Regulatory Framework for Generative AI adoption in Higher Education

There is growing evidence and concerns that the evolvement of generative AI would have significant impact on the overall quality of higher education especially in ensuring high education standards are met without compromising.

The advancement of AI foundation models into more advance but user-friendly tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and others have helped in the increasing adoption and usage of GenAI tools in higher education for teaching, learning and research. The innovative tools of GenAI are applicable to almost the facets of teaching, learning and research. Yet, there are no clear ethical guidelines for its usage and adoption in higher education sector among educators and learners. The GenAI innovation are powerful tool capable of enhancing teaching, learning, and research because of it speed and higher degree of acceptance and possible accuracy of it. However, there are general concerns about it impacts on academic standards, because of its capability of disrupting the traditional means of assessing students' attainment of learning outcomes through various means of assessments and research. The innovation of GenAI in higher education should be of concern to many of the stakeholders including, educators, learners, HE senior managers, researchers, AI experts, and other higher education regulators (office of the student OFS and quality assurance agency QAA). There is need to regulate the use and adoption of generative AI tools in Higher Education to facilitate teaching and learning and research without compromising standards.

The primary goal of this project is to develop an ethical framework for the responsible adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in higher education institutions across the United Kingdom. The framework aims to guide the implementation of generative AI technologies while ensuring ethical considerations, transparency, and high academic standards. The tools will aim to regulate adoption and usage of generative AI tools such as, ChatGPT, Claude and other similar tools for teaching and learning and research in UK higher institutions. The proposed framework tool would be usable in forming ethical guidance over the usage of generative AI tools by educators and students. University, colleges, and other tertiary institutions could benefit from this research as it explores development of a smart tool that is applicable in guiding the most efficient way of adopting and using generative AI across higher education activities such as, teaching, assessment, feedback, and meeting learning outcomes etc.