ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Learning Innovations
GenAI Adoption in HEI as a Curriculum and Pedagogical Practice: A Case Study
- CP
Carolina Pereira 1,2
- MA
Manuela Aparicio 3
1. Institute of Education, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
2. Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
3. NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Portugal, Universidade Nova de Lisboa NOVA Information Management School, Lisbon, Portugal
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Abstract
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) became widely accessible with the public release of ChatGPT in late 2022, rapidly transforming expectations regarding the competencies required of graduates. While higher education institutions continue to debate its pedagogical and ethical implications, some have already embedded GenAI into undergraduate curricula. This study presents a qualitative case study of bachelor's degrees programs that integrated GenAI as a transversal competency during the first semester of the first year. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with professors from different courses and with varying levels of experience using GenAI. Interview data were analyzed through thematic analysis to explore faculty perceptions of GenAI integration, implementation strategies, enabling conditions, and perceived challenges. The findings reveal interconnected themes: opportunities to enhance feedback, content creation, and personalized learning; risks related to academic integrity, student overreliance, and AI bias; and contextual factors influencing adoption, including institutional policies, faculty training, technological infrastructure, and peer culture. Although participants expressed a generally positive attitude towards GenAI's educational potential, its implementation remained cautious, experimental, and uneven due to limited institutional guidance and professional development opportunities. The study also identifies the professional competencies considered essential for graduates and examines how these were embedded across the curriculum. These findings highlight the importance of institution-wide strategies, faculty capacity building, and clear ethical governance to support the sustainable integration of GenAI into higher education. The proposed framework contributes to the development of GenAI as a transversal graduate competency and offers guidance for universities seeking to align teaching and learning with the evolving demands of the digital workforce.
Summary
Keywords
Curriculum Design, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Higher education institutions (HEIs), Pedagogical practices, Technology Adoption Frameworks
Received
28 May 2026
Accepted
19 August 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Pereira and Aparicio. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Carolina Pereira; Manuela Aparicio
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.