As artificial intelligence continues to transform education worldwide, Bhutan is preparing its educators to navigate this new frontier with both innovation and ethics in mind. 25 lecturers from colleges across the country came together to explore, reflect, and experiment with how AI can transform teaching and learning, from smart prompting to creative classroom applications.
The two-day workshop aims to strengthen AI literacy among educators.
During the workshop, educators focused on usage of AI tools such as ChatGPT, NotebookLM and Gemini among others.
From crafting effective prompts to creating classroom lessons and assessments, lecturers from different colleges learned how to use AI tools more efficiently.
Dipan Pradhan, an Associate Professor of the Royal Thimphu College said, “We talked about various AI tools that educators can use. For teachers, we have to prepare lesson plans and materials, and without AI, it would take days. But with the use of AI, it now takes only a few hours.”
Amrit Sharma, Lecturer of the Gedu College of Business Studies said, “This workshop has given us basically some insights on how we can use artificial intelligence as the new normal, to integrate it into our teaching and learning practices through the entire process, from curriculum design and lesson planning to classroom delivery, as well as the use of technology in assessment.”
Some lecturers said educators play a crucial role in guiding students on using AI responsibly.
Pratika Pradhan, Lecturer of the Royal Thimphu College said, “There are many ways that we can make sure that our learners are making use of AI ethically. The first one is you, update yourself. You make sure that you are educated enough in terms of AI, different tools, different ethical principles, and different guidelines. Another thing is instead of denying AI, teach your students how to use AI so that they don’t misunderstand the use of AI and they don’t misuse AI.”
Facilitators from Royal Thimphu College said using AI for teaching is not about replacing teachers but about enhancing their ability to personalise learning and encourage critical thinking.
Pallavi Majumdar (PhD), Professor of Communication Arts of Royal Thimphu College said, “It’s not about teaching about AI. We are not focusing so much on the AI tools, which are many in today’s world. But the entire idea is how to strategically use it to enable critical thinking, innovation, and use AI as a collaborator.”
The workshop is part of the broader Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) supported project titled “Strengthening AI Literacy among Higher Education Faculty in Bhutan through Online Modules, Hands-on Training, and Faculty-led Innovation Projects.”
As educators continue to adapt to a rapidly changing digital landscape, workshops like this are an important step toward building a future where technology and ethics go hand in hand.
With AI becoming part of everyday teaching and learning, the focus remains on using it wisely, not to replace the human touch, but to enhance it.
Kinley Bidha
Edited by Tshering Zam
