The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in higher education such as ChatGPT has quickly rose to global attention in 2022, as they have offered an intriguing combination of opportunities to support and enhance learning, whilst at the same time raising major concerns around academic integrity, privacy, bias and ethics of use. In response to these challenges and opportunities, APRU in 2023 launched the Generative AI in Higher Education project under the Future of University Working Group to facilitate discussions on how to leverage the new technology to shape the future of higher education. The project has been generally supported by Microsoft while Professor Simon Bates, Vice Provost and Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning at The University of British Columbia was appointed as the project academic lead. The project has been delivered in two phases: Phase I, implemented from September to December 2023, gathered case studies from APRU member institutions to form a baseline snapshot of the various ways that generative AI tools are being used to support educational delivery and institutional operations. Phase II, implemented throughout 2024, encompassed the following three workshops: Sensemaking Workshop – March 14-15, 2024 (virtually) Report Foresight Workshop – June 13-14, 2024 (in-person at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) Report Creative Sandbox – August 15-16, 2024 (virtually) Report Drawing on the findings and insights from these workshops, a Whitepaper was published in January 2025. All project activities—including abstracts of the case studies—are documented in the final Project Report published in February 2025.  News Articles: [University World News] White Paper Offers HE a Balanced Plan for AI Engagement [APRU] Transforming Higher Education: APRU Publishes Generative AI Whitepaper and Project Report

In response to the growing interest in generative AI and its transformative impact on higher education, the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) recently published a comprehensive whitepaper along with a project report, detailing the outcomes of an 18-month project Generative AI in Higher Education, supported by Microsoft. Whitepaper Framework The whitepaper, titled “Generative AI in Higher Education: Current Practices and Ways Forward,”  was released in January 2025. It was authored by Professor Danny Liu from The University of Sydney and Professor Simon Bates, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning, The University of British Columbia, who also served as the academic lead for the project. The work aims to serve as a roadmap for institutions to develop comprehensive AI strategies that align with their core educational values. The authors developed the ‘CRAFT’ framework, outlining five interdependent elements essential for successful AI integration:  Culture represents both the greatest challenge and opportunity, requiring institutions to rethink their role in an AI-enabled world. Rules must evolve from restrictive policies to enabling frameworks that encourage innovation while ensuring ethical governance. Access remains a critical equity issue, as AI risks exacerbating existing digital divides without deliberate interventions to ensure equitable access to tools, infrastructure, and support. Familiarity emphasizes the need for systematic development of AI literacy among all stakeholders. Trust is identified as the foundation for progress, requiring transparency, collaboration, and demonstrated value across all levels of engagement. The whitepaper calls for immediate, sector-wide action, proposing two key priorities: Formation of collaborative clusters to foster cooperation among universities in areas such as AI application development, assessment redesign, and faculty training. Elevation of students as partners through peer networks, ambassador programs, and co-design initiatives. The authors stress that success will require fundamental transformation rather than incremental adaptation. APRU Generative AI Project The whitepaper is a main output of the Generative AI in Higher Education project  launched in 2023 under APRU’s Future of University Working Group. The project aimed to explore the ways that generative AI can shape the future of higher education. The final report of the project, titled “Future Universities in a Generative AI World: Navigating Disruption to Direction” was published in February 2025, providing a narrative of the activities and workshop methodologies. Over 18 months until December 2024, the project brought together over 70 participants, including academic experts, educators, students, and industry representatives, who contributed case studies, attended workshops, and provided strategic advice. It was delivered in two phases, with Phase I (September-December 2023) collecting 33 case studies from APRU member universities and partner institutions to map the current use of generative AI in education and institutional operations. Phase II was implemented throughout 2024 including three workshops: Sensemaking Workshop (virtual) in March, Foresight Workshop in June hosted at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and Creative Sandbox session (virtual) in August. These workshops provided a platform for participants to share practices, envision long-term futures, and identify critical considerations for institutions preparing for an AI-enabled world. The whitepaper and final project report compile the outcomes of these workshops and summarize the case studies. “We trust the whitepaper will influence policies and support decision-making, thereby promoting a broader reimagination of universities as we enter the second quarter of the 21st century,” APRU Chief Executive Thomas Schneider said.   Related Article: White Paper Offers HE a Balanced Plan for AI Engagement

Amid explosive interest in generative AI and rising concern about its impact on higher education, the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) this week published a white paper on the future of generative AI in higher education as part of APRU’s “University of the Future” initiative. The 18-month project, backed by Microsoft, set up a network within APRU’s 60 member universities in Asia, the Pacific, North and South America, to gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges generative AI (genAI) poses for higher education and identify ways to address knowledge gaps. GenAI tools, such as ChatGPT and DALL.E2, swiftly produce content, including text and images, that can be difficult to distinguish from human-produced content. “Universities are currently grappling with these implications, and medium- and longer-term strategies will require a better shared understanding of these tools: how they work and how to balance risks and benefits,” said APRU Chief Executive Thomas Schneider. This article is part of a series on Pacific Rim higher education and research issues published by University World News and supported by the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. University World News is solely responsible for the editorial content. “Higher education is now at a stage where it needs to transition to a holistic, supported, and scaffolded approach to generative AI adoption,” the white paper notes, pointing to a “cautious and somewhat piecemeal approach to generative AI” so far. The project’s academic lead, Simon Bates, vice-provost and associate vice-president, teaching and learning at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, told University World News the aim was to “take a pulse check in a point in time” of how APRU universities are coming to terms with the implications of these tools, the impact on higher education, and to get universities thinking about the future. Going beyond statements of principle Initially, when OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other generative AI (genAI) tools were released in late 2022, many universities made statements on genAI use, but few went further than that. “There’s a big gap between those principles and practical actions, whether in teaching and learning or university business processes or research,” Bates said. “This white paper aims to support this next stage” – with a balanced plan of action for institutions. “At the same time as embracing the tools, we have to be deliberate about protecting elements of the teaching and learning experience, the same for graduate students with the research experience, that should not be short-circuited,” said Bates. “Getting that balance right will be the big challenge for universities in the next few years.” Larry Nelson, Microsoft’s Asia regional business leader for education, said that because “AI has been around and integrated into a lot of things that we already do, combined with the introduction of ChatGPT, the importance of generative AI and AI in education is uniquely profound”. He pointed to a need to work with universities. “We often overestimate the short-term impact of some of these innovations and changes and underestimate the long-term impact,” he told University World News. “So much of the innovation has taken place in universities; it makes a lot of sense to get involved, get engaged, and partner [with universities] around that.” he added. CRAFT Framework Danny Liu, professor of educational technologies, University of Sydney, Australia, authored the white paper, titled “Generative AI in Higher Education: Current practices and ways forward”. “Universities were stuck in inaction. They didn’t quite know where to start,” Liu told University World News. The white paper devised the CRAFT framework based on literature reviews and feedback from several APRU-organised workshops. It covers five key elements: culture, rules, access, familiarity, and trust to help universities assess their current state and identify next steps in each of these areas. For responsible integration of genAI into education, research, and operations, universities need a balance of rules, access, and familiarity (with genAI tools). A lack of one or more of these may lead to ethical, privacy, security, or other challenges, according to the white paper. These are underpinned by ensuring trust between students, educators, leadership, and partners such as industry, government, the community, and AI itself. All these aspects must be part of the local and regional culture of the institutions. “We think all five elements (of CRAFT) are essential,” said Liu. “There are universities that are progressing better in terms of the rules, or access, or familiarity. But no university is up there for all five,” he noted. Trust can be built via rules on responsible use of AI. But, for example, rules barring staff from using AI to mark student work would not work, Liu explained, “because it would break the trust between the faculty and students”. Students should be central to any discussions around rules, according to the white paper. “They are engaged, eager for guidance, and fully aware of how important proficiency with these tools is going to be as they move through and beyond their time at university.” A culture of genAI acceptance and use Developing trust, as opposed to eroding it with AI use, “helps, over time, to build culture and change culture” around technology acceptance and use, Liu pointed out. Or as the white paper puts it: “Do we have a culture that looks far enough into the future so that we are preparing ourselves and our students for a radically transformed environment?” Liu noted: “The future is generally positive, as long as we can shift the culture of higher education. It depends on whether we can help people to change their mindsets from locking down, restricting, banning, and being scared of genAI, to thinking: it’s here, our students are using it, it’s available for us to use.” The report suggests that those from emerging economies may have a stronger cultural acceptance of technology as it may be perceived as a route towards economic progress and advancement. Experimentation in a safe environment Michelle Banawan, professor at the Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines, attended the workshops that fed into the white paper, which she also peer reviewed. The paper “establishes a framework based on varying perspectives of developed countries and developing countries, so it’s really inclusive”, she told University World News. It is not just a guide but includes benchmarks for policymaking, formulating pedagogies in higher education, or doing research, she added. “It encourages us to explore, to encourage co-creation and experimentation, even when we do not have established use cases yet,” she said. “But the approach by which the university is trying to learn and to experiment is a ‘best practice’ in itself.” UBC adopted a “creative sandbox” approach that encourages faculty and others to experiment with genAI, a practice the White Paper says other universities should consider adopting. Bates explained: “At UBC, we recognised that faculty need time and space to be able to experiment with these tools, to understand in a safe environment where they don’t need to worry about data security or intellectual property [IP], to see how, where, and if they [the tools] would fit within their courses and curriculum.” It allowed “access to multiple LLMs [large language models] in a secure way, so the IP that faculty might put in their lecture notes or readings doesn’t go back into the model. We also diverted innovation funding to support experimentation in generative AI projects”, he said. Need for balance But the workshops also found that for all the good genAI tools can bring, “there are also things we might inadvertently lose in universities by going too far and too fast down this road”, Bates pointed out, noting unintended consequences were also observed with other technology-driven shifts such as the spread of social media or the shift online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Universities need to recognise “the capabilities of these tools for supporting and personalising learning at scale that even the best teachers cannot do, but equally have to balance that with the very strong desire for human interaction and connection to support learning. Defining that balance is the task for universities”. Nelson pointed to “driving a personalised learning experience in a way that doesn’t eliminate the teacher, the faculty, but helps streamline and create more time and space for them to add value where they add it most, which is working with students and delivering content and resources. A curriculum that extends scholarship is something that an AI platform has some potential to deliver”. Nelson added: “These are tools that companies are looking for their employees to know how to use. So, being thoughtful about figuring out the right ways in which they can be integrated into our curriculum and integrated into the way students learn and teach around that, and build critical thinking skills in terms of how we use them, is important.” Cognitive offloading GenAI can make learning seem frictionless, but real understanding and mastery of any discipline requires effort and practice, which is something universities of the future must address. In September 2024 OpenAI introduced the latest genAI model, the o1-Strawberry model. “It’s a cognition model that corrects itself and thinks about its thought processes,” said Banawan. “Universities are now trying to address ‘cognitive offloading’, where students put all the thinking into this technology. We wanted students to be aware of how they think. “Students need to develop a nuanced view of not only how to use these tools to support learning but when not to rely on them: using them productively whilst avoiding unhelpful cognitive offloading and potential over-reliance,” the white paper states. An area to explore further with universities, according to Nelson, was “the science of learning itself, and how AI can inform, improve, or advance that, addressing some of the concerns around ‘cognitive offloading’ that may come through the overuse of AI in some cases”. Importance of collaboration The white paper notes that “collaboration within and between institutions will be a key to future success for the sector. This could be regional in scope or focused on particular issues of generative AI adoption and application”. Liu noted that collaboration with AI-aligned industry and those at the forefront, like Microsoft, was important. “They have the connectivity, the clouds, and the foresight to see where technology is headed, and they can only succeed if they work with us, and we can only succeed if we work with them,” he said. Christina Schönleber, APRU’s chief strategy officer, said: “Amid the transformative impact of generative AI on higher education, fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration in this safe space is more crucial than ever. By continuing to engage university leaders, educators, and students in the region with technology providers and industry partners, we can develop equitable AI solutions that cater to diverse institutional needs. “These collaborative efforts not only support effective AI adoption but also aim to ensure that our educational systems remain resilient, innovative, and beneficial for the entire academic community.”

APRU’s latest Foresight Workshop at HKUST brought together over 40+ experts and practitioners to foster effective and responsible AI frameworks in higher education   The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) has made significant strides toward advancing the integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education. Considering the rapidly advancing nature of generative AI tools, an international project, “The Future of Generative AI in Education”, has been initiated with the support of the industry leader Microsoft. This initiative offers a comprehensive perspective to showcase opportunities, challenges, and gaps in adapting generative AI in education. It aims to identify solutions to forge a future-ready, transparent AI framework for universities. In collaboration with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the Foresight Workshop was successfully held on their campus on 13-14 June 2024. The event attracted over 40 international academic experts, key practitioners specialising in generative AI and education, university students, and education technology start-ups. Through a meticulous and collaborative process, various future scenarios were developed to provide members of the education industry with insights into the multifaceted opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in the realm of AI integration within higher education. “At APRU, we recognise the common challenges and resource disparities that some universities encounter,” said Dr Simon Bates, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice President, Teaching and Learning at the University of British Columbia, Academic Lead for the APRU “Generative AI in Education” project. “Our focus is on cultivating vibrant communities of sharing and learning, and fostering collaboration among institutions. With the growing uptake of widely available generative AI tools in higher education, now is the opportune moment to leverage this collaboration to develop adoption frameworks that empower institutions to embrace a tech-forward tomorrow, supporting a workforce that’s future ready.” Dr. Simon Bates leads the research team to explore integration of generative AI tools into academic offerings in higher education. Over the two-day Foresight Workshop, participants engaged in creative, future-orientated discussions and deliberations, including an introduction to the strategic foresight approach, presentations outlining key findings, and parallel sessions to project future trends and emerging innovations. Future models were crafted by attendees, such as ‘personalised university’, where students were paired with AI tutors, receiving tailored guidance and support throughout their learning journey. The collaborative sessions also anticipated a shift of research from individual institutions to globally distributed networks, fostering cooperation and advancing ambitious projects with the aid of AI. These models and scenarios offer a glimpse into how generative AI could revolutionise some of the key aspects of higher education in the future. “At HKUST, we emphasise the crucial role of cross-institutional collaboration and knowledge sharing to fully understand the impact of generative AI in higher education. As a leader in embracing GenAI, we have been at the forefront of exploring how this technology influences various aspects of teaching and learning, including assessment and curriculum design, teaching practices, student engagement, cognitive impacts, and professional development,” said Dr. Sean McMinn, Director of HKUST Center for Education Innovation. “The APRU workshop is pivotal in this endeavour, allowing us to share our experiences and learn from others. HKUST has actively contributed cases to the workshop and conducted internal initiatives through our Education and Generative Artificial Intelligence (EDGE-AI) funded projects.” “This workshop serves as an exciting and concerted effort for universities to exchange insights as it will empower universities to address the challenges on the integration of generative AI and upskilling individuals, seize this opportunity for innovation, and navigate the ever-evolving landscape of AI in education and research,” said Dr Catherine Zhou, Teaching Associate at the Office of the Dean of Engineering, HKUST. Left: Dr. Sean McMinn leads innovative teaching and learning strategies at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s Center for Education Innovation. Right: Dr. Catherine Zhou’s research and teaching interests include research ethics and integrity, as well as student-centred learning. The ‘The Future of Generative AI in Education’ initiative encompasses multiple phases. By the end of 2023, over 30 case studies across the APRU network were compiled, illustrating the diverse ways generative AI tools support learning, teaching, and institutional functions. The initiative’s second phase commenced with a Sensemaking Workshop held on 14-15 March 2024, where common patterns and trends across case studies were further identified to inform effective strategies for adoption. Building on the resounding success of the 2024 Foresight Workshop, APRU is delighted to announce the upcoming virtual Creative Sandbox later this year in August 2024. This event will delve into the critical issues and promising solutions identified during the workshop. By the end of 2024, a final project white paper will be crafted, synthesising original insights from all materials and workshops. This white paper aims to provide comprehensive understanding of AI to support university leaders, faculty, students, and administrators across Asia-Pacific in understanding and potentially adopting emerging best practices at different levels of institutional readiness.

An APRU delegation comprised of APRU Chief Executive Prof. Thomas Schneider and APRU Senior Director, Network and Student Programs Adriana Rojas participated in the IFE Conference by Tecnológico de Monterrey’s Institute for the Future of Education (IFE) in January, sharing APRU’s vision for a push to adopt new technologies in international education. Themed “Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” the event brought together world-class educational leaders, entrepreneurs, and top international experts to discuss the growing use of artificial intelligence in higher education. In a keynote panel, Prof. Schneider stressed the need to prioritize online internationalization in universities’ strategic plans and highlighted the benefits and challenges of making global collaboration in online internationalization complement traditional mobility. Although online internationalization is a constant conversation topic in discussions with APRU member universities, Prof. Schneider noted that only a small minority of APRU members have made the topic a key plank in their strategic plans. Prof. Schneider commended The Chinese University of Hong Kong for pledging to become a leader in pedagogical innovation in e-learning; The University of Adelaide for advocating for a significant expansion of blended and online pedagogies; and The University of Queensland for promising to develop fully online offerings to a broader range of domestic and international student markets. “Online participation can greatly increase the scope of programs that include traditional forms of in-person mobility and add efficiency and flexibility in terms of timing and reduced cost and wider access to courses offered internationally to those who cannot afford mobility, while also reducing emissions,” Prof. Thomas Schneider said. “While online internationalization cannot replace the experience of an extensive stay abroad, it defines a different paradigm of internationalization that reflects the technological capabilities of the 21st century.” Prof. Schneider took the opportunity to highlight online internationalization’s key role in APRU’s virtual student exchanges, courses offered as part of APRU’s thematic programs, mentorship programs, as well as simulations and competitions. In 2023 these virtual APRU events involved 2,265 students. The IFE Conference is seen as the most prominent educational innovation congress in the Spanish-speaking world. With over 250 scheduled activities, it provided a unique space for learning, collaboration, and innovation. More than 170 educational research and innovation projects from 30 countries were received. The IFE Conference was accompanied by a range of complementary events, such as the Artificial Intelligence in Education Summit, the IFE EdTech Summit, and the Cyber-Physical Learning Alliance.

The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) is launching an initiative on generative AI to facilitate discussions on how to leverage the new technology to shape the future of higher education amidst booming interests and rising concerns. The project is supported by Microsoft. Themed “Generative AI in Education: Opportunities, Challenges and Future Directions in Asia and the Pacific”, the new multi-phase project will establish a network of APRU stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges that generative AI will have on higher education, and to identify solutions which address the knowledge gaps with a specific focus on equity and inclusion. As the first phase of the project, APRU is gathering case studies illustrating the ways that generative AI tools support education delivery, broader student experience and other institutional functions from all 60 member universities. Subsequently, APRU will carry out thematic workshops and establish a platform for sharing insights and data with stakeholders. The project’s academic lead is Professor Simon Bates, Vice Provost and Associate Vice President, Teaching and Learning at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The launch is timely, given that generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and DALL.E2, are now widely available and capable of rapid production of various types of new content, including text and images that can be difficult to distinguish from human-produced content. While these tools offer ample opportunities to enhance learning, they also raise concerns around academic integrity, privacy, bias, and ethics of use. “Universities are currently grappling with these implications, and medium- and longer-term strategies will require a better shared understanding of these tools: how they work and how to balance risks and benefits,” said APRU Chief Executive Professor Thomas Schneider. “The new APRU project will attempt to reimagine learning assisted by AI and to ideate potential solutions and tools that can support the APRU universities and their key stakeholders as they navigate the era of generative AI,” he added. The project is the first of its kind under APRU’s “University of the Future” initiative, a key focus area under the Association’s new holistic approach to strategic planning. “This project presents a unique opportunity to understand how generative AI is already being deployed in universities and to explore, early on, where challenges lie and ways that educational institutions can respond.” said Mike Yeh, Regional Vice President, Corporate External and Legal Affairs, Microsoft. “Universities are critically important institutions as our societies look to maximize the gains from AI and put guardrails in place to ensure the technology is used responsibly”.     APRU is calling for cases studies from members till November 6, 2023. Please see the requirements and template below: [Call for Contributions] Generative AI in Education: Opportunities, Challenges and Future Directions in Asia and the Pacific [Template] Generative AI in Education Case Study