CUTIE Podcast

In this episode, Annette Q. Pedersen and Stine Degerbøl walk us through the results of a student survey conducted as part of the CUTIE project at the University of Copenhagen in spring 2024. Through their reflective and evidence-based dialogue, we learn:

• Why assumptions about “everyone” or “no one” using AI are misleading—and how student practices vary widely even within the same faculty.

• How concerns about real learning, ethics, climate impact and academic values shape students’ choices around AI use.

• That while generative AI is seen as a tool for efficiency and support, many students remain uncertain about whether it actually helps them learn.

• How fear of accidental cheating and poor-quality outputs influence student behavior more than opportunism.

• And crucially, that students are calling for more dialogue, guidance, and literacy development—not silence or top-down bans.

This episode highlights the importance of listening deeply to student voices—not just as data points, but as thoughtful, critical stakeholders in the future of higher education. It also reminds us that developing digital teaching competence means engaging with uncertainty—and doing so together.

In this episode, Steven Warburton reflects on his experience leading institutional digital innovation in Australia, the UK and New Zealand. Through his conversation with Linda Castañeda, he explores:

• Why competence frameworks need alignment with institutional processes to work.

• How universities moved from initial panic (“ban generative AI”) to thoughtful enablement of AI tools.

• The existential questions raised by AI: What is knowledge? How do we teach? What’s the role of the university today?

• The risk of tokenism in student voice and how to instead build real student partnerships with authority.

• How decision-making ecosystems, not just individual competencies, shape the success of digital transformation.

• Why not all academic leaders need to be tech experts, but institutions need structures that elevate expertise into leadership spaces.

• And finally, a reminder that we’re already on the transformation journey—the key is to decide on direction, pace, and impact, rather than chase every new tool.

Warburton closes with practical advice:

“You don’t have to be at the bleeding edge. Being a fast follower—surfing the second wave—can be powerful, if you’re clear on your theory of change and how to measure it.”

In this episode, Francesc Pedrò will share his insights in a conversation with Linda Castañeda, from the CUTIE Team at the University of Murcia (Spain). He will address key topics related to the future of higher education, including:

1. The role of the International Institute for Higher Education at UNESCO in shaping the global higher education landscape.

2. The challenges that higher education institutions are expected to face in the coming years, particularly regarding the advancement of digital teaching competencies, modernizing methodologies, and integrating new technologies.

3. The impact of UNESCO’s AI Competency Frameworks for students and educators, and how these frameworks influence higher education institutions and their practices.

4. Sustainability challenges and initiatives led by UNESCO or the International Institute for Higher Education in recent years.

Dr Joanna Pitura is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of English Studies, University of the National Education Commission in Kraków, Poland. She teaches courses and leads seminars on digital pedagogy, artificial intelligence, gamification, research methodology, and personal knowledge management. She also serves as the academic supervisor of the SNEC Student-Doctoral Research Society at the university.

Her current research interests include AI- and VR-supported English language teaching and learning, primarily through simulations and serious games, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of the language learning process.

She is the author of Gamification for Engagement with Language Learning Tasks, a monograph published by the Pedagogical University Press in Kraków in 2022.

This conversation with the CUTIE team explores real-life experiences and creative strategies for organizing student collaborations that genuinely benefit both students and the university. We start by delving into the story behind the SNEC Student-Doctoral Research Society at the University of the National Education Commission in Kraków, Poland – its goals, history, and the exciting projects it has brought to life.

Next, we dive into the ups and downs of working with students, highlighting how these collaborations create value for everyone involved – from students to academic mentors and the university itself. Using self-determination theory as a framework, we share practical tips for fostering meaningful partnerships with students.

To tie it all together, we showcase a great example of these principles: the “Digital Thursdays” seminar. This initiative brings students and active English teachers together to enhance digital skills, proving teamwork can lead to incredible outcomes.

Sandra Kucina Softic is the Vice-President of EDEN Digital Learning Europe for Open Professional Collaboration, and a member of the EDEN Executive Committee since 2013. Throughout her career, she has been honored with several EDEN Fellow awards, in addition to holding the role of President of EDEN UK and being a founding member of EDEN Digital Learning Europe.

Dr. Kucina Softic is also the Assistant Director at the University of Zagreb University Computing Centre in Croatia and the Head of the E-learning Centre, serving as a representative in several Working Groups on Digital Education and Digital Skills and Technologies, and designated a European Education and Training Expert Panel member.

👉   Currectly, focused on:

-  Developing European policies

-  Creating guidelines and manuals

-  Establishing procedures for teachers

-  Addressing key challenges for institutional managers.

Passionate about teaching... Sandra is a manager, a trainer, a teacher, and a lifelong learner!

👉 If you want to learn more, we recommend joining us and listening to their reflections!

➡️ AND… don't miss the finale with IAIN MACLAREN, Director Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (CELT) of the University of GALWAY, in Ireland. They are the Coordinators of WP4.

Stay tuned!

Luke Millard is the Dean of Teaching and Learning and a Professor of Student Development at Abertay University, in Scotland. He is currently the Head of The ABLE Academy, which provides staff and student development across the same University offering a home for institutional innovation.

Focused on building a university that enables its students to achieve their full potential, Luke promotes partnership activities, where students, institutional staff, and collaborators work together to improve the design of learning, teaching, and assessment in universities.

👉 If you want to continue knowing more, check out: Julie Blackwell Young & Luke Millard (2023) in "Reflections on 15 Years of Working in Student Partnerships: Successes, Challenges and the Future Possibilities." doi:10.56433/jpaap.v11i3.597

➡️ AND… don't miss out the final with ANNETTE PEDERSEN, RASMUS DAM BONNESEN & STINE KLEIN DEGERBØL, part of the CUTIE team at COPENHAGEN University in Denmark, and Coordinators of WP3

Sharon Flynn is an academic leader in Higher Education initiatives in Ireland, boasting extensive experience in institutional change and close collaboration with academics.

Sharon reflects on how to undertake strategic initiatives in Higher Education institutions to promote teaching digital competence and foster digital transformation, through projects she has participated in, such as N-TUTOR (https://www.transforminglearning.ie) and, THE ENHANCING DIGITAL TEACHING AND LEARNING (https://edtl.blog/about).

➡️ AND… don't miss out the final with EWA ZARZYCKA-PISKORZ & RENATA IWAN, part of the CUTIE team at the AGH University in Krakow and, Coordinators of WP2.

Tune into our first episode with our special guest Helena Sigurðardóttir, the CUTIE Coordinator from the University of Akureyri in Iceland. We discover the origins of the CUTIE project and where the project heading.

Come and join The CUTIE Conversation!