3.2 Progression Levels and Operators

If your remember only one sentence from this page: To enable objective (self-)assessment, the DUAL.AI.TEACHer Framework defines three progressive levels of observable learning objectives according to cognitive complexity.

Making Competence Development Tracable

The 18 core competencies of the DUAL.AI.TEACHer framework are relatively abstract and provide an overarching structure of the competence field. To facilitate self-assessment or assessment by others and to chart individual competency development, the each of the core competencies are operationalized through observable learning objectives, differntiateddifferentiated on three progression levels.levels.

The levels build on one of the most widely used models in education: the revised Bloom’s taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001; Krathwohl, 2002). Its core idea is simple: Cognitive processes develop from remembering and understanding, through applying and analysing, to evaluating and creating. What changes from level to level is therefore not the content or topic, but the cognitive depth of thinking and acting a teacher can demonstrate with it.

Progression Levels and Operators

This cognitive depth is reflected in the wording of the learning objectives. Each objective is built around a verb (an operator) taken directly from the taxonomy (e.g. recognise, implement, critique). The operator tells you what a teacher at that level is expected to do, and makes the learning objective concrete and observable.

At Level 1, Orientational Awareness, teachers orientdevelop themselves:an theyinitial professional orientation by learning what AI is, what it can do, and what is at stake. They recognise and recall key AI concepts and tools and build a basic understanding – they cantools, give examples, classify tools,them, and summarise the main opportunities and risks in their own words.

At Level 2, AnalyticReflective Implementation, teachers move into informed action: they explainapply and compare,critically applyevaluate AIAI-related purposefullypractices in their own teaching,teaching. They purposefully use AI tools in lessons and analyzeassessment, what works, for whom,explain and undercompare whichdifferent conditions – including the limitsapproaches and assumptionsoutputs, ofcompare theAI-generated toolsoutputs theywith use.their own professional judgement, and analyse benefits, limitations, and underlying assumptions.

At Level 3,  CriticalTransformative Leadership, teachers shaperesponsibly design and further develop AI-related educational practice while taking a leadership role beyond their own classroom:classroom. theyThey evaluate AI systems and practices against pedagogical and ethical criteria, design and developcreate new AI-enhanced approaches, and takesupport acolleagues leadingand roletheir institution in theirthe professionalresponsible community.use of AI.

The levels progressively build on each other. Each higher level draws on the cognitive processes of the levels below it. However, following Krathwhohl (2002), this is a hierarchy of increasing complexity rather than a set of strictly separated stages. Neighbouring categories may overlap, and the boundaries between levels are fluid rather than sharp. 

The following table depicts the progression levels and the according operators.