AI and Academic Practice

Designed for university staff, this course supports professionals responding thoughtfully and responsibly to the growing use of generative AI in higher education. Participants will explore how AI is reshaping teaching, assessment, academic writing, feedback and student learning, and consider what these changes mean for their own professional practice.

Through current research, critical discussion and practice-based reflection, participants will develop the ability to evaluate AI-related issues and make informed decisions in their own teaching or assessment contexts. The course focuses on practical, context-sensitive responses to AI, with particular attention to pedagogy, assessment, authorship, responsibility and meaningful learning.

To view the module descriptor, please visit Programme Specifications and Module Descriptors 

 

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for university staff who:

• Are involved in teaching, assessment, feedback or student learning within higher education
• Encounter generative AI in their teaching, assessment or wider academic practice
• Want to develop informed, context-sensitive responses to the opportunities and challenges presented by generative AI
• Wish to critically consider issues including authorship, academic writing, assessment design and pedagogical responsibility
• Want to reflect on how generative AI relates to their own professional and disciplinary context

 

Why take this course?

Generative AI is rapidly becoming embedded in higher education, creating new questions about how teaching, assessment, academic writing and student learning should evolve. For university staff, responding effectively requires more than deciding whether AI should be permitted or restricted; it requires informed judgement about how it affects academic practice within different professional and disciplinary contexts.

This course provides an opportunity to critically examine these changes and consider appropriate responses to emerging challenges around authorship, assessment, pedagogical responsibility and meaningful learning. By engaging with current research, institutional discourse and practice-based debates, participants will strengthen their ability to make context-sensitive professional decisions about generative AI and consider how responsible approaches can be developed within their own practice.

 

What you will learn

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Critically evaluate current research, institutional perspectives and specialist debates surrounding generative AI in higher education
• Analyse how generative AI is affecting academic writing, authorship, assessment and pedagogical practice within their own professional and disciplinary context
• Develop and justify appropriate responses to generative AI in teaching and assessment, drawing on relevant research and professional knowledge
• Apply informed judgement when addressing complex ethical and professional issues associated with generative AI in higher education
• Use critical reflection to consider how AI-related decisions can support responsible and context-sensitive academic practice

 

How you will learn

The course combines scheduled teaching with guided independent study, giving participants opportunities to engage with current research, explore specialist debates and critically reflect on the implications of generative AI for academic practice. Class materials and resources for guided independent activities will be provided by the lecturer to support participants throughout the course.

The course comprises 200 learning hours, including 36 hours of scheduled teaching and 164 hours of independent study. This structure provides substantial scope for participants to explore issues relevant to their own professional and disciplinary context and apply their learning through critical reflection on practice.

 

Course content

• Generative AI in higher education

Explore current research, institutional discourse and specialist debates surrounding the use and implications of generative AI in higher education.

• AI and academic practice

Examine how generative AI is changing academic literacies, authorship, assessment and pedagogical practice across different professional and disciplinary contexts.

• Assessment and authorship

Consider the challenges generative AI creates for assessment and authorship, and how academic practice can respond thoughtfully to these developments.

• Pedagogical responsibility

Explore the implications of AI for teaching and learning, including questions of responsibility and the role of professional judgement.

• Critical and ethical practice

Engage with complex ethical and professional issues and develop informed approaches to using and responding to generative AI within higher education.

• Responding to AI in practice

Apply critical reflection and specialised knowledge to develop context-sensitive pedagogical or assessment responses relevant to your own professional practice.

 

Assessment

Assessment is centred on a 3,000-word portfolio that asks participants to analyse one aspect of their own practice in relation to generative AI. The portfolio will draw on relevant research and use critical reflection to propose a context-sensitive response relating to pedagogy or assessment.

This practice-focused approach enables participants to connect research and specialist knowledge with the realities of their own professional context, while developing their ability to analyse complex issues, justify informed decisions and consider appropriate responses to generative AI in higher education.

 

Applying your learning

Throughout the course, you will:

• Connect current research and specialist knowledge with questions arising from your own academic practice
• Critically reflect on how generative AI is affecting teaching, assessment and academic practice in your professional context
• Consider complex ethical and professional issues and use informed judgement when evaluating possible responses
• Develop and justify approaches that are appropriate to your own professional and disciplinary context

You will leave with:

• Greater confidence in critically evaluating developments in generative AI and their implications for higher education
• The ability to make more informed, context-sensitive professional decisions about AI
• Practical experience of connecting research and critical reflection with your own practice
• Stronger capability to respond thoughtfully to AI-related challenges in teaching and assessment
• A deeper understanding of the ethical and professional responsibilities associated with generative AI in higher education

 

Entry requirements

There are no formal prerequisite modules for this course.

It is designed for university staff working in higher education who want to critically engage with the implications of generative AI for their professional practice. Participants should be prepared to study at SCQF Level 11 and undertake substantial independent study alongside scheduled teaching.

 

Certification

Upon successful completion, participants will be awarded 20 credits at SCQF Level 11.

These credits may contribute towards further postgraduate study at the University of the West of Scotland, where appropriate and in accordance with University regulations.

 

Sector and workforce relevance

Generative AI is creating significant changes across higher education, with implications for academic writing, authorship, assessment, teaching and pedagogical practice. For university staff, understanding these developments is increasingly important when making professional decisions about how AI should be considered within their own teaching and assessment contexts.

This course reflects current professional practice by bringing together research, institutional discourse and specialist debates on generative AI in higher education. Its focus on critical reflection, ethical and professional judgement, and context-sensitive responses enables participants to consider the implications of AI for their own disciplinary and professional practice.

 

NOTE: This is a university module and upon approval of your application, you will be invited to register and then supported to complete enrolment. To enrol on the university system, the first step involves security set-up using the Microsoft Authenticator app; you will need to ensure that you have a compatible smartphone.

Further enrolment information is available at the Student Information Portal.

To access this module via the CPD route, individuals should be ordinarily resident in Scotland.