Community of Practice "AI in Higher Education teaching"

The subcommunity of practice “AI in Higher Education Teaching” has been launched in January 2025 within the DSI Education Community. The community of practice aims at identifying the needs connected to the integration of AI in teaching and learning and addressing those by offering hands-on-workshops and guidance to the community members and beyond. The community of practice should serve as a supportive network for educators interested in AI, offering a space for shared learning, peer support and exchange of best practices. 

If you would like to join the CoP and receive updates and information about community events, you can register here: Registration Form. 

Here you can find an overview of the planned event for 2026; more detailed information will be provided throughout the year.

Highlights of the AI in Teaching Forum 

The AI in Teaching Forum offered an opportunity to recalibrate the didactic compass through exchange with peers, hands-on experimentation with new tools, and critical reflection on the foundations of teaching in the age of AI.  

The event has been jointly designed and run by the Educational Development at the University of Zurich and the Unit for Teaching and Learning at ETH Zurich. 

Speakers and Topics  

• Keynote "AI Policy and Assessment: The Triple A for Strategic Change"  (Prof. Mònica Feixas, PHZH):  In her keynote, Prof. Mònica Feixas examined how Generative AI is transforming not only what we assess, but also how and why we do so. She particularly emphasized that AI policies do more than react to these shifts: they actively shape the possibilities and boundaries of how learning is recognized and evaluated. The keynote followed a clear progression: from Awareness, revealing the underlying assumptions about assessment embedded in AI-related policies; to Agency, encouraging academic developers and educators to shape the evolving narrative; and finally to Action, promoting strategic approaches that uphold trust, integrity, and ethics in a higher education landscape increasingly influenced by AI. Read more about this topic here “Promoting Authentic Assessment in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” 
• Keynote "How do we assess in a world with generative AI? Reflections on a new culture of assessment"  (Dr. Ulrike Hanke): In her keynote, Dr. Ulrike Hanke, addressed the pressing challenges posed by the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT. The inadequacy of current university and exam cultures becomes strikingly apparent: Can we really blame students for using AI in pursuit of better grades, when grades hold such significance? Why do we still ask students to write papers if those papers are ultimately produced with AI assistance? What do students actually learn: the content, the craft of academic writing, or simply how to prompt effectively? This presentation outlined key cornerstones for a reimagined assessment culture, one that responds to the shortcomings of the current system and embraces the new realities shaped by AI. 
• Padlet with workshop materials and discussion notes: You can access slides and notes from the keynotes and the workshops on our conference Padlet.