UNB Alumni
Telling our #ProudlyUNB stories

Barbara Wasson (BScCS’82) is the director for SLATE - The Science of Learning and Technology, the Norwegian national centre for learning analytics. She is one of the founders of Kaleidoscope, a European Network of Excellence on Technology Enhanced Learning and has been the principal researcher on numerous Norwegian and international projects. She is also member of the Norwegian Ministry of Education’s Expert group on Learning Analytics and the Council of Europe Expert Group on AI in Education.  

Barbara is passionate about learning analytics, AI and education, learning games, e-assessment, teacher inquiry, and data literacy. Host Katie Davey chats with her about the future of data and technology in learning design. 

In this episode:   

• Barbara’s experience growing up around computers at UNB and how she got into learning analytics and AI 
• Policy around learning analytics and AI in the classroom and how privacy and ethics policy is crucial.  
• How much data can we use to aid in learning without harming children’s privacy? 
• The astounding amount of important data all around us, and the dilemmas this causes for teaching and learning in schools. 
• The importance of data literacy and AI and how to prepare people for how AI will be a part of daily life soon. 
• How to learn with AI, and empowering students at an early age to use technology and AI.  
• Who decides what knowledge is? How does that affect creativity and innovation? 
• Barbara’s thoughts on future trends in technology in learning. 

Where to listen:  

• Spotify  
• Apple Podcasts  
• Google Podcasts  
• Libsyn 

Links and resources:   

• The story of the Wasson family and computer science at UNB  
• University of Bergen  
• AI and Education paper by Barbara Wasson 

Thanks to:   

• Our alumni host, Katie Davey 
• Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden  
• Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife 

To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website.