Using Generative AI in Ethical and Professional Ways as a Researcher - In-person

Description:

This two-part in-person training course combines critical reflection with hands-on practice to help researchers navigate generative AI thoughtfully and responsibly. The first session explores what AI means for higher education and research at this moment of rapid change, examining both opportunities and risks. The second session is a practical workshop where participants bring their own work and AI tools to explore ethical and professional use, developing personal principles for responsible AI integration into research practice. Participants must bring their own device with access to a generative AI chatbot they already have an account with and have previously used (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Copilot).

The course covers: 

• The current landscape of generative AI in higher education and academic research

• How AI is reshaping academic work, including writing, analysis, and collaboration
• Opportunities and risks of AI adoption in research contexts
• Ethical considerations around integrity, authorship, and responsibility
• Practical exploration using participants' own research materials and AI tools
• Scenario-based discussions on responsible AI use
• Peer exchange on emerging practices and challenges
• Developing personal guiding principles for AI use in research

By the end of the course participants will:

• Articulate a clearer understanding of what generative AI means for researchers and scholarship
• Critically evaluate the opportunities and risks of AI in their own research context
• Reflect on how language models are entering their research processes
• Identify key ethical considerations around integrity, authorship, and responsibility when using AI
• Experiment critically with AI tools using their own research materials
• Begin developing their own guiding principles for responsible AI use
• Share and learn from peers' emerging practices and approaches

Schedule

Wednesday 13th May 2026, 10:00 - 16:00

Location

Room 1.69, Humanities Bridgeford Street Building, The University of Manchester, M15 6AD

Pre-requisites

• Some prior experience using a generative AI chatbot
• An active account with a generative AI tool of your choice 
• A paper they have published (open access or pre-print version)
• A work-in-progress paper or chapter
• Access to their preferred AI chatbot

Presenter

Dr Mark Carrigan FRSA FHEA is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Manchester, where he co-leads the Digital Education Manchester group and serves as an AI Fellow at the Institute for Teaching and Learning. His work centers on three interconnected commitments: developing ontological and epistemological frameworks for understanding Large Language Models (LLMs) beyond current inadequate conceptualisations; examining higher education as a critical site where the social and cultural dynamics of LLMs unfold through practical challenges; and advancing Margaret Archer’s morphogenetic approach as a route to addressing these urgent questions.

He is the author of Platform and Agency: Becoming Who We Are (Routledge, 2025), which develops a framework for understanding personal transformation in the digital age. His recent work includes Generative AI for Academics (Sage, 2024) and Social Media for Academics (Sage, 2nd edition), alongside eight other books. He co-edited Building the Post-Pandemic University (Edward Elgar, 2023), examining how universities are transforming in response to technological and social disruption.

 

Cost:

The fee per teaching day is £60 per day for students registered at any University, £150 per day for staff at academic institutions, Research Councils researchers, public sector staff and staff at registered charity organisations and recognised research institutions and £350 per day for all other participants

In the event of cancellation by the delegate a full refund of the course fee is available up to two weeks prior to the course. NO refunds are available after this date.

If it is no longer possible to run a course due to circumstances beyond its control, NCRM reserves the right to cancel the course at its sole discretion at any time prior to the event. In this event every effort will be made to reschedule the course. If this is not possible or the new date is inconvenient a full refund of the course fee will be given. NCRM shall not be liable for any costs, losses or expenses that may be incurred as a result of its cancellation of a course, including but not limited to any travel or accommodation costs.

The University of Southampton’s Online Store T&Cs also continue to apply.

Website and registration:

Register for this course

Region:

North West

Keywords:

Research Management and Impact, Research Ethics, Research Skills, Communication and Dissemination, AI and machine learning, Generative AI, academic integrity, ChatGPT, responsible AI, authorship, large language models, AI in academia, professional development, ethical AI use

Related publications and presentations from our eprints archive:

Research Management and Impact
Research Ethics
Research Skills, Communication and Dissemination
AI and machine learning

Back to the training database