Upcoming Seminar:Theoretical lenses on AI developments: Actor-Network theory and sociomaterialism
Date: 27 October, 2026 (Tue)
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM HK
Venue: Zoom
Speakers:
Prof. David Carless, The University of Hong Kong
Dr. Jiming Zhou, Fudan University
Ms. Shijun (Cindy) Chen, The University of Hong Kong
Registration: Scan the QR code or use the link below to join:
https://hku.zoom.us/meeting/register/Fgc0fpdeTciD4M3xALbbYw
Abstract:
AI has rapidly become a core element of the workflows of students and teachers in higher education. This presentation offers two inter-related theoretical lenses which are used to interpret qualitative data on AI use. Actor-Network theory concerns networks of relationships in which both humans and non-humans are actants within networks. Sociomaterialism holds that practice emerges from entanglements of social and material elements. Paper 1 (Zhou & Carless, 2026) deploys Actor-Network theory to interpret undergraduate students’ metaphors of AI use. Paper 2 (Chen & Carless, 2026) deploys sociomaterialism to interpret how teachers perceive and tackle dilemmas in their feedback practices. Similarities and differences between the two theoretical lenses are sketched. Forward-looking implications for research and practice are discussed.
About the speakers:
Prof. David Carless works as a Professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong. He is one of the pioneers of feedback literacy research and is listed as a top 0.1% cited researcher in the Stanford top 2% list for social sciences. His books include Designing effective feedback processes in higher education: A learning-focused approach, by Winstone and Carless, 2019 published by Routledge. He was the winner of a University Outstanding Teaching Award in 2016.
Dr. Jiming Zhou is an Associate Professor in the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Fudan University, China. She received her PhD in English Education from the University of Hong Kong (2016). Her research interests lie at the intersection of academic writing, language testing and assessment, and the use of technology in foreign language teaching and assessment. She is Principal Investigator of two National Social Science Fund of China (Youth Program) projects. She also leads a Shanghai Pujiang Talent Program project and a Shanghai municipal teaching reform grant. Her work has appeared in journals including System, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Assessing Writing, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, and Assessment in Education.
Ms. Shijun (Cindy) Chen is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong. Her research interests focus on GenAI-assisted feedback and assessment, teacher and student feedback literacy, evaluative judgment, and feedback engagement in higher education.