34 AI-LIT UL: Enhancing GenAI Literacy and Academic Integrity Awareness through a UDL-Informed Student
Silvia Benini; Suzanne Stone; Mary-Claire Kennedy; and David Moloney
Initiative at a Glance
- Institution(s) & Partners: University of Limerick; Centre for Transformative Learning (CTL); Academic Integrity Unit
- Contributors: Silvia Benini (Academic Integrity Unit, University of Limerick); Suzanne Stone (Centre for Transformative Learning, University of Limerick); Mary-Claire Kennedy (Academic Integrity Unit, University of Limerick); David Moloney (Centre for Transformative Learning, University of Limerick)
- Timeframe: Academic Year 2024–2025 and ongoing
- Levels Affected: Across multiple modules; Across multiple programmes; Across multiple units/schools/faculties; Institutional level
- Focus: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD); Digital Transformation in the Tertiary Sector; Best Practice in Upholding and Cultivating Academic Integrity
- Disciplines: Education; Teaching and Learning
- Keywords: GenAI; Academic integrity; Student partnership; Co-design; Inclusive practice; Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Aims and Objectives
- Empower student partnership by involving students as co-designers in evaluating and enhancing GenAI literacy and academic integrity resources.
- Improve resource design and accessibility through a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lens to ensure relevance and inclusivity.
- Assess the impact of student engagement on their understanding of GenAI and academic integrity.
- Generate insights to inform future student partnership initiatives and institutional policy development.
Initiative Overview
Background
The AI-LIT project at the University of Limerick (UL) brought students and staff from the Centre for Transformative Learning and Academic Integrity Unit together with a view to collaboratively enhancing student-facing educational resources on artificial intelligence (AI) and academic integrity.
Methods
This research employed a mixed-methods approach where undergraduate and postgraduate student partners across UL engaged with surveys, structured resource evaluations, and a facilitated co-design workshop. Figure 1 provides an outline of the key stages of the co-design process including 1) Understanding baseline AI literacy; 2) Critical review of existing resources, 3) Co-design workshop; 4) Post-workshop assessment; 5) Post-workshop feedback. Student partners began by completing a baseline self-assessment activity using the Discovery Tool question set, alongside a multiple-choice quiz to gauge their awareness of respectively GenAI literacy and Academic Integrity.
The contributions of student-parters during the workshop were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were then analysed thematically by three members of the research team using the Braun and Clarke six-phase framework. NVivo (Version 14) was used to facilitate management of the data analysis process. Ethics approval was gained from the UL’s Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in May 2025.
Results
Through independent review and a collaborative co-design workshop, student partners critically evaluated the existing resources. Their feedback focused on improving accessibility, content relevance, and fostering authentic student partnership regarding AI usage with reference to academic integrity. The project team is currently conducting an analysis of the findings from these independent and collaborative reviews. Key themes identified include content and design (what works well and suggestions for enhancement); impact of resources on knowledge, skills and behaviour, perceived knowledge and skills needs for GenAI and academic integrity; audience and engagement. Resource redesign based on this analysis is partially completed. The project team aims to produce a refined, inclusive, and student-centered version of the resources to support ethical GenAI use. Examples of the redesigned resources are:
- Building on insights from the project, CTL continues to enhance and expand the suite of GenAI learning materials available through its LevUL Up Digital Skills Hub site on Brightspace.
- The AI Essentials: Student Guide to GenAI is being redesigned to reflect project findings and evolving best practices in GenAI use.
- In September 2025, a new self-study resource was also released on the Hub, AI Essentials: Beginner’s Guide to GenAI Prompting, to support learners in developing effective prompting skills.
- The Academic Integrity Unit | University of Limerick, redeveloped the home page of their website so that it is easier to navigate and important links easily identifiable.
- A range of useful information on the ethical use of GenAI, presented in multimodal formats: Tips for Students on the use of Gen AI | University of Limerick
- The Academic Integrity Unit | University of Limerick, redeveloped the home page of their website so that it is easier to navigate and important links easily identifiable.
- A range of useful information on the ethical use of GenAI, presented in multimodal formats: Tips for Students on the use of Gen AI | University of Limerick
Impact and Evidence of Success
This mixed-methods research involving 14 UL student partners (UG and PG) identified key priorities for resource redesigns:
- clear, plain-English guidance to translate policy and principles into practice,
- accessible design
- pathways tailored to different academic contexts.
We gathered these insights through baseline and post-workshop self-assessments of GenAI literacy and academic integrity awareness, structured resource evaluations, and thematic analysis of a recorded co-design workshop. Encouragingly, students reported increased confidence and stronger intent to use GenAI responsibly. These findings are actively shaping resource redesigns by teams in Digital Skills, CTL, and the Academic Integrity Unit.
Future Directions and Sustainability
Initial findings suggest resources should offer discipline and study level specific pathways to boost engagement through choice and flexibility. To scale this project across departments and institution the following dimensions have been taken into considerations: modular design, student co-design networks, impact metrics, and policy and institutional alignment.
To ensure long term relevance of the project, the followings have been considered and some implemented:
- Governance and Leadership: Steering group with student voice in decision-making
- Continuous Evaluation and Iteration
- Share OERs under Creative Commons licenses
- Capacity Building: Micro-credentials, workshops, and webinars for GenAI literacy
Top Tips
- Different Faculties often have distinct pedagogical priorities, cultures, and student expectations. As such, a one-size-fits-all approach may overlook valuable nuances.
- Conduct dedicated co-design exercises within each Faculty to better understand their unique priorities and challenges. This could include: Faculty-specific workshops or focus groups to surface discipline-relevant themes. Comparative analysis across Faculties to identify shared concerns and divergent needs. Separate engagement strategies for undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) cohorts, recognizing their differing academic journeys, motivations, and expectations.
- Extending Co-Design to Staff: A similar structured co-design methodology could be applied to staff groups. Engaging academic and professional staff in co-design processes can: Foster a sense of ownership and collaboration in curriculum and service development. Surface operational or pedagogical challenges that may not be visible from a student-only perspective. Encourage cross-role dialogue, enhancing mutual understanding and institutional cohesion. Staff co-design could be organized by role (e.g., teaching staff, support staff, leadership) or by department, depending on the goals of the initiative.
Alignment and Policy Context
- Action for Wisdom UL: Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy 2022–2027
- ESD to 2030
- UDL Guidelines and the ALTITUDE Charter on Universal Design
- National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030
- Harnessing Digital – The Digital Ireland Framework (2022)
- Ireland’s National Skills Strategy 2025
Resources and Supporting Information
- Healey, M. (2014). Students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education. Workshop presented at University College Cork.
- Holen, R., Ashwin, P., Maassen, P., & Stensaker, B. (2021). Student partnership: Exploring the dynamics in and between different conceptualizations. Studies in Higher Education, 46, 2726–2737.
- University of Limerick (2022). Action for Wisdom: Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy 2022–2027.
Images
Funding and Acknowledgements
Funding: Higher Education Authority (HEA) Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) Pathfinder stream.
Media Attributions
- AI-LIT-Fig.2
- AI-LIT-Fig.1
