Innovating Higher Education: Motivated, Deep Learning in the Age of AI

In our open-access paper, we set out how universities can redesign curriculum and assessment to sustain motivation and deepen learning in an AI-saturated world. Instead of doubling down on traditional teaching, we apply connectivism and motivation theory to reframe the educator’s role as a coach: helping students build meaningful links across modules, real work, and their own purpose — and protecting space for focus, curiosity, and reflective thinking. We show how this shift boosts engagement and depth, not just efficiency, and we illustrate it with our work on a CAD module in Motorsport Engineering. Zenodo

Takeaway: Don’t fight AI with more content — reshape the curriculum. Teach like a coach: connect knowledge, purpose, and practice so students stay motivated and learn deeply.

👉 Read the full open-access paper: Innovating Higher Education: Ensuring Student Motivation and Deep Learning in the Age of AI Disruption.