Step into the future of education with our interactive genAIdentity survey and workshop! Designed to spark curiosity, comfort, and conversation, this study explores how educators see themselves in a world increasingly shaped by generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI). Open to ALL curious minds, our dynamic workshop invites participants to reflect on their comfort levels, perceptions, and professional development needs around genAI use. Through collaborative and thoughtful discussion, we’re gathering fresh insights into how genAI is reshaping teaching and learning. Take the time to discover your genAIdentity and help us shape the future of education!
Our team is happy to provide personalized educational workshops and support, but feel free to explore your own comfort levels independently of the workshops.
We've created a guided experience below:
NOTE: "Digital Novice" has since been changed to "Puddle Jumper." Please see the updated description below.
Below we've provided some different ways you can start and/or continue a conversation with others. Keeping your genAIdentity in mind, you can explore different topics, scenarios, and questions that have been created based off real experiences that have been shared with our team.
Some guiding discussion questions to reflect on:
Day-to-Day Use (General Use): What aspects of your genAIdentity feel most accurate or familiar to you, and why?
This encourages reflection on everyday habits, patterns of use, and personal alignment with identity labels.
Use in Assessment (Formal or Informal): Are there ethical considerations or concerns that shape how comfortable you feel using genAI, regardless of your assigned identity?
This invites reflection on how ethical concerns (e.g., academic integrity, fairness, authorship) may intersect with comfort in using genAI in evaluative settings.
Educational Practices: How might your genAIdentity influence how you engage with genAI tools in your teaching or work?
Encourages application-focused thinking: how their identity affects planning, instructional design, or classroom integration.
Fears and Challenges: Is there anything in your genAIdentity that doesn’t quite fit? What might explain that gap?
This surfaces tension points, hesitations, or barriers, inviting discussion about discomfort, confidence, or uncertainty.
Extra - Peer Learning: Did someone else you spoke with receive a different genAIdentity that caught you off guard? How do your experiences compare?
This serves as a flexible peer comparison prompt that spans all domains, encouraging social reflection and shared meaning-making.
Have a go at some of our scenario questions! Keeping your genAIdentity in mind, how would you go about these situations?
Traditional Thinker
This person resists in adopting genAI technologies primarily because they either don’t see value in it or fear potential risks. They also may not even realize they interact with AI in subtle ways.
Core orientation: Avoidance and/or resistance.
Key Distinction: Doesn't see value and/or fears risks.
Puddle Jumper
This person is comfortable with technology and may even be quite tech-savvy, but they “jump in and out” of generative AI use. They approach GenAI with intention, using it selectively and purposefully in contexts where it clearly supports their work, goals, or values, and stepping back when it feels unnecessary or uncertain.
Core orientation: Selective and intentional.
Key Distinction: Engages only when purpose aligns.
Curious Explorer
This person is open to experimenting with genAI, though they remain cautious. They use more than just essential tools (e.g., leveraging genAI for project management or learning); they seek to understand its limitations and risks.
Core orientation: Experimental but cautious.
Key Distinction: Seeks to understand and test.
Deep Diver
This person integrates genAI into their daily routine and views it as indispensable. They are confident using various genAI-powered tools and may customize or optimize these tools for specific needs.
Core orientation: Confident and habitual.
Key Distinction: Integrates and customizes.
Contact Us:
Lydia Scholle-Cotton: lydia.cotton@queensu.ca
Cheryl Lee-Yow: cheryl.leeyow@queensu.ca
Emily Luo: emily.luo@queensu.ca
Acknowledgments: Special thanks to @lockedlaundromat for the genAIdentity designs. Thank you to Queen's University Centre for Community Engagement and Social Change for providing grant initial project funding for the 2025/26 year. Thank you, Dr. Saad Chahine, for all the support, guidance, and mentorship throughout this project. The song playing in the background of the start and end of the video was created using genAI.
This study has received ethical approval from the Queen’s General Research Ethics Board.