White Paper: From Pilots to Transformation: Scaling AI For Student Success in Higher Education

The impact of artificial intelligence is being felt across all sectors in Asia-Pacific — and tertiary education is no exception. But what are the real opportunities and challenges AI presents for faculty, staff, and students?

While many institutions are experimenting with AI through pilots and sandboxes, few have scaled it in ways that align with institutional strategy, values, and student needs.

As students adopt AI tools at pace, the pressure is growing for institutions to lead this shift, not follow it.

This white paper explores how tertiary education institutions can move from AI experimentation to transformation and what it takes to do so responsibly and effectively. Commissioned by Ellucian and developed in collaboration with Nous Group, it draws on insights from the Ellucian APAC Sector Focus Group Roundtable, sector commentary, and global exemplars.

Learn why scaling AI hinges on institutional alignment, with trust, capability, and culture as enablers, and equity and ethics intentionally embedded from the outset.

In this white paper, you’ll find insights on:

• Why AI is no longer a fringe experiment in higher education
• Unlocking scalable AI – Including strategic parallels from other industries and why most initiatives stall due to factors such as fragmented systems, governance bottlenecks, and cultural resistance to risk and change
• Rethinking roles and relationships: AI’s human impact – How academic work and workforce roles are evolving
• Reimagining learning – Embedding AI in curriculum, building AI literacy, and supporting pedagogical change
• Equity and inclusion – Building a human-centred AI approach and addressing risks as well as opportunities to ensure AI supports all learners
• Guardrails and governance – Covering governance frameworks, data readiness, and ethical procurement
• Practical actions to support responsible, scalable AI adoption
• Shaping the future, not reacting to it: a call for institutions to lead with purpose, not just adapt to change.