Practical AI education for the higher education sector

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.

I spent seventeen years in the UK higher education team at Pearson, most recently as Director of Product Management and Content Strategy, so I'm very familiar with the sector and the challenges it faces.

For universities, I offer a similar set of workshops, training, consulting and speaking to those you will find on the Services page, designed specifically around higher education needs and use cases. This may include using AI in assessment, designing curriculum and creating learning materials.

The majority of my work with higher education institutions is with teaching staff. They are the ones best placed to teach students how to use AI within their own disciplines, so building their capability first is usually the most effective way to reach students. However, I have also run student sessions when an institution wants them, including delivering training to almost a thousand master's students at a single business school.

For other higher education clients, such as EdTech companies and service providers, I also offer AI workshops, training, consulting and speaking, designed bespoke for your organisation.