AI as "disruptive technology" (Pavaloaia/Necula 2023) is rapidly changing our societies and economies. AI has profound impacts on higher education and is spreading at unprecedented pace, as exemplified by the emergence of ChatGPT and similar tools.
This creates challenges and opportunities: As the European Commission forecasted in 2018, "the way we will approach AI will define the world we live in" (EC 2018). AI has sparked intense debates about its consequences for teaching and learning. The European University Association (EUA 2023) summarised concerns regarding AI in higher education (e.g. academic integrity, intellectual property, biases in data/algorithms, lack of references to sources of information) but also possible benefits (e.g. personalised learning, improved efficiency, new ways of working).
As a result, HEIs and teachers need to respond to these disruptions. The EUA (2023) recommended that HEIs need to adjust teaching and learning environments to use AI "effectively and appropriately" but also in a "responsible" way, considering "impacts on society, culture and the economy."
HEIs thus also need to ensure that AI is used in an "ethical" and "inclusive" way (UNESCO 2021, EC 2022).
Against this background, the underlying motivation of the project "Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education Teaching and Learning" (AI-HED) is to explore ways to adjust the teaching and learning environments to the shifts caused by AI.
As a consortium of 4 HEIs across Europe, we aim to enhance the digital literacy on AI among university teachers to use AI in teaching and learning. In addition, we aim to explore opportunities and constraints of AI in teaching and learning by developing and testing 16 pilot courses which integrate AI.
Improve digital literacy on AI among university teachers
Develop and test 16 courses that integrate AI
Develop practical guidelines for responsible AI integration