SM
SMARTIE
Inclusive course & module design
Strategic Module Assistant for Rubrics, Tasks, and Inclusive Education — supporting more accessible, inclusive, and intentionally designed courses, rubrics, and learning tasks.
Generative AI in Education
Generative AI in education, designed for human judgment.
Dr. Soroush Sabbaghan is an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary whose work focuses on generative AI in education, AI literacy, responsible AI use, and human-centred educational technology. His research and applied design work support K–12 schools, universities, and educators in using AI in ways that strengthen learning, agency, equity, and professional judgment.
About my work
Where AI access becomes human agency.
I am an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary and the GenAI Educational Leader in Residence at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. My work asks how generative AI can be designed, taught, and governed so that it strengthens — rather than weakens — human responsibility, learning, and care.
Across research, teaching, public speaking, and the design of AI tools, I help educators in K–12 schools, universities, and public institutions move beyond questions of efficiency toward deeper questions of judgment, accountability, equity, and professional agency. The goal is not faster education, but more intentional education.
AI Tools
Applied AI built for educators.
I design and lead the development of generative AI tools that keep human judgment at the centre — supporting inclusive course design, scholarly research, feedback, and professional learning.
+
The full suite of AI tools
Built & hosted at Honey Bee Logic
My broader collection of generative AI applications for educators and institutions is developed and available through Honey Bee Logic.
Explore the tools at honeybeelogic.com →Research areas
The questions driving my research.
My scholarship examines how generative AI reshapes learning, scholarship, and assessment — and how educators can use it responsibly without surrendering judgment, originality, or care.
AI literacy & agency
How students and educators develop the literacy and judgment to use generative AI as a learning support rather than a substitute for thinking.
Ethics & academic integrity
Authorship, originality, and integrity in AI-mediated scholarship — and the ethical frontier facing graduate students and researchers.
Human-centred design
Designing AI-powered tools and personas that preserve human responsibility, equity, and care in teaching and learning.
Assessment & feedback
Rethinking assessment, rubrics, and feedback for an era in which generative AI is part of how learners write and research.
Research methods with AI
AI-supported experiential learning — including AI personas for practising research interviews and qualitative methods.
Institutional change
Helping schools, universities, and public institutions adopt generative AI in ways that align with mission, equity, and human-centred values.
Book & Publications
Writing on generative AI in education.
Selected scholarship on GenAI-mediated learning, research practice, ethics, student agency, and human-centred design in educational contexts.
Navigating Generative AI in Higher Education
My edited volume, Ethical, Theoretical and Practical Perspectives, published by Edward Elgar Publishing, brings together international perspectives on GenAI in teaching, research, assessment, academic practice, and institutional policy.
View the book →Examining Canadian Undergraduates’ Perspectives with Using GenAI for Learning
With Ann-Kathrin Grenz and Michele Jacobsen, examining how undergraduate students understand and use GenAI as a learning support.
Read article →Navigating the Ethical Frontier: Graduate Students’ Experiences with Generative AI-Mediated Scholarship
With Sarah Elaine Eaton, exploring agency, authorship, originality, and academic integrity in GenAI-assisted graduate scholarship.
Read article →Applying Interview-Research Methods Using Generative AI Technology
With Barbara Brown, studying GenAI-supported experiential learning for graduate students developing research-interview skills.
Read article →The Role of AI-Powered Personas in Developing Graduate Interviewing Skills
With Barbara Brown, analyzing PEARL as a GenAI-powered persona environment for qualitative research training.
Read article →The question is not whether AI can make education faster. The question is whether it can help us become more intentional about what education is for.
Talks & Media
Keynotes, workshops, and public engagement.
I speak with universities, schools, public institutions, and professional communities about generative AI, ethics, assessment, digital transformation, and the future of learning.
Oct 2025
Teaching Forward: Reimagining Language Learning Beyond Formal Systems
Closing keynote for the ATESL Conference.
Oct 2025
Framing AI in Canadian Education: The Pedagogical and Ethical Imperatives
Keynote for the Advance Learning Partnership inaugural conference on generative AI and education.
Keynote
When the Pen Writes Back: The Role of AI in Authoring Knowledge
Keynote for the International Conference on Society, Culture, and Technology.
Workshop
Foundations of Generative AI in Education
Practical sessions for educators and instructional designers on prompt design, ethical use, assessment, and learning experience design.
Leadership
The More Digital We Become, the More Intentional We Must Be About Being Human
A digital transformation talk focused on institutional mission, human-centred design, and AI as part of a broader learning ecosystem.
Connect & Profiles
Let’s connect.
For speaking, workshops, research collaboration, or institutional consultation, reach out or follow my work across these profiles.