This paper charts a forward-looking roadmap for open universities, drawing upon their historical evolution and current practices. It advocates a shift toward a universally accessible, personalized education system. At the heart of this proposed advancement lies the customization of learning paths and experiences, where individualized advising and…

This qualitative study explores the potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the academic writing skills of a large student cohort within the context of a distance learning institution. Utilising qualitative methods, the research explores diverse approaches and applications of generative AI to elevate teaching and learning…

Leveraging technology to break the iron triangle of access, cost, and quality is a legacy of open universities (OUs), becoming a source of inspiration for higher education in general. Today, OUs face increasing competition from conventional universities, no longer enjoying the first-mover advantages as they did in the earlier years. Can artificial…

The launch of ChatGPT has been revolutionary. This AI chatbot can produce conversations which are indistinguishable from that of humans. This exploratory qualitative study is foregrounded in a constructivist-interpretative perspective. The principal objective of this paper is to explore the views of academics on ChatGPT as an AI-based learning…

The development of critical data and artificial intelligence (AI) literacy has become a key focus in current discussions in Higher Education, thus it is necessary to develop and advance capacity building, reflectiveness and awareness across disciplines to critically address the possibilities and challenges presented by data and AI. In this paper,…

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift to online assessment, prompting debates over validity, security, and increasingly the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, especially generative AI, on traditional examination methods. This paper explores perceptions of the evolving landscape of online assessment and the role of AI within higher…

This study investigates the following research questions in the Canadian and US contexts: 1) To what extent do those working at post-secondary institutions expect the future of post-secondary education to change over the next five years? 2) Do they feel ready for the changes that the future might bring? 3) Are they feeling optimistic or…

This study examines the impact of AI course assistants on student learning experiences in online undergraduate courses at Los Angeles Pacific University. A controlled experiment involving 92 students across treatment and control groups was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of AI assistants developed by Nectir. The treatment group had access…

This study aims to perform a descriptive analysis of the websites of public and foundation universities in Türkiye to reveal the current positioning context of their units in relation to artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystems. The study was designed using a holistic multiple case study method, in which the dimensions specified in the…

Within the process of progressive digitization of materials and tools for teaching and distance learning of a subject of introduction to Microeconomics (quarterly, in year three of the Degree in Social Work), taught by the authors at the National University of Distance Education (UNED), a virtual assistant in the form of "chatbot," or…

This study explores how discussing metaphors for AI can help build awareness of the frames that shape our understanding of AI systems, particularly large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. Given the pressing need to teach "critical AI literacy", discussion of metaphor provides an opportunity for inquiry and dialogue with space for…