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This study aims investigate in-service teachers’ perspectives on the integration of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven chatbot, into United Arab Emirates (UAE) private schools. As the UAE progresses towards a knowledge-based economy, aligning with the goals of the UAE 2030 vision, this research assesses the capacity of ChatGPT to enhance the educational experience within the framework of technological pedagogical content knowledge.

A mixed-methods approach is used, combining a survey assessing teachers’ attitudes and a thematic analysis of open-ended responses, to explore the effectiveness, challenges and pedagogical implications of ChatGPT’s use in the classroom.

Findings reveal that teachers value ChatGPT for its potential to individualize learning and streamline the creation of educational materials, aligning with the shift towards student-centred approaches and the demands of 21st-century skills. However, significant challenges are noted, including ethical concerns, the need for reliable content and a necessity for extensive professional development to fully realize ChatGPT’s benefits.

While ChatGPT transforms teaching and learning practices, realizing this potential requires addressing critical issues through adaptive policy-making, continuous educator training and thoughtful integration into the curriculum.

The study highlights the importance of a collaborative approach to dealing with the details of AI in education, ensuring that advancements like ChatGPT align with the evolving educational paradigms of the UAE.

A new High School Equivalency (HSE) policy was developed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in response to a shift toward a knowledge-based economy and a transformation toward STEM education. The purpose of this study is to explore and understand the stakeholders' perceptions and experiences in implementing the new HSE policy in a school that follows a US curriculum in the UAE. The study was conducted before the COVID-19 lockdown. The phenomenological approach was used to shed light on the implementation of the HSE policy in an active learning environment and the challenges facing the school's stakeholders. The study results reveal the challenges that stakeholders face in implementing the HSE policy and their experiences in offering students the courses they need. All stakeholders agreed that the transformation toward STEM education requires proper implementation of the high school equivalency policy in an active learning environment that help in developing students' twenty-first-century skills and prepare them to meet the job market needs.

Educational sustainability has acknowledged the value of transformation, which offers an opportunity of researching and rethinking how appropriate and successful educational practices in an active learning environment could help prepare students for jobs that do not yet exist. So, to meet the job market needs, it became essential to focus on designing more context-specific programs where interdisciplinary courses are provided. The interdisciplinary courses are based on integrating different disciplines where there is a blur between the borders of the disciplines to shift the focus from structured courses to cooperation with external entities. In addition, the interdisciplinary programs allow students to choose modules from across subjects and encourage cooperation with staff from different departments. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to present a framework of how transformation in education requires key drivers such as transformational visions, faculty commitments, students' engagement, resources (i.e. curriculum), and external relations to develop the values and competencies that the future professionals will need in the attempt to make decisions aiming at reaching a more sustainable world.