https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/18583 Sun, 08 Nov 2026 17:31:08 GMT 2026-11-08T17:31:08Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150478 Title: Making GenAI classroom-viable : teacher design moves, professional role, and peer critique in PD Abstract: Teachers increasingly use generative AI (GenAI) to draft lesson plans and classroom resources, yet research still under-specifies what teachers actually do to transform AI outputs into classroom-viable instruction. This study examines teacher agency during GenAI-supported instructional design in professional development (PD). Two PD sessions (3 hours each) were delivered in two public primary schools with 60 participants (teachers and learning support educators). Data sources comprised: (a) teachers’ written task artefacts documenting prompts, AI-generated drafts, and in-the-moment decisions about fit/misfit; (b) structured group critique artefacts capturing collective evaluation and suggested revisions for classroom feasibility; (c) brief warm-up and close-up prompts eliciting changing framings of creativity and GenAI in teaching; and (d) post-session reflections focused on professional role, responsibility, and agency when working with GenAI. Data were analysed thematically, supported by process coding to identify recurring “design moves” enacted to make AI outputs workable in real classrooms. Findings indicate that teachers rarely accept AI drafts “as is” but instead, they enact iterative constraint-setting, selective uptake, verification/correction, contextualisation to learners and curriculum, and differentiation. Teachers position themselves as accountable professionals (e.g., editor/curator, ethical gatekeeper, facilitator), with peer critique functioning as a mechanism for surfacing tacit quality standards and negotiating what counts as “classroom-viable.” Implications are discussed for PD designs that strengthen teacher ownership through critique protocols and explicit verification routines. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150478 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150318 Title: Before the breadboard : using AI to scaffold Arduino algorithm design in secondary schools Authors: Vassallo, Diane; Govus, Gabriella Abstract: Generative AI tools offer Computing teachers opportunities to create interactive learning simulations without web development expertise, yet little is known about how teachers navigate this authoring process, how AI-generated artefacts function as pre-coding planning scaffolds, or what failure modes emerge. This mixed-methods case study examines a secondary Computing teacher using Gemini’s Canvas to build a Stage Recording Controller simulator for 15 Year 9 students, addressing design workflow, prompting, verification, student understanding and failure modes. Data comprise a pre/post quiz (n=15/n=12), exit tickets (n=12), a Likert survey (n=11), 13 flowcharts, teacher interview, reflection logs and observation notes. Quiz and exit responses were scored against predetermined keys, survey items averaged, flowcharts rated against an 11-dimension rubric, and qualitative sources analysed through framework analysis with triangulation across instruments. Findings indicate pre- and post-lesson quiz means of 9.47/12 and 10.92/12 respectively, survey mean 4.14/5 and strong performance on completed exit tasks. Five simulation-associated failure modes are identified, none detectable through pre-deployment review alone. The study contributes a three-phase authoring workflow, convergent indicative evidence of immediate learning and a failure-mode taxonomy with mitigation strategies. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150318 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150317 Title: Assessing the need for AI literacy provisions in small EU states’ informatics programmes in the context of the 2024 EU AI Act’s risk-based framework Authors: Vassallo, Diane; Dalli, Nicholas Abstract: This position paper examines how the 2024 EU Artificial Intelligence Act’s risk-based framework maps onto school informatics programmes in small EU states, and what AI literacy provisions such programmes should include in response. Drawing on the risk-based framework, Feng and Carolus’ review of AI literacy dimensions, and Crompton et. al.’s GenAI policy framework, the paper argues that small states face an ambition-implementation gap. A decentralised AI literacy framework is proposed to capitalise on dense institutional networks without sacrificing compliance or progressive curricula. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150317 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150088 Title: A board game approach to hospitality career education in schools Authors: Busuttil, Leonard; Barbara, Jonathan Abstract: Although games-based learning has been widely studied across educational contexts, empirical work on the design and evaluation of board games for broadening occupational awareness among early adolescents remains limited. This paper presents the design rationale, iterative development, and pilot study of Adventures in Hospitality Land, an original educational board game introducing students aged 10.5 to 13.5 to the diversity of careers within the hospitality sector, a sector frequently underrepresented in career education and often perceived as low-skilled despite demanding transferable competencies. The study addressed three research questions: the game’s support for career awareness and engagement, the soft skills facilitated through gameplay, and how iterative design affected classroom feasibility and learning outcomes. A DBR-informed pilot was conducted under institutional ethical approval with 68 students across three age groups at a summer school in Malta. Each group played two sessions: an original Full version and a streamlined Lite version developed in direct response to Session 1 findings. Data from questionnaires, student interviews, and a facilitator focus group were analysed thematically. Engagement was consistently high across both versions, with 84.1% of students naming a previously unknown hospitality role. The Lite version substantially improved accessibility and enjoyment, perceived rules difficulty falling from 71.1% to 17.4%, whilst educational value scores remained virtually identical (60.0% versus 60.9%). Eight thematic categories emerged from the qualitative data. The paper contributes to the literature on educational board game design by demonstrating that a purpose-built, low-technology game can support career awareness and soft skills development in a single classroom session. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150088 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z