8th January 2025
I begin by asking Graham about AI’s current place in education. Drawing on his research, which examines how different people process narratives, he highlights the powerful role stories play in shaping our perspectives on technology. This influence, he explains, often leads to mixed reactions. “We are surrounded by the narratives that organisations want us to buy into – Meta, OpenAI, Cranfield, Tutello. We all create them, and attempt to transmit them onto individuals,” he says.
“The reader response theory”, Graham explains, “is about how the way you and I both interpret a story and then retell [it] is ultimately going to be completely different. One of the challenges we face in tech is there is usually a polarised view of technology. Based on our interpretations we all sit on some continuum between utopia and dystopia for each of these kinds of technologies”.
“I come at it from a positive but wary, kind of glass half full perspective”, Graham says, “and if I look at it from a university perspective, we now sit at an intersection where I think we have to say ‘OK, we’ve got this new technology. How do we make sure that we get the most out of it and use it wisely and effectively?’”.
Cranfield School of Management, formerly known as the Cranfield Institute of Technology, has long led in technological innovation, setting the standard for business education in the digital age. “Cranfield has a particularly strong entrepreneurial mindset. We've always seen opportunities and identified ways to create things that are new in the marketplace”. Graham shares how Cranfield was one of the first to use Zoom after identifying that other technologies were showing their age: “We started trialling it to see if we could make it work for our executive clients. I would put that on my corporate credit card under the radar for a few pounds a month while we learnt how to use it and gained feedback. We got so good at using it that when the pandemic hit, the courses were all transferred quickly, efficiently and without losing Cranfield’s engaging approach to learning and development. Our Executive MBA had to be online in three days from when lockdown kicked in and we were able to make that happen and still deliver an interactive experience.”
"It’s about getting over the fear factor"
The arrival of AI has prompted digital departments to reflect on how society reacted to previous technologies, offering valuable precedents. Looking back at products like Sat Navigations and iPhones, Graham recalls how former colleagues were “fearful” of new technology and how it became his responsibility to demystify these innovations. Overcoming this 'fear factor' and ensuring that even those unconvinced by the technology have opportunities to engage with it are crucial to prevent the digital divide from widening.
At a management development level, Cranfield have been running AI Masterclasses focused on the potential impact of AI for leaders. The sessions covered “ethical and moral issues and how you, as a leader, make sure that you can embrace it and use it for good", Graham shares. "We also talked about what it might do to the economy, focusing on how it is going to impact jobs, and who the leading global players might be.”
Cranfield has also established working groups on AI research and ethics, creating opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to engage in open discussions. Describing the AI familiarisation phase as "a conversation", Graham explains that this initiative has begun to “burst concerns people have as it removes the myths about whether they are allowed to it and what they can use it for. We operate these working groups in an open way where nobody need worry about whether or how they’ve used AI in the past. That open approach has worked really well.”
Internally, Cranfield has set up a consultancy programme, where some of Graham’s team work with individuals or groups within the organisation to help integrate AI into various areas. “It’s not about telling them the answers, it’s about drawing on their own experiences and giving them the confidence to try things”, he says. “We’ve had some great feedback and this has really opened the door to AI usage.”
"Focus on working with the willing"
As for implementing AI within teaching and learning, Graham explains that with a small team “it’s a case of working with the willing. You have to take those people really excited by and driving the change and roll with it”.
Cranfield's online Stackable programme, launched in January 2023, offers flexible learning for those balancing work and personal life. Designed to upskill individuals and organisations in areas like leadership, sales, and marketing, it features tailored modules and asynchronous content that can be applied immediately. This online or hybrid environment is a great fit with Tutello, providing learners with the chance to engage with faculty content on-demand. “Tutello is based on the programme content, so learners essentially have access to an AI tutor on call,” Graham comments. “What we want is to give the students the chance to ask questions they might not normally want to ask in class so they can have a better conversation when speaking to faculty and other students in person.” He adds that Cranfield's long-standing philosophy in face-to-face teaching is about working on live problems and challenges, not just traditional teaching. "If we can get more people into that space using Tutello before they get to face-to-face sessions, we anticipate there will be richer, better discussions."
"We don’t want people to lose the curiosity that is fundamental to learning"
A crucial aspect for both institutions and companies like Tutello is the ongoing cultivation of curiosity, something Graham explains we must carefully nurture in people. He emphasises that there’s a fine line between abdicating the responsibility of learning to a system like AI and maintaining a healthy level of curiosity and acknowledge that learning is difficult. “AI can summarise a lot of things for you, but you are probably missing out on the richness of the detail.” Graham also highlights the duty of those working in this sector: “Those of us that work in education have a responsibility to actually stop every once in a while, and say, are we doing the right thing? It would be terrible if we got to a point where we say to students ‘just use AI’. It is essential we develop people, rather than just teach.”
"Tutello will give us an opportunity to design better programs in an iterative way"
Graham expresses a keen interest in understanding the kinds of questions students are asking through Tutello. “Are students’ questions just consolidating the learning, trying to understand it a bit more, or going a step further and saying, give me examples of this in practice or ask me questions to check my understanding?” he explains. “I am convinced Tutello will reveal things we never thought students needed or wanted to know. It gives us an opportunity to design better programs in an iterative way. We are also really interested to see whether it helps people progress quicker. If they’re stuck, why are they stuck? Maybe it can even tell us why some people go through a program in a couple of days and some people take three or four months?”
He continues, “I think what’s really exciting for me is that, as a product and as an opportunity, Tutello is really at the starting point. It’s great that we can help shape how things develop, it’s fascinating to watch and see how these things grow and build. I’m hopeful that this partnership can have a positive impact on our students”.
"Start small with it, learn from it, build case studies, get student feedback”
As institutions navigate the integration of AI tools, Graham emphasises the importance of taking an iterative approach, allowing for refinement and meaningful insights before scaling up. “My general advice is always to start with a small pilot – something that’s manageable. Learn from it, build case studies, get student feedback. Then you’re in a really strong position to say ‘this is what the benefit is and this is what the benefit could be if we rolled this out on a much wider scale’. That’s how we often operate because we don’t have huge budgets to spend and we have to be really selective on what we trial. I think what sets you up for success is that opportunity to be critical of the project and say has it worked? Or is it working? Or, OK, it didn’t work quite how we thought but we can see where the positives are and now, we can utilise them. But if you bet the farm on it, it becomes much harder to say this hasn’t worked and change direction”.
Cranfield’s approach to education balances innovation, strategy, and support. By embracing AI and prioritising ongoing learning, they are positioning themselves as leaders in digital education, with initiatives like Tutello ensuring both staff and students are prepared for the future.