The rapid rise of artificial intelligence is transforming higher education.
Course design, assessment preparation, the relationship to knowledge and learning: its effects are already being felt in teaching practices, research, and training models.
In this context, how should its use be governed?
This is the question tackled by the RESDD (Network of Higher Education Institutions for Sustainable Development), which brings together 12 institutions under the supervision of the Ministries of Territorial Planning and Ecological Transition, including IFP School.
“Artificial intelligence opens up new perspectives for teaching and learning, but it also raises many questions. As an engineering school, our role is to help students make responsible use of it in their future professional environment,” emphasizes Pascal Longuemare, Dean of IFP School.
With the support of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, network members established a working group to analyze the impact of AI on teaching methods, formulate recommendations, and better support institutions in navigating these complex challenges.
From January to April 2026, this group, made up of the schools’ AI representatives, met to share existing practices and discuss the challenges encountered in the field.
“Linked to the State’s technical corps, our schools train the experts who will tomorrow drive ecological transition policies. AI is already a subject of teaching: the challenge is to pass on professional expertise while preserving the analytical capacity and judgment of our future managers,” stated Mathias Dufour, coordinator of the AI Working Group.
The workshops identified 12 major issues, covering in particular the framework for use, data security, teaching methods, assessment modalities, the training of students and teachers, and the environmental and critical dimensions of AI.
These discussions resulted in the development of a roadmap comprising 10 decisions, an operational toolkit, and 13 practical guides.
“The mobilization of the institutions’ AI representatives for this working group (WG) underlines the importance of acting together within the network in order to share best practices rather than moving forward alone. While Mathias Dufour’s mission is complete, the WG continues. It is essential to remain mobilized and to continue working collectively so that our students, teachers, researchers, and staff can make use of a knowledge-multiplying tool for the benefit of a reasoned, ethical, and responsible approach,” stated Anne Brouard, Head of the Higher Education Institutions Office.
These documents provide a framework for reflection and action to help institutions embrace AI in a coherent, responsible manner adapted to the realities of higher education.
Within this collective dynamic, Jérémy Demolliens, Head of the Immersive Realities unit at Lab e·nov™ and Digital Ambassador at IFP School, contributed to several key issues, particularly those related to digital sobriety and critical thinking.
“This working group allowed us to pool our knowledge on generative AI and to exchange views on both needs and challenges,” he explains.
“Today, for example, it is difficult to know with certainty whether a student is truly the author of a report. We also need to encourage them to question the data they share in their prompts, as well as the environmental footprint of their queries.
AI compels us to fundamentally rethink our training programs, teaching methods, and assessment approaches. These charters are an invitation to structure this reflection. To train students in the core principles of AI while integrating its ethical and environmental limitations, we must develop cross-cutting approaches that strengthen their critical thinking,” he continues.
This collective work will feed into IFP School’s AI strategy. It provides valuable support for structuring internal reflection, supporting teaching teams, and evolving practices in the face of the rise of generative AI.
The Lab e·nov™ team presented these 13 operational guides at an awareness workshop on 3 June to the School’s program managers and teaching staff.
Article written by Meyling Siu