The document discusses the strategic imperative of embracing generative AI in higher education, highlighting its potential to enhance personalized learning, automate tasks, and improve academic research. It also addresses ethical issues, academic integrity, and the importance of upskilling both students and staff to stay competitive in a rapidly changing landscape. The text warns that resistance to AI adoption may lead to obsolescence of universities and calls for strategic approaches to integrate AI tools and concepts.

1. EMBRACING GENERATIVE AI
IN HIGHER EDUCATION:
A STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE
A
T
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S
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g
o
2
0
2
4
PETER WIN DL E
HE AD OF CE NTR E FOR
TE CHNOLOGY E NHANCE D LE AR NING
E D T E C H G A S T A

2. HOW MUCH
CAN I GET
THROUGH
IN FIVE
MINUTES?
01 Looking Back
Looking Forward
02 Call Out
04
The Risks
03

3. LOOKING
BACK...
The focus of most Higher
Education Institutes over
the past 18 months...
ACADEMIC
INTEGRITY
USING IT
FOR T&L
ETHICAL
ISSUES
RESEARCH &
GRANTS
1
2
3
4
LLMs as a partner not replacement,
personalised learning and automating tasks.
Internal LLMs
Challenges of AI plagiarism, academic
dishonesty, AI detection, promoting culture of
integrity through AI Literacy and “The Golden
Mean”
Ensuring transparency and accountability in
AI applications, algorithm bias, data privacy,
ethical approach to research and don’t feed
the machine
There’s an AI or GPT for that... data analysis,
research automation, potential to
supercharge academic research and grant
writing:
• As of my last knowledge update
• Full and Sole Authorship

4. LOOKING
FORWARD...
The world is changing,
we need to lead the change
PROMPT
ENGINEERING
SKILLS
INDUSTRY
IMPACT
CHANGE THE
CURRICULUM
USING IT FOR
OUR HEI
1
2
3
4
75% of Irish business using AI by 2030,
40% of IBM workforce need reskilling,
€1.5B National Training Fund and OECD -
Irish adults falling behind and do not have
right skillset
Students need to become advanced prompt
engineers, matched with critical & creative
thinking skills. Supported by late majority and
laggards?
Integrate AI tools and concepts, broad based
understanding of AI, annual reviews and
updates, discipline specific implications,
Students developing Phronesis
Investigate how AI can be used to improve
workflows, data analysis, automate tasks.
Upskill ALL staff to be part of the
transformation. Not replacing but
supercharging!

5. THE RISKS
Some Students and staff will
get left behind
Institutes with strategic
approaches will out-run us,
Inconsistent approach
to adoption of GenAI
Fall behind other HEIs
What if we don’t engage with AI
strategically?
AI can help us make more of
the resources we have, not
using it will hold us back
Become more efficient

6. THE RISKS
As AI becomes more pervasive,
students will have an
expectation it will be used
Competing with those using AI
for research, grant writing,
innovation and collaboration
Limit Student Engagement
Reduced Competitiveness
What if we don’t engage with AI
strategically?
Students will be competing
with AI equipped graduates
from other disciplines and HEIs
Industry Ready Graduates

7. UNIVERSITIES ARE ABOUT TO GO
THROUGH SEISMIC CHANGE,
AND UNIVERSITIES HAVE NEVER
BEEN MORE NECESSARY
Paul LeBlanc
FORMER PRESIDENT OF SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE
UNIVERSITY

8. CALL OUT
Who wants to talk
about Literacy,
Innovatio and
Strategy?
Law faculties defining
acceptable and
unacceptable uses of AI
We need our Philosophers
and ethicists engaged in
the work
Historians of science and
tech mapping the road
ahead
Sociologists and
psychologists thinking
about living with machines
Cognitive scientists
understanding the artificial
as well as our natural brains

9. THE RISE OF AI PRESENTS THE VERY REAL
RISK THAT UNIVERSITIES WILL BECOME
IRRELEVANT – OR EVEN OBSOLETE
IF THEY RESIST IT.
(DR PHILLIPA HARDMAN)