New Books in Technology Sam Illingworth and Rachel Forsyth, "GenAI in Higher Education: Redefining Teaching and Learning" (Bloomsbury, 2026)
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Mar 17, 2026 Rachel Forsyth, senior educational developer focused on classroom trust and AI in teaching. Sam Illingworth, professor researching critical AI literacy and pedagogy. They unpack what generative AI can and cannot do. They outline first steps for educators, institutional governance pitfalls and best practices. They debate assessment redesign, why AI detectors fail, and how to keep teachers central while future-proofing pedagogy.
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Generative AI Is Pattern Matching Not Creation
- Generative AI primarily pattern matches on its training data to produce content.
- Sam Illingworth explains LLMs guess the next token from internet-derived datasets, so outputs often aren't genuinely new.
Begin With Dialogue Before Using AI In Courses
- Start by having a dialogue with students and colleagues before introducing AI into a course.
- Sam Illingworth recommends discussing limits, benefits, and ongoing use, then ask students to report how they used AI on submission.
Try AI Tools Yourself Before Deciding
- Don't be afraid to experiment with generative AI; test tools yourself before rejecting them.
- Rachel Forsyth urges staff to try products contextually rather than relying on news or social media impressions.
