Reflections on the “Standardizing AI in Higher Education” Conference

Reflections on the “Standardizing AI in Higher Education” Conference
June 26-27, 2025

by Metin Çırpan 

The conference "Standardizing AI in Higher Education”, held on June 26-27, 2025 focused on the need for standardized policies, ethical guidelines, and consistent implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across Turkish universities. The conference was a joint initiative by Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University, MEF University, and Özyeğin University, supported by Eaquals.

The overarching theme of the conference addressed the chaotic landscape of AI implementation in education, characterized by widespread student misuse and fragmented, experimental teacher adoption. It highlighted that many institutions are lagging behind technological developments and lack comprehensive approaches to AI's educational and administrative applications.

The discussions across the five committees—Academic Integrity, Student AI Use, Teacher Support & Training, AI in Administrative Tasks, and AI in Curriculum Design & Material Development—revealed several shared challenges. One key issue was the overuse and misuse of AI by students, who often view it as a shortcut rather than a tool to support their learning. This tendency has led to concerns about overdependence and a possible decline in critical thinking skills. Another major concern was the lack of clear institutional policies. Many universities still do not have comprehensive, consistent guidelines in place, which has caused confusion among students and inconsistency in how faculty members approach AI use. In addition, participants highlighted a general deficit in AI literacy. Both educators and students often lack basic training in areas such as effective prompt writing, identifying ethical boundaries for AI support, and critically evaluating AI-generated content.

Several plenary sessions and station rotations offered profound insights into navigating these challenges.

In his session titled “AI in Curriculum Design and Material Development”, Hakan Tarhan emphasized viewing AI not merely as an "assistant" or "partner," but as a "participant" or "epistemic agent" in the learning process. He argued that AI doesn't just help us think, but "reconstitutes cognition" by changing what thinking is. A key principle he highlighted is "Pedagogy First, Technology Second, Your Judgment Always". Tarhan advocated for designing tasks where students actively dialogue with AI, contesting or redirecting its outputs, rather than passively accepting them. This approach fosters critical engagement and transforms personalization into "epistemic negotiation". His advice was to "Don't ban AI—contextualize it".

In her session titled “The Essence of Technology is By No Means Anything Technological” Caroline Fell Kurban invited participants to critically examine AI's impact, echoing Martin Heidegger's idea that "The essence of technology is by no means technological," meaning AI's true influence lies in what it's doing to us as thinkers and learners. She emphasized that teaching with AI involves preserving student agency and nurturing deep thinking, urging educators to ask, "What is AI doing to us?". She also linked effective AI use to pedagogical frameworks like TPACK-X and SAMR, emphasizing that it should aim to transform the learning experience, aligning with pedagogical goals and learner context.

Nazlı Deniz Barutçuoğlu showcased practical examples of AI integration, particularly through a Coursera project developed by MEF University, demonstrating how AI tools can serve as a "study buddy" to support six core language skills: speaking, reading, listening, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. Her session, titled “Your AI Study Buddy: Mastering English Skills Independently” underscored the educator's role in guiding students to use AI meaningfully, transparently, and responsibly, by teaching prompting and encouraging reflection on AI outputs.

The brainstorming sessions within the committees produced a comprehensive roadmap featuring clear and actionable recommendations. One major outcome was the proposal to develop and implement AI literacy programs tailored to both faculty and students. These programs would focus on effective prompting, critical evaluation of AI-generated output, and the responsible and ethical use of such tools. They could be introduced either as standalone courses or integrated into existing curricula.

Another key recommendation was the redesign of assessment practices. Committees emphasized the need for more authentic, in-class, and process-oriented assessments to reduce opportunities for AI misuse. This would involve requiring students to disclose their use of AI, specify the tools they employed, and reflect on the soft skills involved in the process. Rubrics would need to be updated accordingly to assess not just the final product but also the students’ engagement with AI tools.

The importance of establishing clear and consistent institutional policies was also highlighted. These policies should be easy to understand for all stakeholders and align with ethical principles as well as data protection regulations such as Turkey’s KKVK (Personal Data Protection Law). To support faculty, regular in-house training sessions were recommended. These would cover the pedagogical use of AI tools, including advanced prompt design and effective classroom integration. 

In summary, the conference underscored that successful AI integration is a collective institutional commitment, not merely an individual effort. It demands dedicated funding, collaborative professional development, and clear ethical guidelines to protect academic integrity and student privacy. The ultimate goal is not to replace human expertise but to enhance it, transforming educators into facilitators who guide students in critically evaluating AI-generated content and developing essential digital literacy skills.

Roadmap to AI Integration into Higher Education