Universities need to adapt to meet challenges of AI, says OU academic

A new book produced by a group of Open University academics will examine how universities can support students to develop their knowledge and skills ethically and effectively, given the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence.  

Scheduled for release in Spring 2026, Academic Conduct and Integrity: Research and Practice in Higher Education is published by Scottish Universities Press and will be available for free. 

Among the authors is Dr Richard Marsden, Associate Dean in the OU’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and a historian based in The Open University in Wales.  

‘This new book will capture the latest thinking on how to help university students use sources and scholarship in ethical ways, avoiding the pitfalls of plagiarism,’ explains Richard. ‘It comes at a time when the meteoric development of generative AI is driving tumultuous change across the education landscape. The collection brings together experts from around the globe to reflect on big themes such as assessment design, student values, public policy and of course the challenges and opportunities presented by GenAI, and to share examples of what universities and HE teachers are actually doing in practice.’

Open Research Week

On Thursday, March 27, Richard will discuss the book in a webinar with Dominique Walker and Paul Clarke of Scottish Universities Press – a not-for-profit press managed by 19 academic libraries, including the OU. In the session, the panel will examine the open publishing landscape, the process of publishing an open access book, and how Academic Conduct and Integrity: Research and Practice in Higher Education has been produced.

Sign up to Open Access Book Publishing with Scottish Universities Press here.

The webinar is part of a series of events hosted by the OU for Open Research Week (24-28 March). Throughout the week, OU academics and guests will talk about openly available data, citizen science platforms, and how research practices can become more open.  

On the same day, the OU in Wales will host an in-person research day at its Cardiff headquarters. At the event, OU academics will showcase some of their latest projects and findings to an audience from across Wales’ research community. These will include staff from the Wales REACH community heritage project, the UK and Ireland four nation comparative policy exchange initiative PolicyWISE, and the OU’s Open Societal challenges programme.

‘The Open University uses research to transform lives across the four nations of the UK and around the world,’ said event organiser Sarah Roberts from the OU in Wales. ‘We’ve put this event together to show the contribution our research is making, but also how much we rely on external partners across Wales to work with us to really have an impact on societal challenges. We’re always eager to hear from organisations who are interested in working with us to share knowledge and expertise, so we hope this showcase will be the start of some exciting new relationships.’