AI—the Emerging Episteme in Higher Education: New Epistemologies, Pedagogies, and Research Methodologies

Dear Colleagues,

The meteoric advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies indicates a radical epistemic shift in the higher educational landscape that is, as of now, unclear and uncertain. At the same time, it presents unprecedented opportunities and challenges for educators, researchers, and learners. As a vast array of AI tools become increasingly integrated into learning environments, there is a growing need to rethink traditional ontologies, epistemologies, and pedagogical approaches in academia.

This Special Issue invites original research, theoretical contributions, and practical case studies that explore how AI is transforming teaching and learning practices, as well as posthuman interactions, in academia. We seek to highlight articles that are grounded in empirical evidence that can advance our understanding of effective pedagogies, personalized learning, research validity, academic ethics, and authentic assessment in the age of AI.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Pedagogies: The implications of AI-driven teaching and learning strategies that reshape instructional design, student engagement, and motivation in higher education.
• Assessments and Validation: Rethinking pedagogical decisions and assessment practices using AI-supported, data-driven, and formative approaches.
• Knowledge Production: Understanding how AI redefines knowledge production, validation, and transmission in academic settings (including epistemic bias and AI epistemologies).
• Ethics and Politics: Engaging with AI-related ethical and political dilemmas (including algorithmic governance, the political implications of AI in shaping educational norms, and AI authority) and student surveillance.
• Posthuman Justice: Addressing aspirations of access, equity, participation, diversity, and human rights (including gender justice) in AI-enhanced higher education, with a critical lens on empowering marginalized groups.
• Diversity in AI Engagement: Learning from comparative studies and cross-cultural insights into how AI is adopted, resisted, or adapted across different higher education systems.
• Sustainability Education: Positioning AI as a transformative force in sustainability education, global citizenship, and in preparing learners for complex futures.

We welcome interdisciplinary submissions that bridge education, epistemology, technology, cognitive science, and learning analytics. Contributions that offer critical reflections, propose new models and resolutions, or present empirical findings are particularly encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Kelum Gamage
Prof. Dr. Maithree Wickramasinghe
Prof. Dr. Neil Gordon
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.