Biography
Biography pending.
Conference contributions 2
THE FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION SURPRISINGLY (NON-)ARTIFICIAL
UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) find themselves in a seemingly existential crisis. Facing a spiralling decline in international recruitment already, the advance of generative AI (GenAI) disrupts and threatens traditional HEIs. Institutions and leaders struggle to a consistent and coherent response. Reactive "more of the same" or aggressive cost-cutting and staff reductions, are simply admitting defeat. Simultaneously deflecting accountability onto allegedly unforeseeable global instability and obstructive policymaking does not address the problem of a value proposition undermined by reality. This conceptual paper examines the underlying structural nature of this crisis and its impact on UK HEIs. Moving beyond superficial defence, this paper argues that while macroeconomics and geopolitics have undeniably disrupted domestic campuses, the true vulnerability lies with denial and resistance to change. Absence of strategic thinking on matters of internationalisation, institutions devoid of bold leadership became exposed to a perfect storm. Failing to proactively engage with GenAI and human intelligence, holding on to outdated concepts combined with a rapidly unravelling prerequisite for current internationalisation patterns HEIs find themselves in a desperate struggle for survival. The paper concludes offering a series of interventions for UK HEIs. Institutions must completely rethink their core value proposition. The future of higher education is argued to be surprisingly (non-)artificial. Survival hinges on a deliberate return to deep, human-centric, and relational education combined with sound strategy and decision making. Cultivating uniquely human capacities such as ethical judgment, criticality, reflexivity, and collaborative development universities can reclaim their distinct value in a world increasingly shaped by AI.
AI IS (NOT) THE PROBLEM HOW UNIVERSITIES LOST THEIR AUDIENCE
After panic-induced return to in person exams and increased AI policing, it appears Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)are ready to raise the white flag of surrender. No credible attempt appears to be made to genuinely question the value proposition of a university education in the 21st Century. While the silver lining of a Covid vaccine spurred vocal "back to the classroom" movements, the rise of Generative AI (GenAI) again sees HEIs ignoring their own teachings and increasingly desperate efforts to maintain the classroom and essay comfort zone for academics that have seemingly forgotten the crucial nature of their role. A global pandemic or technological advancements are not just disruptors or an inconvenience, they have become catalysts for cataclysmic change that forces HEIs at all levels to reframe their value to an increasingly critical audience. By illustrating the many failures of the higher education business this paper demonstrates that institutional disengagement, credentialism, and the commodification of degrees alienated the audience long before GenAI. The paper proposes to abandon assembly line transactionality where students rightfully utilise GenAI to fulfil bureaucratic mandates. Instead, a return to transformative experiences that embed GenAI as a component the learner can critically engage with. Continued deflection away from failed strategic leadership only delays rebuilding a transformative, collaborative scholarship experience which GenAI cannot simulate.