Sol Plaatje University (SPU) has joined the Digital Education Council, a global community of higher education institutions working together to advance digital innovation and the responsible use of artificial intelligence in education.
Membership gives SPU access to research, monthly executive briefings and thematic working groups focused on artificial intelligence, digital and online learning, skills and credentials, university leadership, and policy and regulation. It also creates opportunities for the University to exchange knowledge with institutions confronting similar questions about the future of teaching and learning.
The membership comes at a critical time for higher education. The Council’s 2026 global survey, drawing on 45,398 responses across 35 countries, found that 88% of students use artificial intelligence in their learning, while only 29% believe their lecturers are equipped to guide them. The adoption of artificial intelligence has moved faster than institutional practice.
For SPU, closing this gap requires more than introducing new technologies. It requires deliberate investment in academic support, sound assessment practices and the responsible integration of digital tools in ways that strengthen teaching and advance student success. For students, the intended outcomes are practical: clearer guidance on where and how artificial intelligence may be used in assessments, lecturers who are better equipped to guide its responsible use, and digital learning that responds to the connectivity realities many SPU students face. The University’s aim is for technology to strengthen learning and contribute to student progression and graduation, rather than simply offer convenience.
As a young African university rooted in the Northern Cape, SPU brings an important perspective to this global conversation. Questions of access, connectivity and equity are central to how digital education must develop. Through the Council, the University will contribute its experience while drawing on international evidence and practice.
“SPU’s membership of the Digital Education Council is about the quality of the learning experience we owe our students. Our responsibility is to support our academics, strengthen our assessment practices and ensure that digitalisation advances student success rather than simply reproducing existing practices in digital form. This membership gives our staff access to global evidence and peer learning, while giving SPU a platform to contribute what we are learning in the Northern Cape,” said Prof Paul Green, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning.
