Durham University Business School
Keynote and panel at its generative AI teaching and learning conference, September 2026.
AI for the higher education sector
From a former Director at Pearson UK Higher Education,
with over twenty years in the education industry.
Strategy
Workshops
Training
Speaking
Why AI education matters in higher education
Students are already using AI in their studies, whether anyone has taught them how to use it well or not. That creates a problem for the sector, because many staff have not had sufficient AI training themselves.
AI is here to stay, whether you agree with it or not. The providers that serve higher education are building AI into their products and services, and powerful AI tools are now freely available to any student.
I believe AI has the potential to bring positive change to the sector and to help it overcome some of the many challenges it faces. AI is changing assessment and access to knowledge, and it can take some routine tasks off staff workloads, freeing up time for more face-to-face engagement with students.
Taking advantage of the opportunities AI presents relies on everyone working in the sector, whether they teach students or provide the products and services that support them, having a solid understanding of what the tools are, how to use them, and what they can and cannot do. That is where AI education comes in.
Some questions the sector is facing
- Where should we be on AI in twelve months, and how do we get there?
- What training do our staff need, and how do we scale it?
- Does our AI policy hold up in practice?
- How should AI be integrated into the curriculum?
- How do we meaningfully redesign assessment?
- How does AI change the skills students will need in the workplace?
Examples of higher education clients
University of Exeter Business School
AI training for staff, delivered through in-person workshops and an online course.
Bayes Business School, City St George's
In-person AI training for all MSc students.
Chartered Association of Business Schools
In-person workshops as part of the Leaders in Learning and Teaching programme.
Exeter, Bayes and Chartered Association of Business Schools work delivered with Dixon AI
How I work with universities
I spent seventeen years in the UK higher education team at Pearson, most recently as Director of Product Management and Content Strategy, so I know the sector and the challenges it faces.
Most of my work with universities is with teaching staff, because they are the ones best placed to teach students how to use AI within their own disciplines. Every piece of work is shaped to the institution, and the usual starting point is a leadership session or a conversation about where you are now.
My work also covers
- The teams that run the university, from student services to finance and HR
- Keynotes and panels at sector conferences and events
Staff capability programmes
Across a semester or a year, for an institution or faculty: an audit of current capability, a series of hands-on workshops covering AI capability and limitations, using it safely, redesigning assessment, creating learning materials and use cases by discipline, coupled with regular drop-in clinics, leadership updates and a comprehensive summary with next steps.
AI capability audits
A comprehensive survey and interviews with key staff, covering how AI is being used, the opportunities, and the challenges and blockers, presented back in a detailed report on where you stand and what to do next.
Leadership sessions
A day or a half-day workshop with an institution's or school's leadership team exploring the opportunities and the challenges AI brings for your programmes and your staff, and what to do in the next twelve months. An ideal starting point.
Ongoing AI advice
Working closely with a school, faculty or leadership team over time, as a partner and consultant: policy, assessment, licensing decisions, staff training sessions, and regular updates on how AI is changing and what it means for you.
Student AI literacy
Practical sessions for a cohort or programme that help students use AI well and responsibly in their studies and prepare for a workplace that expects AI skills, from a guest lecture or presentation to a series of workshops.
- years in education
- 20+
- sessions
- 100+
- people trained
- 2,500+
- client organisations
- 30+
Start with a conversation.
What is working elsewhere in the sector, and what your institution should do next.