The HEA National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, in partnership with Trinity College Dublin (lead institution), Dublin City University, and the University of Limerick, has launched the self-study Open Course GenAI for Teaching and Learning: How to Do It Right. This Open Course is designed to support those who teach in tertiary education in integrating generative AI into their practice ethically and responsibly.
This follows the recent facilitator-led version, which attracted participants from 22 higher education institutions and included a Train the Trainer component to support localised facilitator-led rollouts, now underway across the sector. The self-study version ensures broad access allowing all educators to engage with the content at their own pace.
Dr James O’Sullivan, HEA National Forum Policy Advisor on AI, commented on the launch:
“The responsible integration of Generative AI in higher education requires thoughtful, discipline-specific strategies that enhance academic integrity rather than undermine it. Professional development opportunities like the ‘Generative AI for Teaching and Learning: How to Do It Right’ Open Course are an important step in this process, providing a space for educators to critically engage with AI and explore its potential for their approach to teaching.”
Dr Ana Schalk, Centre for Academic Practice, Trinity College Dublin, and Lead Developer of the Open Course, added:
“We designed this course to be very hands-on and relevant to everyday learning contexts. Participants will engage with real-world scenarios and exercises, and by the end of the course develop a concrete plan for using generative AI in their own teaching context. The focus is on practical strategies – we want colleagues to come away confident in using AI tools to enhance student engagement and learning, while ensuring their use is informed, ethical, and effective.”
By completing this course, participants will:
- Recognise key terminology related to GenAI, particularly in the context of higher education.
- Evaluate the role of AI in teaching, learning, and assessment, focusing on what, why, and how.
- Explore and reflect on discipline-specific pedagogical approaches that incorporate GenAI.
- Design and embed GenAI into their own teaching, learning, and assessment practices.
Those who complete the self-study course are also eligible to earn a National Forum digital badge. To foster collaborative learning and peer support, the course encourages participants to form peer triads (groups of three or more colleagues) for discussion and completion of activities. Upon fulfilling the course requirements, participants can apply for the official digital badge issued by the National Forum.
A distinguishing feature of Open Courses is that all materials are offered under an open licence (CC-BY). The open-licence nature encourages adaptation, collaboration and sharing of improvements, allowing the course to evolve alongside the fast-changing AI landscape. Course materials are available for download from the National Resource Hub.
For more details and to access the self-study course, visit the Open Courses platform at OpenCourses.ie.
Open Courses is a flagship programme of the HEA National Forum, supporting professional development across the higher education sector. To date, over 5,000 participants have earned National Forum digital badges through these courses, recognising their commitment to ongoing teaching and learning enhancement.
