Leading the AI Focus Group at MCI

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a future trend in higher education, it is a present reality that is reshaping how we teach, learn, assess, and innovate. At my University, we have embraced this change proactively through our AI Focus Group, which meets monthly to address the opportunities and challenges AI brings to higher education.

Purpose & Goals

The AI Focus Group was created to:

• Analyze the impact of AI on teaching, learning, assessment, and student support.

• Develop practical guidelines for the responsible, ethical, and effective use of AI in our institution.

• Create best practice cases that can be shared across faculties and programs.

• Support faculty and staff in integrating AI into courses and workflows while maintaining academic integrity and quality standards.

• Monitor legal and regulatory frameworks, including EU AI Act compliance, and translate them into actionable steps for our university.

My Role

As the coordinator and discussion lead, I:

• Design and facilitate our monthly sessions, ensuring they combine strategic vision with practical solutions.

• Synthesize insights into clear recommendations for our university leadership.

• Lead the documentation and dissemination of best practice cases so they can be scaled across departments.

• Connect our internal work to external networks, both within our Ulysseus European University Alliance and in broader higher education and enterprise circles.

Current Focus Areas

In recent meetings, we have explored:

• How AI can enhance personalized learning and student feedback.

• Strategies for integrating AI into assessment and grading while safeguarding fairness and transparency.

• AI tools for research support, academic writing, and literature review.

• Faculty training to increase AI literacy and awareness of both opportunities and risks.

• Designing AI usage policies that balance innovation with academic integrity.
  

Outcomes So Far

• Draft AI Guidelines for MCI, covering teaching, learning, and administrative applications.

• A set of AI integration principles aligned with EU AI Act requirements.

• Several best practice cases - from AI-assisted content creation in online courses to AI-based data analysis in research projects.

• A roadmap for faculty development workshops to build AI competence across the institution.

Looking Ahead

Our next steps include finalizing the AI guidelines for institutional adoption, expanding best practice documentation, and engaging with external partners to benchmark and exchange insights.

The AI Focus Group is more than a discussion forum - it's a strategic driver for how MCI adapts to and leads in the age of AI. By bringing together expertise from across the university, and linking it to broader European and global conversations, we are shaping an approach that is ethical, future-ready, and impactful for our students, staff, and partners.