Meet Joshua Barath – Researcher, Educator, and GenAI Explorer

For over 14 years, Joshua Barath has played a key role in shaping the curriculum for Community Safety programs at Georgian College. With a background spanning criminal law, Indigenous justice, offender management, and more, Josh brings a deep well of professional and academic expertise to his classrooms.

Currently pursuing a PhD at Charles Sturt University, his research on environmental crimes and public safety has sharpened his appreciation for the rigor and real-world relevance of academic inquiry. Now, he’s channeling that experience to reshape how first-year students in his Canadian Criminal Justice course learn to research, think critically, and apply those skills ethically in a field increasingly influenced by AI.

Redesigning Research for First-Year Students: More Than a Literature Review

As an introductory university course in the Police Studies Degree, first year students within the Canadian Criminal Justice course explore the different elements of the justice system including policing services, courts and corrections. Throughout the course students develop the critical skills required to read and evaluate theoretical arguments, research and interpret contemporary issues concerning the role of justice services, the effectiveness of police practices, and the impact of law on the administration of criminal justice. To achieve this, students would complete a major research assignment that involved selecting a research topic, completing a literature review, and developing an annotated bibliography.  For many students, this meant navigating literature reviews for the first time, which is often an enormous task for first timers.  

While the assignment was pedagogically sound, Josh believed this traditional approach to literature review and research lacked practical application and purpose for the students. The assignment often felt mechanical to students—more like a box-ticking exercise than an opportunity for meaningful learning. So, he set out to redesign the process, breaking it into tiered, reflective steps that mirrored his own PhD research journey.

Students begin by selecting a topic meaningful to them in policing, corrections, courts, or public safety. From there, they’re guided through:

• Crafting impactful research questions
• Identifying personal biases and assumptions
• Developing strategic search terms
• Naming stakeholders who could benefit from their findings

Only then do they dive into literature, using a range of academic, media, and unconventional sources (interviews, docuseries, podcasts), to evaluate evidence, spot bias, and reflect on how their thinking evolves. 

Introducing GenAI as a Research Partner, Not a Shortcut

Josh has always strived to incorporate experiential learning and technology-based solutions in his teaching.  Always excited to try new tools (“let’s try it” is kind of his motto), he’s recently introduced generative AI into his class—not as a magic fix, but as a springboard for critical thinking and skill building.  He introduced students to the Page1+ Research Overview tool available through the College Library.

This AI-enhanced tool didn’t just streamline the search process; it refocused student attention on evaluating and interpreting information.

“Rather than turning to Wikipedia or Google,” Josh explains, “students used Page1+ to find peer-reviewed sources, understand author backgrounds, explore related research questions, and learn how wording impacts results.” 

The result? Students began to see AI not as a hack, but as a thinking partner—a way to spark curiosity, refine searches, and deepen inquiry.

AI Literacy for Public Safety: Why It Matters

Josh is clear: GenAI is not just an academic topic—it’s a professional necessity. Public safety careers are increasingly shaped by AI tools in areas like:

• Predictive policing and surveillance
• Legal research and documentation
• Data analysis and risk assessment

But with these innovations come serious concerns: bias, privacy, fairness, and accountability.

That’s why Josh embeds AI literacy directly into his curriculum. Students learn:

• What AI is doing behind the scenes (e.g., summarizing, searching, sorting)
• Where bias enters the equation (e.g., US-centric datasets, historical injustice)
• Why human judgment still matters (e.g., identifying gaps, ethical risks)

“Students need to be critical of how AI shapes the information they receive,” Josh says, “and how their own assumptions shape what they accept as truth.”

A Typical Classroom Moment: Choice Sparks Curiosity

Instead of assigning uniform topics, Josh lets students choose research questions that genuinely interest them. He jokes with students:

“If I assign the topic, you’ll probably write something you don’t care about. If you choose the topic, you might surprise yourself with what you learn.”

This autonomy breeds engagement—and better thinking. Students start conversations like:

• “I didn’t realize this newspaper was so biased.”
•  “There’s a docuseries that shows a whole different side of this issue."
• “The AI tool showed me a source that completely challenged my assumptions."

These are the kinds of aha moments that Josh’s scaffolded process—blended with GenAI and reflection—makes possible.

Lessons Learned: From Critical Consumers to Informed Professionals

Unlike the traditional lit review where students would be unsure of where to start or even leave things to the last minute, Josh saw immediate buy in from students who were reaching out wanting to talk about topic ideas and their assumptions, and sharing light-bulb moments in class about how the tool has helped expand their understanding of issues from the field. Class discussions, regularly involved comments like, “Did you know there is a docuseries that explores X”, “I had no idea this newspaper or content creator was so biased”, and “Did you hear about this case that happened, and how it created so much conflict” . As the assignment was designed as a tiered process, Josh could see these moments throughout the written reflections that students were submitting.  Not only were students expanding their knowledge, but they were verbalizing how their assumptions and biases could impact their behaviours in their careers.  

Under Josh’s guidance, students don’t just complete assignments—they build lasting skills:

• Assessing evidence quality: Peer review, sample size, relevance
• Conducting layered research: Organizing thematically, spotting gaps
• Using AI critically: Comparing AI vs. manual searches, questioning assumptions
• Evaluating ethical dimensions: Recognizing bias in both human and machine-generated content 

This prepares them not just for upper-year coursework, but for real-world decision-making in careers where evidence, ethics, and AI converge.

Innovating Pedagogy: Tips for Faculty Who Want to Try

Josh’s advice for instructors thinking about AI in their teaching?

• Start small: Try using AI to brainstorm search terms.
• Build comparison activities: Have students evaluate what AI missed vs. what they found manually.
• Integrate reflections: Ask students to assess how AI helped or hindered their research.
• Frame AI as a support tool: Students are still the critical agents who bring meaning to the work.

Why This Matters

Josh’s approach proves that AI in education doesn’t have to mean shortcuts or superficial learning. Instead, it can be a bridge to deeper thinking, stronger research habits, and professional literacy.

By combining research design, experiential learning, and AI exploration, Josh equips students to:

• Think independently
• Spot bias and gaps
• Make ethical, informed decisions
• Embrace AI as a tool—not a crutch

Want to Learn More?

• ✅ Visit the Teaching with AI Showcase from Georgian’s CTL
• 📘 Read: Designing Assignments and Activities Using Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Student Engagement and Professionalism
• 🧭 Explore: “AI & Academic Integrity” resources on the CTL website
• Empowering Student Voice and Literacy in the Age of GenAI - Georgian College CTL
   

Ready to explore AI in your teaching practice?

The Centre for Teaching and Learning offers workshops, resources, and 1:1 consultations to help you confidently integrate AI into your classroom.

📧 Contact us at ctl@georgiancollege.ca to get started.
🖥️ Visit our Artificial Intelligence in Teaching page for guides, sample activities, and more.

Online Self-paced course: Generative AI Foundations for Faculty **New Winter 2025**