Higher Education Strategy in Responding to the Generative AI Revolution Decolonising the Standard Response and Action Planning Protocols

Background: The Generative Artifical Intelligence (AI) revolution is here, and the availability of resources such as ChatGPT has triggered rapid responses, actions, and strategy to address the implications this has on education in the United Kingdom (UK). ChatGPT and other Generative AI provisions are viewed as both problematic and beneficial by Higher Education Institutes (HEI’s). Alongside HEI’s, Higher Education England (HEE) Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) forums are just 1 of many additional UK national groups prioritising the discussion, Continual Professional Development (CPD), and strategical approaches to analysing Generative AI, in determining how it should be addressed in education and practice.

In terms of standard practice at London South Bank University (LSBU), the planning of projects and research to explore new technology lies predominantly with those deemed as the most “skilled”, “technical” or “aware” of the technology. People who are in specific roles within the institute are expected to “lead” on strategy, and this onus of responsibility often remains with them throughout the process from start to finish. Recognising the imbalance of power and the benefits of privilege this practice could create, a decision was made to explore and propose re-design of the current protocols in place at LSBU.

Aim: Demonstrate the inclusion of a Decolonising step at the earliest designing stage of the project, to influence a practice change in how a HEI could respond to major items affecting education and any subsequent action-planning or project designing.

Method: 3 academic members of staff, and 3 undergraduate students, of Black, Asian, African or Minority ethnicity, will be recruited. Individual and group sessions will be conducted using Microsoft Teams. Sessions will involve the participants leading on the discussion and development of the project proposal and associated documents being used in the larger study. This will occur between 19th May – 1st June 2023, after which the project proposal will be registered with the LSBU research ethics committee and internal registration system (Haplo).

The Decolonising strategy and effects will be appraised by an independent investigator making objective comparisons to a version of the project protocol originally written by the Principal Investigator as a lone researcher. Themes and major highlights to demonstrate these comparisons, will be presented as the outcome for this project. All results and recommendations will be ready for presentation by no later than 15th June 2023.

Expected Outcomes: Recommendations based on the outcome could feasibly affect changes in the future strategy for responding to major items requiring adaptation and evolution in education/practices, and potential other general and/or specific response/action-planning protocols, at London South Bank University.

Additional information: This project forms part of a larger LSBU Generative AI project to explore a potential solution to the issues surrounding Generative AI in Higher Education.