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Teaching & Learning

GenAI in Learning, Teaching and Assessment

 

AI’s impact in higher education depends on pedagogy, mediation, and purpose  rather than technology alone

(Based on Noroozi, O., et al., 2025). 

As Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools have become increasingly accessible, powerful, and widely used, higher education institutions, policymakers, and governments have sought to establish ethical, responsible, and pedagogically informed approaches to their use. At the international level, regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI Act (2024), alongside guidance from organisations including the OECD (2026) and UNESCO (2023), have emphasised the need to balance innovation with responsibility. In Ireland, the Government (2025), QQI (2023), and the HEA (2025a, 2025b, 2025c) have similarly promoted approaches that enable new opportunities for learning while safeguarding academic integrity, equity, transparency, and learner agency.

Keeping a continuous awareness of both the opportunities and risks associated with Generative AI (GenAI), TU Dublin supports a critical, pedagogically grounded, and ethically responsible approach to its use in teaching, learning, and assessment. As GenAI technologies continue to evolve, 
they are reshaping many aspects of higher education and raising important questions about curriculum design, assessment practices, academic integrity, disciplinary ways of knowing, and the student learning experience. In this context, lecturers are encouraged to make thoughtful, evidence-informed decisions about how, when, and why GenAI should be used in ways that align with learning outcomes, educational values, and the needs of their discipline.
Universities play a pivotal role in addressing contemporary societal challenges and shaping future social, cultural, and economic development. 
To fulfil this responsibility, higher education institutions must continually reflect on how they prepare students for a world characterised by uncertainty, rapid technological innovation, and ongoing social change. Beyond developing disciplinary expertise, graduates increasingly require the ability to think critically, act ethically, evaluate information, and adapt to new contexts and technologies. 
These capacities are particularly important as emerging technologies, such as GenAI tools, continue to shape how people learn, work, create, and engage with information, making the ability to engage with these technologies thoughtfully, critically, and responsibly, not just with technical proficiency, an increasingly important component of academic, professional, and civic participation.

The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Generative AI (GenAI) in particular, represents a significant technological development, sometimes compared to the advent of the internet in its potential to reshape how knowledge is produced, accessed, and communicated. However, the educational implications of these technologies are not predetermined. Rather, they will be shaped by how institutions respond to their opportunities and challenges. A key responsibility of higher education is therefore to equip students with the capacity to engage critically and responsibly with GenAI by developing an informed understanding of its possibilities, limitations, risks, ethical considerations, and environmental impacts. This includes enabling students to evaluate when, why, and whether the use of GenAI is appropriate. By fostering such a balanced and critical approach, higher education can support students in making informed decisions about GenAI both during their studies and throughout their personal and professional lives.