On September 12, the first meeting of the project “Policies and Practices on Generative Artificial Intelligence in University Education” (EdU-InA), funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities in the call “RD+i Generation of Knowledge”, was held. This initial meeting was held virtually and was attended by all members of the project.
During the meeting, participants had the opportunity to meet each other, review the project objectives, assign responsibilities and start the planned activities. The project, which will run between 2025 and 2027, is coordinated by Cristina Mercader and Aleix Barrera-Corominas, professors at the Center for Research and Studies for Organizational Development at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).
Since the popularization of ChatGPT in late 2022, the applications and uses of generative artificial intelligence have grown exponentially, posing a significant challenge for the educational field. The EdU-InA project aims to explore how generative artificial intelligence can be integrated into university education, a topic that has not yet been thoroughly researched in Spain and has few empirical studies internationally.
The project’s contribution is set out on two levels:
- Helping teachers to make the most of generative AI for their teaching, adapting curricula and assessment activities to the real needs of the labour market.
- Helping university leaders to adapt institutions and prepare future professionals to effectively integrate generative AI, based on research and not on expectations, fears or misconceptions.
To achieve these objectives, EdU-InA is specified in two general and seven specific objectives, which include the analysis of educational practices and policies on the implementation of generative AI in university education. The project methodology combines quantitative and qualitative data, collected through surveys, interviews, focus groups and documentary analysis in six Spanish universities: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Vigo, Universidad de León and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
In short, EdU-InA will contribute to the digital transformation of higher education by understanding the uses of generative AI and understanding opinions and policies on its effective, ethical and equitable integration.
