Generative AI in Higher Education Teaching and Learning: Sectoral Perspectives

This report presents the findings of a national consultation on generative AI in Irish higher education, commissioned by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) as part of a valuesled, evidence-informed approach to policy development in this rapidly evolving area. The consultation represents a critical, time-sensitive step in developing Ireland’s national policy guidelines for generative AI in higher education teaching and learning.

While individual institutions are developing local responses, the sector currently lacks the coordinated national policies needed to ensure consistency, equity, and educational integrity across the system, a gap this consultation will help address. The HEA’s forthcoming policies and guidelines on generative AI in higher education will be informed by international frameworks and sectoral scholarship, but it is also essential to draw from local, discipline-specific perspectives and experiences, which was the major function of this consultation process. This ensures that Ireland’s response to generative AI is grounded in global best practice while remaining responsive to national educational values and priorities.

As part of its broader commitment to sectoral support, the HEA, through its National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, has developed a dedicated Artificial Intelligence in Irish Higher Education resource portal, which offers centralised access to national and international policies, institutional guidelines, and open educational resources focused on teaching and learning in AI-mediated contexts.

The HEA has deliberately chosen a values-led approach to policy development—as evidenced by its Ten Considerations for Generative Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Irish Higher Education—recognising that generative AI raises fundamental questions about the purpose, process, and integrity of higher education in Ireland. Rather than pursuing a purely technical or compliance-driven response, this approach centres values like academic integrity, critical thinking, inclusion, sustainability, and human agency as the foundation for policy development.

The perspectives gathered through the ten thematic focus groups and institutional leadership summit documented in this report provide essential insight into how generative AI is currently being experienced across Irish higher education. Participants— including academic staff, students and student representatives, professional support personnel, and institutional leaders—shared their practices, concerns, aspirations, and recommendations for navigating this transformative moment.

Their contributions will directly inform forthcoming policy guidelines, ensuring that HEA recommendations are grounded in the lived realities of those teaching, learning, and leading within the sector. The conversations documented in this report demonstrate the sector’s readiness to engage creatively and conscientiously with the opportunities and challenges generative AI presents, while also highlighting the urgent need for coordinated support and clear guidance.

This consultation marks an important step toward developing a coherent national response to generative AI in higher education. The insights gathered reveal both the complexity of the challenge and the sector’s capacity for thoughtful adaptation. As the HEA and higher education institutions build upon these findings through continued collaboration and policy development, this report serves as both a snapshot of the present moment and a foundation for shaping Ireland’s educational future in the age of generative AI.