Naomi Mc Laughlan, MBA

How can we use AI and digitalisation to make higher education and teaching future-ready, practice-oriented, and accessible to everyone?

By not simply observing technological developments, but actively shaping them. I want to contribute to ensuring that Artificial Intelligence in higher education is not understood merely as a technology, but as a tool that students and educators can use meaningfully, responsibly, and competently.

My focus lies at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, digital education, and practice-oriented teaching. I am particularly interested in how digital technologies can improve learning processes, provide individual support to students, and reduce the workload of educators in their day-to-day academic work.

I combine academic work with many years of experience in entrepreneurship, digitalisation, marketing, e-learning, and adult education. This interdisciplinary perspective enables me to approach technological developments from both an academic and a practical point of view.

AI in Higher Education and Teaching

In my work at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, I focus in particular on the strategic and practical integration of Artificial Intelligence into higher education and teaching. This is not simply about introducing new tools, but above all about identifying the skills and competencies that students and educators need to use AI effectively, critically, and responsibly.

Bringing Knowledge into Practice

An important part of my work is transferring knowledge into practice. Complex technological developments need to be made accessible and understandable, while creating tangible value for people.

Through my many years of experience as an entrepreneur, trainer, and consultant in digitalisation and digital communication, I have been exploring how people can be inspired by new technologies, empowered to use them effectively, and supported in developing confidence and competence in working with them.

My goal is to connect academia, technology, and practice and thereby help shape a university that prepares its students not only for today’s world of work, but also for the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow.

My research interests lie at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, digital education, higher education teaching, and entrepreneurship. My work focuses on the opportunities and challenges of using AI in higher education and teaching, as well as on how students and educators can be supported in developing the skills to use AI competently, critically, and responsibly. I am particularly interested in the didactic integration of AI, new forms of assessment, AI literacy, the acceptance of digital technologies, and the development of future-oriented teaching and learning concepts.

Another area of interest is entrepreneurship, both with and without the use of Artificial Intelligence. Since 2001, I have founded and developed several businesses, giving me many years of practical experience in entrepreneurship, digitalisation, and innovation. I see entrepreneurship as an important component of higher education, particularly for students who may wish to pursue self-employment or start their own business after graduation. I am therefore particularly interested in how universities can foster entrepreneurial thinking and action and prepare students to develop their own ideas, create innovative business models, and make meaningful use of technological developments, including AI, in their entrepreneurial future.