frameworks, the book provides a valuable resource for educators and policymakers working to future-proof vocational education in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Dr Chan is an educational developer, academic capability leader and co-editor of the International Journal of Training Research. She has published extensively on vocational education and technology-enhanced learning and received the Ako Aotearoa Prime Minister’s Supreme Award in 2007 for teaching excellence.
