As AI tools become increasingly embedded in educator and student practices, higher education leaders are strategically pivoting from reactive and prohibitive policies to proactive AI engagement and governance.
For education leaders who use Turnitin solutions to further their institutional strategies, our exclusive, executive roundtables provide a forum to convene and discuss the future of higher education.
To date, over 400 invited participants have attended, debating five critical themes and challenges AI poses in education. And leaders present all showed clear alignment on the actions needed to drive forward strategic, responsible AI in universities.
Get the full picture
This article is 1 of 3 arising from our executive customer roundtables.
- Article one: Strategies for AI governance (you are here)
- Article two: A new focus for assessment design
- Article three: Adapting AI for learning (coming soon)
What AI governance topics do leaders discuss at Turnitin’s executive customer roundtables?
Our recent AI governance discussions created a rare touchpoint for peers to debate the impact of AI on education and academic integrity strategy, answering questions such as:
- What frameworks or policies are you exploring to guide the use of Generative AI in your institution?
- How are you ensuring compliance with regulatory guidelines and alignment with institutional values?
- What best practices can be adopted to ensure that AI-generated feedback aligns with educational goals and enhances authentic learning?
- How do you involve educators and leadership in shaping these policies?
After sharing expertise and experiences, leaders discussed strategies to implement AI for student, societal, and institutional benefit.
Turnitin’s senior leadership team also unveiled its global research findings into responsible AI in universities and introduced Turnitin’s latest industry-aligned integrity solutions.
What are the three key findings from Turnitin’s strategic AI governance roundtable discussion?
Alignment, adoption, and upskilling
Turnitin’s executive roundtable discussion on strategic AI governance showed categorically that higher education institutions are moving from fear and policing of AI, to strategic engagement and action – by aligning policy, adopting AI tools responsibly, and investing heavily in faculty training.
- 100% agreed that academic integrity needs to be at the heart of revised AI policies
- 94% agreed that adopting AI tools for teaching and learning should be a priority
- 97% agreed that faculty training was a priority to build required levels of AI literacy
This consensus shows a sector that is aligned and ready for action. While optimistic, institutions acknowledge a need for clearer governance frameworks to guide implementation, higher institutional AI literacy, and appropriate technology to innovate teaching and learning.
Based on the Turnitin executive customer roundtable discussions, how can higher education leaders act on AI in 2025/26?
Strategy 1: Align policy for responsible AI in universities
100% of higher education leaders at our executive customer roundtable said that university AI policies need to pivot to a more AI-positive stance, while clearly governing the use of AI to prevent academic misconduct and protect authentic student learning.
Rather than solely relying on AI misuse detection, institutions want to build a culture of academic integrity and digital literacy. The roundtable highlighted that Turnitin’s tools can act as conversation starters—not just policing tools—helping students understand expectations and educators promote responsible academic practices.
Providing guidance and guardrails to help students build their AI literacy and academic integrity has the potential to boost student attainment, graduate outcomes, and institutional reputation – aligning with leadership strategies around student recruitment and retention, funding and accreditation, and overall sustainability.
Strategy 2: Prioritize AI tools for teaching and learning
94% of higher education leaders at our executive roundtable agreed that procuring appropriate AI tools for teaching and learning should be an institutional priority.
Leaders emphasized that responsible adoption of AI technologies must be driven by pedagogical value, selecting tools that enhance critical thinking, assessment design, and authentic student engagement.
Also, prioritizing tools that: streamline and improve equity in the grading processes; improve feedback efficiency, personalization, and timeliness; and free educators to focus on high-value teaching interactions.
In our post-event survey, more than 70% of respondents said they actively follow and explore new technologies. However, over 70% of participants did flag challenges in managing innovation alongside academic integrity and regulatory compliance. Despite this, there is broad optimism about the role of generative AI in transforming education, teaching, and assessment practices.
Strategy 3: Invest in institutional AI literacy
97% of higher education leaders at our executive roundtable agreed that enhancing faculty training to support innovative teaching is a top institutional priority for improving student outcomes in the 2025-26 academic year.
Yet AI capabilities, confidence, and efficacy lag behind AI adoption. In fact, Turnitin’s research into AI adoption in education found that 50% of students, 39% of educators, and 28% of academic administrators do not know how to use AI effectively in their role.
Following our roundtable events, nearly 47% of post-event survey participants agreed or strongly agreed that there is a lack of clear institutional guidance on AI use. These gaps put institutions at risk of missed opportunities to improve pedagogical and administrative practices, as well as unintentional student misconduct.
AI literacy programs that combine digital skills, ethics, and pedagogical innovation prepare staff to deploy AI effectively for teaching and learning – building confidence, accelerating adoption, and ensuring consistent quality of AI use across the institution.
Recommendations for higher education leaders on AI governance
Centralize AI governance and accountability
Establish clear institutional ownership of AI strategy at senior leadership level. Central governance ensures consistent standards across faculties, aligns policy with institutional values, and enables decisive, coordinated action on ethics, integrity, and innovation.
Set responsible and transparency standards
Define university-wide principles for responsible AI use — including transparency, disclosure of student AI use, and educator oversight of student processes. Clear communication of these standards builds trust with students, staff, and external partners.
Build structured AI capability
Develop an institutional AI literacy framework that defines skills and expectations for staff and students, embedding AI competence into teaching, professional development, and curriculum design. Create a cross-functional AI steering committee that includes representatives from teaching, IT and data, procurement, and student support.
Enable innovation with guardrails
Invest in ongoing professional learning for educators through workshops, peer-learning networks, and communities of practice. Create safe, well-governed environments for educators to pilot AI tools relevant to their discipline and teaching practices.
How does Turnitin support education leaders to strengthen AI governance and academic integrity?
Turnitin is a strategic ally for education leaders seeking to strengthen their academic integrity strategy and build the foundations for responsible AI in universities.
Like leaders’ evolving AI policies, Turnitin’s solutions aren’t about policing or penalizing AI use.
Our suite of learning management tools is concerned with:
- Increasing transparency around student practices
- Enhancing student and graduate outcomes
- Supporting responsible AI integration into learning workflows
HE leaders were impressed by Turnitin’s latest academic integrity innovation, Turnitin Clarity, which is an add-on to Turnitin Feedback Studio, our industry-leading integrity and feedback platform:
‘It feels like Turnitin is catching up with what many of us have been trying to build,’ said Dr. Moh Farrah of Australia’s RMIT University, Melbourne. ‘These tools support learning rather than just catching misconduct. Clarity makes visible what is often hidden, the process behind student work. That visibility is important in a world where AI is part of how students learn, think, and write.’
Turnitin Clarity brings transparency to the student writing process. It provides a secure composition space for students to write assignments, supported by approved AI tools for instant feedback and reflection points.
Behind the scenes, educators see intuitive insights into their composition process, enabling them to quickly identify any practices that could undermine their authentic learning and authorship practices.
‘When students and educators can both see the learning journey, the conversation shifts,’ said Dr. Farrah. ‘It becomes less about policing and more about development. Integrity becomes less about rule enforcement and more about nurturing critical thinking, ownership, and original contribution. That is the kind of learning that endures.’
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