Higher Education 2.0

Navigating the Post-GenAI World

The Challenge

The emergence of Generative AI (Gen AI) has set the stage for a profound transformation in higher education, reshaping traditional models of learning, teaching, and institutional processes. As AI capabilities expand, educators, learners, and academic institutions must adapt to their advantages and challenges.

Many educators feel unprepared to navigate this paradigm shift, as traditional pedagogical frameworks and assessment methods are increasingly misaligned with GenAI's capabilities. Balancing the integration of AI as a legitimate educational aid while preserving the authenticity of student learning outcomes has become a critical issue. Several universities have responded by either incorporating GenAI policies into existing academic integrity policies or adopting fresh ones where they have either imposed a blanket ban on the use of GenAI tools or prescribed a graded approach with either the onus on students to disclose the use of such tools or on departments to notify policy of use.

However, these responses often fail to address GenAI's nuanced challenges. While aiming to preserve academic integrity, blanket bans on AI tools risk alienating students who see them as integral to modern learning and professional environments. Such measures may inadvertently stifle innovation and fail to prepare students for real-world scenarios in which AI will play a central role. Conversely, policies that rely on student disclosure or departmental oversight may lack consistency, leaving both students and educators uncertain about acceptable practices and expectations.

Project Mission

This student-led initiative tackles these challenges, equipping students and educators with strategies to adapt to this new reality and fostering an academic culture where AI complements, rather than replaces, human intellectual effort.

The initiative enables cross-institutional dialogue culminating in a publicly accessible white paper, a policy guide for educators and a digital toolkit for learners, offering actionable insights and strategies for educational institutions while navigating the post-Generative AI landscape.

This project was funded by the Civica Student Engagement Fund.

Project Team

Student Project Leaders: Anushka Jain, LSE, Juliette Lee, LSE, Ankita Rathi, CEU, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, CEU

Project Advisors:

Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Cenral European University (CEU) & Dr. Dorottya Sallai, LSE

Get in touch: Gyan Tripathi Tripathi_Gyan@student.ceu.edu or Anushka Jain A.Jain99@lse.ac.uk

Navigating the Post-GenAI World in Higher Education Project Report & Toolkit Launch

This event marked the conclusion of a year-long study into how generative AI is reshaping the relationship between students and educators. Our goal was to move beyond the immediate anxiety surrounding academic integrity and instead focus on how these tools might actually enhance human intellectual effort. We marked the occasion by releasing two core resources: a policy framework for faculty and a practical toolkit designed to help students navigate this new landscape ethically.

My key takeaways:

Presenting our findings at the Sumeet Valrani Theatre felt like a vital moment of clarity. It was incredibly rewarding to see students and senior colleagues in the same room, moving past friction to have a genuine, shared conversation about the future of our universities.

Read more below:

Date: Friday 16th May 2025 , 4-6 pm

Welcome

Opening welcome from the Organiser students and faculty

Keynote

Dr. Claire Gordon, Director, LSE Eden Centre for Education

LSE-CEU Joint Student Presentation.

Students presented their final report, which features:

- A policy guide for educators
- A practical toolkit for students
- A white paper outlining the project’s key findings

Panel Discussion:

Jeni Brown, Head of Digital Skills Lab, LSE
Dr. Martin Compton, College Lead for AI and Innovation in Education, KCL
Dr. Claire Gordon, Director, LSE Eden Centre for Education
Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Co-Director, University Access and Preparatory Programs, CEU
Dr. Dorottya Sallai, Associate Professor in Management (Education), LSE

Q&A

Date: 10 April 2025 Vienna

Moderator: Ankita Rathi, MAPP student at CEU, Vienna

Faculty advisors: Dr Sanjay Kumar: CEU and Dr Dorottya Sallai LSE

Programme:

Opening remarks Dr. Sanjay Kumar
Opening remarks by the Panelists
Moderated Panel Discussion

Panel members:

Evelyn Hübscher: Evelyne is a Professor at the Department of Public Policy. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence and a Lic. Phil. from the University of Zurich. Before joining CEU in 2010, she was a pre-doc at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) in Vienna. During the academic year of 2021/2022, she was a Jean Monnet Fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (European University Institute, Florence).
Lisa Duschek: Lisa is an expert in AI, data and technology, with an interdisciplinary background in AI, GIS, psychosocial interventions, journalism and law. She is the founder of CodeFactory Vienna and iRES, and Machine Learning Lead at the NGO MapAid Global. In addition to her entrepreneurial activities, she researches and teaches on topics such as AI transparency, algorithmic fairness and data-driven decision-making. As a freelance journalist, she is committed to fact-based education about technology and its social impact.
Kenning Arlitsch: Kenning is the director of the CEU Library. Prior to accepting the position at CEU he served for ten years as dean of the library at Montana State University, where he led a research library actively engaged in student success, statewide collaboration, and the university’s research enterprise. He has also held positions in library instruction, digital library development, and IT services. His funded research has focused on search engine optimisation, as well as measuring impact and use of digital repositories.

Vote of thanks by Dorottya Sallai

AI in Academia: Challenges and Opportunities

We organised this session to bridge the gap between institutional AI policy and the reality of how students are actually using these tools. It was a brilliant opportunity to host experts like Sven Nyholm, Ella McPherson and Casey Kearney for an insightful conversation about whether AI will remain a digital assistant or become a fundamental part of the learning process.

My key takeaways: The Q&A highlighted that while policy is still catching up, students and teachers are navigating the same uncertainties.

Workshop Participants

Organisers: Gyan Prakash Tripathi, CEU, Ankita Rathi, CEU, Anushka Jain, LSE, Juliette Lee, LSE

Project Advisors: Dr. Sanjay Kumar, CEU and Dr. Dorottya Sallai, LSE

Programme

Part 1 : The challenge, concern, and potential of GenAI for both teaching and learning in higher education.
Part 2 : The current compatibility of AI policy in higher education and the practice of students.
Part 3 : How reliable is GenAI for both teaching and learning in higher education ? Will it go beyond its role as an assistance ?
Q&A

Speakers

Chair: Juliette Lee, LSE Student

Prof. Dr. Sven Nyholm: Professor of Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, Principal Investigator of AI Ethics at the Munich Center for Machine Learning, and co-editor of the journal Science and Engineering Ethics. His research and teaching encompass applied ethics (particularly, but not exclusively, ethics of artificial intelligence), practical philosophy, and philosophy of technology. https://www.philosophie.lmu.de/en/directory-of-persons/contact-page/sven-nyholm-4f56fa3b.html
Dr Ella McPherson: Associate Professor of the Sociology of New Media and Digital Technology, the Anthony L. Lyster Fellow in Sociology at Queens’ College, and Co-Director of the Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CGHR). She leads the research theme on human rights in the digital age. https://research.sociology.cam.ac.uk/profile/dr-ella-mcpherson
Dr Casey Kearney: Assistant Professor (Education) at the School of Public Policy at LSE, where he teaches Data Science for Public Policy. Before joining the School of Public Policy, he was a visiting fellow at the Centre for International Studies in the LSE Department of International Relations. He is also a part of the research team of LSE’s GENIAL (Generative AI Tools as a Catalyst for Learning) Project. https://www.lse.ac.uk/school-of-public-policy/people/Casey-Kearney

Project Outputs

Educatorspolicyguide.pdf

Learnerstoolkit.pdf

Workshop: AI Policy Frameworks in Higher Education: Redefining Integrity, Pedagogy, and Governance

In this in-person workshop, our student-led panel discussed the following questions:

How can universities co-create AI policies that support student learning, uphold academic integrity, and ensure fair governance?
How can curriculum and assessment be redesigned within the resource constraints of universities?
How can university libraries use AI to make data more accessible?

The real highlight? A collaborative workshop where LSE and CEU students, faculty, and professional services staff worked side-by-side on real-world ethical AI dilemmas.