Higher education is an idea-driven, research-driven, learning-driven
institution. For a long time, the tools used for teaching and study have
followed a familiar path. Today, a new tool is in the making that can
create content rather than just discover it. This new technology,
generative AI, is significant for universities around the world.
It presents us with enormous opportunities to make better teaching
and learning possible, but it also raises some fairly basic questions
that need to be answered.
This is the opportunity for colleges to rethink how they are
organised, from admissions to the classroom. It's the moment when
diligent planning must take place so that institutions can apply these
technologies to their best advantage while staying loyal to their core
missions. To learn more about this, you can see how AI is revolutionising higher education
already. The extent of the transformation is overwhelming: The global
market for AI in higher education was valued at approximately $1.6
billion in 2023 and will reach more than
$25 billion by 2033, according to one market projection.
What is Generative AI in Higher Education?
In simple language, generative AI is a computer program that can make
new things. It is different from the older programs that only operate on
information or apply rules, but this can produce novel content, images,
or code. One simple example is with a piece of software like ChatGPT,
which can generate an entire essay or draft of a lesson plan based on a
few sentences of direction. Other applications can accept a text
description to make distinctive pictures or even compose music.
For the universities, that is a massive leap from a basic search
engine. This implies that there are new generations of tools out there
that can assist in tasks that require human touch and creativity.
These computers are learning from an enormous pool of data available
on the Internet, books, and journals and, therefore, can comprehend
trends and produce new content that conforms to a particular style or
requirement. The future of AI in education is being developed today by
these same computers. The transition is already in the process on a
vast scale. According to one recent Deloitte survey, 81% of college students across the Asia-Pacific are now utilising
generative AI for studies.
In the Classroom: The Role of Generative AI in Teaching and Learning
One
of the most direct effects of this technology is on instruction itself. Used wisely, these tools can
customise learning for every student and assist teachers in their own work.
-
Personalised Learning
:
The
most significant advantage is potentially tailoring learning. A teacher can use a generative ai for teaching
tool to produce study guides or practice problems tailored to a student's needs. The tool will adjust to a
student's learning style, providing more visuals for one student and a step-by-step description for
another.
-
Assistance with Daily Chores
:
The tools are a timesaver for staff. A professor can use them to create a syllabus, draw up a lesson plan,
or compose an outline of a difficult text for class. This means they have more time to interact with
students and fewer hours on duplicate clerical tasks.
-
Assistance with Student Work
:
To
students, a tool is a study partner. It may clarify a challenging idea in simpler terms or assist them in
brainstorming for an essay. This type of help can help a student overcome a challenging section of their
work and continue with their project. It's a type of aid that is available around the clock. A UK study
found that
92%
of students
are using AI tools, typically to improve efficiency and work quality.
Beyond the Classroom: Administration and Recruitment
The
applications of generative AI stretch far beyond the school. Colleges are also discovering ways to use these
technologies to streamline and improve their daily operations. The application of AI innovation in higher
education is meaningful in these respects.
-
Recruitment and Admissions:
The
AI in student recruitment field is developing extremely quickly. In
one
research
,
it has been projected that nearly 48% of university admissions use AI to make decisions more efficiently
than ever before. Rather than sending prewritten email messages, the system can compose messages
specific to a prospective student's questions and interests. It can even assist admissions personnel
with managing high volumes of applications, providing standardised responses to frequent queries and
walking students through the process.
-
Supporting Administrative Work:
Employees can use these tools to automate much of the tedious, time-consuming work. They can write
emails, condense meeting minutes, or even answer frequently asked questions from students through a
virtual assistant. This allows employees to work on more intricate problems that need human
intervention.
AI in Research and New Discoveries
Research
is the pulse of any university. The Artificial intelligence universities are now employing these tools to
assist researchers in doing everything from information gathering to data analysis.
-
Data Analysis:
These tools help researchers rapidly search and summarise information in thousands of reports to
identify trends and patterns easily.
-
Writing Assistance:
The tools can also assist in the writing aspect, from coming up with new research to typing various
sections of an article. None of this is designed to substitute the researcher's thought or experience,
but it assists them in navigating the more formulaic aspects of the process so that they have time to
focus on learning. The role of generative AI in universities is already altering the way research is
conducted.
The Challenges and Risks
Though
the potential is clear, using AI in higher education presents real challenges. Universities must consider
how to use these tools responsibly.
-
Academic Integrity:
The most commonly discussed risk is plagiarism. In a poll, 63% of educators reported having heard about
instances in which students were being academically disciplined for taking advantage of generative AI to
complete school work during a given academic year, a dramatic rise from the previous year. It creates
new challenges to academic integrity.
-
Ethical Issues:
Issues
of bias and misinformation also exist. Since these tools learn from information on the Internet,
sometimes they show bias in the information. This is because a tool provides an unbalanced answer or
shares misinformation.
-
Faculty Development:
This
is new to most instructors. A
2024
EDUCAUSE survey
discovered that the primary motive for new planning as a result of AI among universities was more
student utilisation of AI, which indicates that schools are mainly responding to the technology and not
preparing for it.
Strategies for the Future
Universities
require a strategy to maximise this emerging technology. It is not a matter of having people use the tools;
there has to be a well-designed plan behind it.
-
Training and Policies:
Universities need to provide good training for faculty and staff. This is a huge need since a recent
survey discovered that although 67% of students indicate that AI skills are required, just 36% have been
trained in them by their school. There should also be good school policies regarding when and how
students can utilise these tools in their assignments.
-
Balanced Approach:
The
optimum approach is a balanced one, where new ideas are brought together with a healthy dose of ethics
emphasis. It's about leveraging the weapons for good—so learning is simplified and a university operates
better—while balancing risks.
-
Collaboration with Others:
No university has universal solutions. Intergenesis collaboration between other universities and the
companies developing these tools will allow all of them to identify the best route to take.
Collaboration is the secret to AI innovation in higher education.
The Future of AI in Universities
The
future of AI education is not whether to employ these machines or not. It's how to engage them. Colleges
that make a transition now can use this new technology to their advantage. They can use it to offer an
enhanced experience to students and to make their work more productive. Through the use of ai-powered
education tools, higher education can assist in the creation of a more open and inclusive future for
learning. At
UniNewsletter
,
we believe building new modes of knowledge and new types of credentials is part of this revolution,
which you can learn about in this
microcredentials
vs. degrees piece
.
26-05-2023
American University of Ras Al Khaimah 
Featured Video
