AI in Teaching: IDC organises five-day National workshop
AI Set to Transform Teaching and Research, But Teachers Must Remain Central: IDC Workshop Observations
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, January 1, 2026:
Artificial Intelligence is poised to significantly enhance teaching, research productivity and academic innovation, provided it is adopted as an enabling tool rather than a replacement for human intellect and classroom engagement, observed educationists during a national workshop organised by the Institute for Development and Communication (IDC), Chandigarh.
The key takeaway from the five-day national online workshop—“Integrating AI Tools in Teaching and Research: Enhancing Academic Productivity”—was a strong consensus that AI, if used thoughtfully, can expand creativity, open new lines of inquiry and diversify academic approaches, while keeping teachers firmly at the centre of the educational process.
Academicians from premier institutions, including Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, participated in the deliberations. Over 60 participants from the UAE and several Indian states—Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand—and Chandigarh shared experiences and perspectives on integrating AI into pedagogy and research.
The discussions highlighted that embracing newer technologies in education is no longer optional but essential to building academic capacity, improving research efficiency and making learning more inclusive and accessible.
Emphasising the need for a shift in mindset, Dr Pramod Kumar, Chairperson of IDC, said apprehension towards technology must give way to informed exploration. “We need to stop fearing new technologies and instead examine how they can positively reshape education and other fields,” he observed. “AI has the potential to transform how knowledge is generated, disseminated and applied. At IDC, we are working towards building institutional capacity to use AI meaningfully, including for creating new livelihood opportunities for the youth.”
Summing up the workshop’s conclusions, Dr Anuradha Sekhri, Associate Professor, Department of Education at IDC, noted that AI-driven tools can help create engaging learning environments, improve accessibility for diverse learners and support a more personalised approach to education, without undermining the role of teachers.
The workshop concluded with a clear message that strategic adoption of AI in education can strengthen academic ecosystems, provided ethical considerations, human judgment and pedagogical values remain at the core.