Dr. Jasmin (Bey) Cowin Appointed as Visiting Professor (Summer 2026) for AI and Pedagogy at Université Lumière de Bujumbura in Burundi

Education for 2060: A New Chapter of Cooperation with Burundi

I am very pleased to share my appointment as Visiting Professor for AI and Pedagogy during August 2026, at Université Lumière de Bujumbura in Burundi. The appointment brings together several areas that have shaped my work for many years: education, artificial intelligence, international cooperation, institutional development, and the question of how we prepare learners for a future that is already beginning to take shape.

Université Lumière de Bujumbura is a recognized higher education institution accredited by Burundi’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. With campuses in Mutanga Nord, Kinindo, Kajaga, and the Kubumenyi Compound in Bujumbura, the university offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs, including communication sciences, law, management and administration, computer sciences, theology, clinical psychology, and political science and international relations. Its graduate offerings include areas such as business administration, corporate law, development management, organizational leadership, and IT management. The university also supports flexible access to higher education through traditional in-person teaching as well as online and distance-learning formats.

For me, this work is closely connected to the idea of Education for 2060. The year 2060 may seem far away, yet many of the students entering classrooms and universities today will still be active in their professions and communities at that time. Some will lead institutions, shape public policy, conduct research, establish businesses, educate future generations, and make decisions in environments that will look very different from those we know today. The educational choices being made now will influence how confidently and responsibly they can participate in that future.

Artificial intelligence is already changing the ways in which people search for information, communicate, conduct research, create knowledge, teach, and learn. Over the coming decades, these developments will become deeply embedded in educational and professional environments. This makes the role of education increasingly significant. Learners will require sound disciplinary knowledge alongside critical judgment, creativity, adaptability, ethical awareness, and the ability to evaluate information carefully. They will need the confidence to work with intelligent systems while understanding their limitations and recognizing the importance of human responsibility.

My cooperation with colleagues in Burundi provides an important setting in which to explore these questions. At Université Lumière de Bujumbura, I am interacting, discussing, exploring and collaborating with university leadership such as Dr. Bizimana Jean de Dieu, Deputy Vice- Chancellor – Global Partnerships, faculty, administrators, and educational partners through professional development and capacity-building activities focused on artificial intelligence, innovative pedagogy, educational transformation, and the responsible integration of AI into higher education. The university’s invitation places particular emphasis on the effective and ethical use of AI in teaching, learning, leadership, and institutional governance.

I am also particularly pleased that this work involves cooperation with Computers for Schools Burundi and the dynamic CEO and founder Emmanuel Ngendakuriyo. Educational transformation depends on strong relationships between institutions, educators, technology initiatives, and the communities they serve. Digital access, professional development, institutional capacity, and informed leadership all contribute to the conditions in which meaningful innovation can take place. Cooperation across these areas creates opportunities for knowledge to circulate and for ideas to develop within the realities of a particular educational environment. Discussions about the future of education and artificial intelligence gain strength through the participation of universities and educators from different regions of the world. Each educational context brings its own experience, knowledge, priorities, and questions. International cooperation creates a space in which these perspectives can meet, and this exchange can lead to research collaborations, new educational approaches, professional networks, and lasting institutional relationships.

Thinking about Education for 2060 also requires us to consider the future role of universities. Universities prepare people whose work will shape societies for decades. They are places of research, intellectual exchange, professional formation, and institutional leadership. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable, universities will need to make thoughtful decisions about teaching, assessment, academic integrity, research, governance, and the preparation of graduates for changing professional environments. These decisions require informed leadership and sustained dialogue across the university community.

Teachers will remain central to this future. Artificial intelligence will provide increasingly sophisticated support for research, translation, content creation, feedback, and personalized learning. The educational relationship itself will continue to depend on human judgment, trust, encouragement, cultural understanding, and the ability to recognize the development of an individual learner. Preparing for 2060 therefore includes investing in educators and giving them meaningful opportunities to understand emerging technologies, experiment with new pedagogical approaches, and contribute to decisions about their use.

AI literacy will also become a fundamental part of education. Understanding artificial intelligence involves much more than knowing how to operate a particular tool. It requires an ability to assess the quality of AI-generated information, recognize uncertainty and bias, verify sources, understand questions of privacy and governance, and decide when human expertise must guide the process. These capabilities will become increasingly important for students, educators, researchers, and institutional leaders.

My appointment at Université Lumière de Bujumbura gives me the opportunity to connect these long-term questions with practical educational work. It creates a space for professional exchange, shared learning, and discussion about how institutions can develop their capacity for a future in which AI will be part of everyday academic life. I am especially interested in the knowledge that can emerge through dialogue with colleagues in Burundi and in the possibilities for future collaboration that may grow from this work.

Education for 2060 begins long before 2060 arrives. It is being shaped in today’s classrooms, universities, professional development programs, institutional strategies, and international partnerships. Looking several decades ahead encourages us to consider the kind of educational environments we want to create and the kind of human capacities we want to strengthen.

Appointment letter Burundi- Jasmin Cowin Download

Dr. Cowin publishes: “Narwhals, unicorns, and Big Tech’s messiah complex: A transdisciplinary allegory for the age of AI,” in The Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics

“Silicon Valley’s faith in technology as the savior of humanity
echoes ancient myths of divine intervention.” Lanier (2013)

This essay investigates the Messiah Savior Complex in Big Tech, where artificial intelligence is presented as a redemptive force capable of solving humanity’s most urgent challenges. Using the historical analogy of the narwhal tusk trade, in which tusks were sold as unicorn horns to European elites, the analysis illustrates how myth-based narratives continue to influence technological realities. In contemporary discourse, these narratives take the form of hyperstitions, which are beliefs that become real through repetition, institutional reinforcement, and collective investment. Such dynamics obscure empirical scrutiny and displace critical engagement with the socio-technical realities of AI development. The essay argues that magical thinking and industry promotion often sustain these belief structures to deflect regulatory oversight and maintain public enthusiasm. Rather than rejecting technological progress, the paper calls for a transdisciplinary framework that treats AI as embedded in systems requiring accountability, transparency, and contextual awareness.

The unicorn horn deception was not merely a case of medieval gullibility but a sophisticated system that leveraged cultural symbols and created powerful incentives to maintain the existing illusion. Similarly, today’s AI narratives function as powerful mythologies that shape investment, policy, and public understanding. Cowin, J. (2025). Narwhals, unicorns, and Big Tech’s messiah complex: A transdisciplinary allegory for the age of AI. The Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, 23(7), 146–151. https://www.iiisci.org/journal/sci/Contents.asp?Previous=#/

Narwhals, unicorns, and Big Tech’s messiah complex_ A transdisciplinary allegory for the age of AI_The Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics Download

Core AI Competencies for Legal Education Curricula and Law Students, designed by Dr. Jasmin (Bey) Cowin

My infographic on Core AI Competencies for Legal Education Curricula and Law Students emphasizes the progression from foundational AI knowledge to advanced application and evaluation for students studying law. The integration of AI into legal education requires deliberate thoughts on students’ practical skill acquisition, which I aligned in this infographic with Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Law courses should reflect these competencies, offering law candidates opportunities to develop practical skills alongside theoretical understanding. By embedding specific, practical AI competencies into their curriculum, law schools can ensure their graduates are not only proficient in traditional legal skills but also adept at leveraging AI to enhance marketability. I believe that technology integration alongside traditional teaching methods in law is crucial for the future legal practice of aspiring lawyers. Law students should be able to navigate legal AI platforms with ease, operate multiple AI tools effectively, and combine different AI technologies to enhance their skill sets. Proficiency in these areas will prepare students not only with traditional legal skills but also to become adept at navigating the complexities of technology in their future practice. Today’s law students will be practicing until 2060!

I hope you enjoy my infographic.

AI Core competencies_Law_Students_infographic_Cowin Download

The Lexical Knowledge and Analysis for Teachers Infographic designed by Dr. Jasmin (Bey) Cowin

The Lexical Knowledge and Analysis for Teachers infographic serves as a resource specifically for teachers who might find it useful as a reference in their lesson preparation or even for students. This visual guide responds to educators’ need for practical, research-based strategies that bridge theoretical understanding with classroom application in vocabulary development.

The Critical Role of Lexical Knowledge in Second Language Learning

Vocabulary acquisition stands as one of the most fundamental yet complex challenges in second language learning.

The significance of lexical competence extends far beyond simple word recognition. As demonstrated through the multifaceted approach outlined in this infographic, vocabulary knowledge encompasses both breadth (the quantity of words learners recognize) and depth (the nuanced understanding of word meanings, contexts, and relationships). This dual dimension of vocabulary knowledge directly impacts students’ ability to comprehend complex texts, express sophisticated ideas, and navigate academic discourse across disciplines.

It is crucial to acknowledge that language learning fundamentally requires vocabulary memorization and lexical knowledge stored in human memory. Despite technological advances and the availability of AI tools, there is no substitute for internalized vocabulary knowledge. Real-time communication, whether in academic or social contexts, demands immediate access to lexical items without external assistance. No amount of AI offloading will change this fundamental requirement of language acquisition.

Moreover, the tiered vocabulary framework presented here (distinguishing between high-frequency words, academic vocabulary, and subject-specific terminology) offers teachers a systematic approach to prioritizing instruction. This strategic focus ensures that limited classroom time is invested in vocabulary that will yield maximum communicative and academic benefits for learners.

The emphasis on morphological awareness represents another crucial element, as it empowers students to independently decode unfamiliar words by understanding common prefixes, suffixes, and roots. This metacognitive strategy transforms learners from passive recipients of vocabulary instruction into active word learners who can continue expanding their lexical repertoire beyond the classroom.

Perhaps most importantly, the practical applications detailed in this framework bridge the often-cited gap between theory and practice. By providing concrete steps for lexical analysis, strategic vocabulary selection, and integrated instruction across language domains, this approach enables teachers to make informed, evidence-based decisions about vocabulary instruction that directly support their students’ linguistic and academic development.

Lexical Knowledge Download

Touro University Faculty Chronicles – Season 4, Episode 2: The Future of Artificial Intelligence

🎯 My interview and podcast and interview is live: Season 4, Episode 2: The Future of Artificial Intelligence with Dr. Jasmin Cowin, Touro University Graduate School of Education.
💡 Thank you to my interviewer and excellent moderator, Gena Bardwell. It is an honor to be part of this episode of hashtag#Touro hashtag#Faculty hashtag#Chronicles.
🔴 We discussed the infallibility myth of AI, the often-held belief that AI outperforms human cognition. Yet, AI lacks human hashtag#commonsense.
✔️ We also discussed hashtag#nanotechnology, hashtag#syntheticdata, hashtag#socraticdiscourse, hashtag#algorithms and much more.
📖 I believe there is a difference between hashtag#intelligence and hashtag#consciousness.
💫The interview ends with a personal favorite quote by hashtag#Ovid: “All other creatures look down toward the earth, but man was given a face so that he might turn his eyes toward the stars and his gaze upon the sky.”

Bardwell, G. (Host). (2025, April 21). Season 4, Episode 2: The future of artificial intelligence with Dr. Jasmin Cowin [Audio podcast episode]. In The Faculty Chronicles. Touro University Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. https://www.ivoox.com/season-4-episode-2-the-future-of-artificial-audios-mp3_rf_145330021_1.html

Precision in practice: Structured prompting strategies to enhance TESOL by Dr. Jasmin Cowin

Introduction: Precision in Practice

A background in prompt engineering helps language educators refine curriculum development approaches, streamline lesson planning, and craft assessments and rubrics that address the diverse needs of multilingual learners (MLs). Educators can direct Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, ClaudeAI, Cohere, Gemini, and others to produce diverse forms of instructional content by crafting prompts to elicit specific language features, ranging from controlled grammar exercises to rubrics.

Cowin, J. (2025, March). Precision in practice: Structured prompting strategies to enhance TESOL. TESOL International On CALL Newsletter. https://my.tesol.org/news/1166339

Vision 2060: A Practical Toolkiet for Educators

Touro University Graduate School of Education
💡 I am honored to deliver “A Practical AI Toolkit for Educators” on April 10, 2025, at 1:00 PM CET, which will focus on practical AI tools to enhance teaching strategies.
Don’t miss this opportunity to integrate AI into your educational practices!
Enroll now: https://lnkd.in/drZ-X9zu
(The session link will be sent 2 days in advance)
Organized by: Cinta Gallent Torres-Torres & Laura Angelini, ASPAI Project Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir
Thank you to my dear colleague Orna Levin, who created the connection with Cinta and Laura.
✔️ We are stronger when we support each other!

Workshop Dr. Jasmin Cowin_A Practical AI Toolkit forEducators_April 10, 2025 Download

The Four-Part Functional Grammar Classification: A Practical Approach to Language Acquisition by Dr. Jasmin (Bey) Cowin

In the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA), traditional approaches to teaching grammar often emphasize memorization of parts of speech and grammatical rules, without adequately connecting language structure to practical communication. My Four-Part Functional Grammar Classification infographic presents an alternative that transforms the conceptualization and teaching of grammar for language educators.

My framework shifts focus from viewing grammar as a set of abstract rules to understanding it as a functional system serving communication purposes. By categorizing grammatical elements according to their communicative functions rather than traditional parts of speech, my model creates a more intuitive approach to language learning and teaching. This aligns with contemporary methodologies like Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), prioritizing meaningful language use over memorization.

The model recognizes that languages vary in how they express grammatical relationships. Analytic languages such as Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, and to a significant degree English, rely primarily on word order, function words, and contextual cues to convey meaning. These languages exhibit minimal inflection, with words remaining relatively unchanged regardless of their grammatical roles. In contrast, synthetic languages like Latin, Russian, and Turkish employ morphological systems with prefixes, suffixes, and internal word changes to express grammatical relationships, allowing for flexibility in word order.

In my opinion, the framework accurately highlights how grammar operates in service of conveying ideas. It encourages learners to see language structures not as isolated rules but as tools for meaning-making. Such an approach can help students discern the interconnectedness of grammatical features and more readily apply them in authentic communicative contexts. However, as with any model, practical classroom application may require adjustments based on learners’ needs or language-specific nuances.

Each component serves a specific purpose:

Terminal Elements comprise core lexical items that form the foundation of meaning in sentences. These include nouns, main verbs, and key adjectives—elements without which a sentence would lack substance. In the sentence “The dog runs,” “dog” (noun) and “runs” (verb) constitute the essential Terminal Elements carrying the fundamental meaning. Without either, the communicative purpose would be compromised.

2. Auxiliary Elements encompasses grammatical support structures that modify aspects of the Terminal Elements, such as tense, mood, voice, or aspect. These include helping verbs, modals, auxiliary verbs, and determiners. In “The dog has been running,” the auxiliary elements “has” and “been” create the present perfect progressive tense, adding temporal and aspectual information to the core meaning.

3. Modifiers consist of elements that refine or limit the meaning of Terminal Elements. These include adjectives, adverbs, participles, and modifying phrases. In “The small dog runs quickly,” the adjective “small” modifies the noun “dog,” while the adverb “quickly” modifies the verb “runs.” Modifiers enhance precision in communication without altering the fundamental meaning.

4. Connectors encompass relational elements that establish connections between words, phrases, or clauses. These include conjunctions, prepositions, and relative pronouns. In “I stayed home because it was raining,” the conjunction “because” establishes a causal relationship between two clauses, demonstrating how Connectors create coherence within and between sentences.

In implementing the Four-Part Functional Grammar Classification, educators can foster a deeper understanding of language by highlighting the interplay of its communicative elements. Instead of treating grammar as a discrete set of prescriptive rules, instructors integrate Terminal Elements, Auxiliary Elements, Modifiers, and Connectors into lesson designs that reflect authentic language use. This approach promotes increased learner engagement with meaning-making processes, as students actively observe how these functional categories intersect to convey nuanced ideas. By contextualizing grammar within real-world communication, educators encourage learners to perceive linguistic forms as interconnected tools that support coherent expression rather than isolated technicalities.

Moreover, the model’s applicability to both analytic and synthetic languages underscores its potential for unifying diverse linguistic backgrounds. Identifying functional similarities across distinct language systems can stimulate positive transfer, enabling learners to draw on their existing linguistic repertoires more strategically. Future pedagogical investigations may explore how this classification influences long-term language development, particularly in multilingual contexts where cross-linguistic awareness is vital. Emphasizing the functional essence of grammar aligns with contemporary SLA perspectives by foregrounding communication as the driving force behind language instruction, thereby challenging educators to replace traditional rule-based models with pedagogies that prioritize meaningful, context-rich engagement.

by Jasmin Cowin, Ed.D.

Conceptualization and Design Intent

The spark behind this design stems from my observation that conventional grammar instruction often creates artificial boundaries between grammatical elements rather than highlighting their interconnected functions. By reconceptualizing grammar as a system of terminal elements, auxiliary elements, modifiers, and connectors, I sought to create a visual metalinguistic tool that would facilitate deeper cognitive engagement with language structures across varying proficiency levels.

Theoretical Foundations: An Integrated Approach

The four-component model deliberately integrates complementary theoretical perspectives:

The Dependency Perspective: Drawing from Tesnière’s (1959) seminal work, this framework emphasizes relational characteristics over categorical classifications. Terminal elements establish semantic foundations upon which auxiliary elements construct grammatical meaning, modifiers refine conceptual boundaries, and connectors create hierarchical relationships—mirroring the valency patterns and dependency structures that Tesnière identified as fundamental to syntactic organization.

The Functional Perspective: Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar provides the theoretical underpinning for examining how each component serves specific communicative purposes. Terminal elements primarily fulfill ideational functions; auxiliary elements negotiate interpersonal dimensions through tense, mood, and aspect; modifiers enhance textual richness; and connectors organize logical coherence between propositions—all operating simultaneously across what Halliday termed the “metafunctions” of language.

The Structural Perspective: From Chomskyan X-bar theory, this model adapts the concept of hierarchical constituency. The classification systematically maps onto phrase structure configurations where terminal elements function as heads, auxiliary elements as functional projections, modifiers as adjuncts, and connectors as complementizers and relational markers—creating a bridge between transformational grammar and functional applications.

1. Enhanced Sentence Analysis Teachers can guide students in breaking down sentences by identifying:

Terminal elements (primary content words)
Auxiliary elements (grammatical markers for tense, aspect, etc.)
Modifiers (descriptive elements that refine meaning)
Connectors (elements that establish relationships)

2. Comparative Language Analysis The focus on function rather than form makes this approach useful for:

Comparing how grammatical functions manifest across different languages
Helping multilingual students connect new structures to familiar concepts
Discussing similarities and differences between L1 and English grammar

Meta-participation and ethical transparency in role-playing games: Examining AI and algorithmic influence

I am grateful to our collaborative, transdisciplinary and international work with Dr. Cristo Leon, Ph.D., James Lipuma, and Mauricio Rangel-Jimenez.
🚨 “Meta-participation and ethical transparency in role-playing games: Examining AI and algorithmic influence.” Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and other non-human participants in role-playing games (RPGs) has brought new dimensions to interactive storytelling and game design. As
AI evolves to simulate human-like interactions more convincingly, its role in games raises significant ethical questions, particularly regarding transparency and player agency. This paper critically examines these issues, focusing on the concept of the meta-participant—the programmer or author responsible for designing the AI’s decision-making algorithms—
and the implications of their invisible influence and personal bias on the gaming experience of human players.
Leon, C., Lipuma, J., Cowin, J., & Rangel-Jimenez, M. (2025). Meta-participation and ethical transparency in role-playing games: Examining AI and algorithmic influence [Peer-reviewed journal]. STEM for Success Resources(101). https://lnkd.in/eHSifda7

meta-participation-and-ethical-transparency-in-role-playing-games-examining-ai-and-algorithmic-influence Download

Category: Teaching Portfolio and Philosophy