“What opportunities does AI offer?”, “How can artificial intelligence help rethink education?”, and “What challenges might it pose?” These are some of the questions that was raised and discussed at a conference on AI and other digital methods in upper secondary education, taking place at Aarhus University on 3 April. 350 educators, school leaders, and experts generated ideas and discussed how to support students in learning to use artificial intelligence in a constructive and appropriate way. 

In Denmark focus is on how to prevent cheating with AI in education. However, the focus at the conference was on how to educate students to use, understand, and engage with AI and digital methods. This approach is in line with a recent survey by the co-organizers Danske Gymnasier (Association of Danish High Schools):   

“All high school principals strongly agree that students must learn to use and relate to the use of generative artificial intelligence. At the same time, we recognize that this is a highly complex problem and that many teachers currently lack the necessary competencies. Therefore, we need a significant investment in professional development to empower high school teachers to explore these new opportunities and prepare students for the digital future that awaits them,” says Jeppe Kragelund, Vice Chair of Danske Gymnasier. 

The need for professional development and inspiration among both educators and school leaders was a central focus for the organizers of the conference. The event was organized by the Danish Research Center for Technology Comprehension, IT-Vest (Aarhus), Danske Gymnasier, and Danske Erhvervsskoler og -Gymnasier. Professor Ole Sejer Iversen, Head of the Center and Professor of Digital Design and Information Studies at Aarhus University, elaborates: 

“In similar countries artificial intelligence is being widely integrated into upper secondary education. There, new technologies are primarily used to work creatively and productively with academic content. Naturally, Denmark should also investigate what opportunities AI can offer for students’ learning – while at the same time focusing on how all children and young people can be critically and constructively educated for a world shaped by digital technologies. At the Danish Research Center for Technology Comprehension, we aim to contribute to ensuring that all educators in upper secondary education are equipped to understand AI and the potential it offers for learning and teaching.” 

The emergence of new technologies requires change management. It came as to Dorthe Wang, Director of TietgenSkolen and Board Member of Danish Vocational Schools (Danske Erhvervsskoler og -Gymnasier) that the workshop “Change Management and AI – From Vision to Practice” was the most popular session at the conference: 

“Students, teachers, and school leaders are challenged when integrating the new AI-based technologies into the classroom in ways that support learning and foster students’ digital literacy. This challenge cannot be handled by individual teachers alone. We need to engage in dialogue about how we lead the changes demanded by technological development – always with focus on academic quality and learning.” 

FACTS 
The conference was organized by the Danish Research Center for Technology Comprehension in collaboration with Danish Vocational Schools, Danish High Schools, and IT-Vest – collaborating universities. 

Danish Research Center for Technology Comprehension 
The center is established as an equal partnership between universities and university colleges. The consortium is nationwide and consists of eight partners: the six university colleges, Aarhus University, and the University of Copenhagen. Aarhus University and University College Copenhagen serve as host institutions on behalf of their respective sectors, responsible for anchoring digital technology comprehension in upper secondary and higher education, and in primary schools and teacher education, respectively. 

The center is supported with DKK 50 million from the Lundbeck Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and the Villum Foundation for the program period 2023–2028. 

References 
Survey by Danske Gymnasier 
Article: https://danskegymnasier.dk/uddannelsessektoren-kan-ikke-lukke-oejnene-for-kunstig-intelligens/ 
Full report: https://danskegymnasier.dk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Analysenotat-Medlemsundersoegelse-om-AI-2025-1.0.pdf 

INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTES 

Dr. Leigh Ann DeLyser  

Center for Education Research & Innovation at SRI  

Director of the Center for Education Research & Innovation at the SRI Research Institute in Silicon Valley comprising more than 55 researchers. Named as one of the Women Leading the AI Revolution in Education at the ASU+GSV Air Show in 2024  

Dr. Aman Yadav  

Michigan State University  

Lappan-Phillips Professor of Computing Education in the College of Education and College of Natural Science at Michigan State University with extensive experience in research, evaluation, and teacher professional development.