Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
FrancoAngeli Journals

Rethinking the University in the Age of Artificial Intelligence a cura di Marina De Rossi, Ettore Bolisani, Carlo Mariconda

No. 1 (2026): Special Issue. Rethinking the University in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

AI as a Strategic Partner in Academic Learning Design

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/exioa1-2026oa23993
Submitted
ottobre 13, 2026
Published
2026-11-04

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence is becoming a structural component of higher education, supporting learning design, content creation, and educational innovation within institutional ecosystems. Drawing on the experience of the ALM@ Digital Education Hub at the University of Padova, this paper proposes a three-dimensional framework for AI integration centred on pedagogical design, content development, and ethical governance. It discusses the role of AI in faculty training through the Master’s programme in Educational, Digital and Multimedia Innovation, highlighting its contribution to hybrid workflows while preserving human-centred decision-making. The paper also examines the challenges of cognitive delegation and argues that AI literacy, critical thinking, and expert supervision are essential to ensuring that AI strengthens rather than replaces human expertise.

References

  1. Alvero J. C. M. (2026). Generative AI as the ‘Third Eye’ of Academic Advising: Ethical, Pedagogical, and Methodological Perspectives in Research Supervision.
  2. Ateşkan A. (2026). Between delegation and responsibility: an exploratory case study of graduate educators’ conceptualizations of AI-supported assessment using the AI assessment scale. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 1-18.
  3. Evangelista E. D. L. (2025). Ensuring academic integrity in the age of ChatGPT: Rethinking exam design, assessment strategies, and ethical AI policies in higher education. Contemporary Educational Technology, 17(1), ep559.
  4. Floridi L. (2025). Content Studies: A New Academic Discipline for Analysing, Evaluating, and Designing Content in a Digital and AI-Driven Age, Philosophy & Technology, 38(2), 41.
  5. Lentz M. (2025). Partner With AI for Instructional Design. American Society for Training and Development.
  6. Molina-Carmona R., & García-Peñalvo F. J. (2024). Safeguarding knowledge: ethical artificial intelligence governance in the university digital transformation. In: Advanced Technologies and the University of the Future (pp. 201-220). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
  7. Qi Y., Jia F., Dai H., & Wang Y. (2026). Structured Prompting for Human-AI Collaboration as Cognitive Partners in Project-Based Learning. In: 2026 15th International Conference on Educational and Information Technology (ICEIT) (pp. 216-221). IEEE.
  8. Randall J., & Burnes B. (Eds.) (2026). Hybrid Working and AI: The Impact on Organizational Development. Taylor & Francis.
  9. Roy B. K., & Jony M. S. (2026). Generative AI and critical thinking in higher education: Students’ narratives of cognitive offloading. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 15(3): 263-282. Doi: 10.32674/jey59q25.
  10. Vendrell M., & Johnston S. K. (2026). Scaffolding critical thinking with generative AI: Design principles for integrating large language models in higher education. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 100572.
  11. Zahner D., Gammenthaler K., Dawber T., & Cortellini O. (2026). Measuring and improving university students’ critical thinking through assessment and instruction. DIDAC, (87): 8-26.