From 6 to 9 October 2026, Ana Țurcan, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Computers, Informatics and Microelectronics (FCIM), and Angela Ghelbet, Head of the Department of Design and Technologies in Textiles and Printing, Faculty of Design, participated, within the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme, in International Staff Week 2026 – “Already Changed, Still Changing: Higher Education and AI”, hosted by SMK College of Applied Sciences in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The event brought together academic staff and representatives of higher education institutions from Türkiye, Romania, Bhutan, Spain, Montenegro, Italy, the Republic of Moldova, Cambodia, Finland, Croatia, Greece, and Lithuania, providing a valuable platform for the exchange of experience, academic dialogue, and the advancement of international cooperation.
The programme opened with the official welcome session and the lecture “AI and Academia: What Are We Facing?”, which initiated discussions on the challenges and transformations generated by artificial intelligence in higher education.
During the “Institutions in Practice” session, representatives of the participating institutions presented their universities, institutional initiatives, and current practices, offering concrete examples of how artificial intelligence is being integrated into academic and institutional activities.
Another important component of the programme was the Solutions Lab, during which participants worked in international groups on real-world challenges arising from the impact of artificial intelligence on universities. The discussions focused on practical approaches to assessment in the context of AI use, the development of students’ cognitive skills, the responsible use of artificial intelligence, institutional policies, and the identification of applications with genuine educational value.
A particularly significant part of the academic mobility was participation in the AI-ERIT Open Day – “AI-Ready Universities: From Ethics to Practice”, an event dedicated to the responsible and practical integration of artificial intelligence into higher education. The event featured the results of the AI-ERIT – AI Integration Framework for Higher Education project, including AI integration frameworks and capacity-building materials designed for researchers, academic staff, and administrative personnel.
Participation in International Staff Week 2026 provided an important opportunity for the exchange of good practices, the strengthening of international academic relations, the promotion of institutional experience, and the identification of new avenues for collaboration in education, research, and innovation.
The experience at SMK College of Applied Sciences reaffirmed that artificial intelligence is already transforming the way universities teach, conduct research, assess learning, and develop new educational models, while the current challenge lies in integrating these technologies in a responsible, ethical, and quality-oriented manner that enhances academic education.
