Advance HE is to collaborate with the Office for Students (OfS) on an important new research project examining how higher education institutions are responding to the proliferation of artificial intelligence.
The research will explore both the opportunities and the risks that AI presents across a range of areas, including teaching and learning, academic integrity, access and participation, and institutional strategy. It will seek to understand how institutions are using and developing AI tools, the impact of AI use on student outcomes, and the barriers preventing effective adaptation to a rapidly changing landscape.
A key feature of the project is to draw on direct input from the sector. The research programme will include a series of roundtable discussions with senior leaders, teaching staff and students, alongside a publicly accessible online survey through which institutions, students and other stakeholders will be invited to submit evidence. We plan to hold semi-structured interviews with sector bodies, mission groups and technology companies to further contribute to the evidence base.
"We are very pleased to be working with the Office for Students on this important project. AI is reshaping higher education in ways that are still becoming clear, and it is vital that institutions, students and policymakers have a reliable, evidence-based picture of where the sector currently stands. This research will help ensure that the conversation about AI in higher education is grounded in the real experiences and perspectives of students and staff”, said Kathryn Harrison-Graves, Deputy Chief Executive of Advance HE.
The two organisations will work alongside a group of sector and AI experts to oversee the scope and quality of the research. A report summarising the key findings and recommendations is expected to be published in the autumn.