Description:

Educational policies on the use of GenAI generally lags behind rapid advancements in GenAI technologies (Xiao et al., 2025). Another tension and impact that remains to be seen is whether regulation and governance will promote or hinder innovation (Williamson et al., 2024). This learn at lunch session offers a cross-institutional dialogue with a panel discussion where representatives f rom different SA universities will reflect on the development, practical application and implementation of AI policies and/or guidelines at their institutions.

The panelists will consider:

The processes and stakeholders involved in crafting the policy or guidelines. The relevance of context in policy making and implementation. How the policy/guidelines are being used in practice by lecturers and students. The challenges experienced in implementation by students, educators and the institution, especially the ethical dilemmas.

Panelists:

• Dr Gloria Castrillon (Senior Director for Teaching Excellence, University of Johannesburg)
• Professor Anné H. Verhoef (Director: NWU Artificial Intelligence Hub, Professor in Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, North-West University)
• Dr Juliet Stoltenkamp (Director: Centre for Innovative Education & Communication Technologies (CIECT), University of the Western Cape)

Facilitators:

• Ms Elizabeth Booi is the Head of Business Intelligence and Data Architect at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the President of the Southern Af rican Association of Institutional Research (SAAIR).
• Dr Nicola Pallitt is a senior lecturer and educational technology specialist in the Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning (CHERTL) at Rhodes University. Nicola is the project team lead for the HELTASA Digital Learning and Teaching team.