106 | EDUCATION ASIA | DISCOVER | Excellence in Higher Ed
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, external facade
its assessments should give students opportunities to demonstrate that ability, rather than simply recall information.
Education category and again in 2025 for Best Use of Generative AI.
and whether traditional assessments remain appropriate.
It also received an Excellence in Educational Impact Award at the AIREA 2nd International Competition on AI in Education in 2026 and was named a finalist for the eLFA 2026 Teaching Innovation Award. These recognitions suggest growing interest in AI applications that support the quality of teaching, rather than focusing exclusively on content generation The more interesting question is what this technology could mean for the role of academics. For years, much of the discussion around AI in higher education has centred on whether students should use it, how universities can protect academic integrity or student-facing tools. The Lecturer Still Has the Final Say
HKUST's approach turns attention towards lecturers and the decisions they make long before a course begins. If AI can help with the structure and preparation of teaching, academics may have more time to focus on the elements that require professional judgement, creativity and an understanding of their students. The platform encourages users to reflect on generated suggestions and refine them through an iterative process. This makes the lecturer's expertise central to the finished course rather than treating AI-generated material as an automatic solution. The challenge is therefore not simply making course design faster. It is ensuring that efficiency does not come at the expense of educational quality.
AI Co-designer helps lecturers examine these connections,
identify potential gaps and refine their plans.
Importantly, the platform is not intended to make decisions independently. Academics remain responsible for reviewing suggestions, questioning their relevance and deciding what works for their students. The question is no longer just how students use AI. It is how AI might change the way universities teach. The approach has already attracted international attention. AI Co-designer was shortlisted for the QS Reimagine Education Awards in 2024 in the AI in
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