Helping educators decide when to use AI, when to avoid it, and how to design learning experiences that remain deeply human.

Explore research, teaching resources, presentations, and practical tools for AI-enabled education.

Picture

​Practical guidance for using generative AI without off-loading learning.

Picture

Why Think First?

Featured Paper

Generative AI as a Mediational Agent: Rethinking Learning in Sociocultural Theory

Tate, T.P., Ritchie, D.R., & Warschauer, M. (2026)

How should we think about learning when AI becomes part of the cognitive process itself? This paper proposes a sociocultural framework for understanding generative AI as a mediational agent rather than simply a tool.

​A framework for maintaining human judgment in the age of AI.

The many reasons why humans should go first.

What happens when we outsource too much thinking to machines?

​Higher Education Resources
Classroom-ready prompts, activities, assignments, policies, curriculum materials, and implementation guides for higher education instructors. 

Teaching

A practical course exploring how generative AI is changing teaching, learning, assessment, and academic work.

Contact Tamara

Tamara Tate, PhD
Associate Director
Digital Learning Lab
University of California, Irvine

[email protected]

949.431.6540

Download vCard for contact information

About the lab

​The Digital Learning Lab studies how technology can expand educational opportunity and transform teaching and learning with innovative research in educational technology

Explore current projects, publications, and open educational resources.