AI Strategy Compass
We believe that artificial intelligence (AI) is not just a technological trend, but a transformation that touches every part of education. That’s why BUas has developed its own approach to implementing AI across the entire organisation: the AI Strategy Compass (AISC).
The AI Strategy Compass: Moving beyond fragmented AI pilots to institution-wide transformation
The AI Strategy Compass was developed by Ines Springael, Programme Manager Meaningful AI Endeavours at BUas, as a research-backed framework addressing a critical challenge in higher education: most universities approach AI through scattered experiments that fail to create meaningful, lasting change.
A strategic response to educational transformation
While AI transforms every aspect of education, institutions often find themselves stuck with isolated pilots that generate excitement but limited impact. The AI Strategy Compass offers a different path, one that treats AI implementation as comprehensive organisational change rather than a series of isolated projects.
The framework consists of six interconnected components:
- Urgency – Building shared understanding of why AI transformation cannot wait
- Ambition + Strategy – Establishing clear vision and strategic roadmaps that align with institutional goals
- AI Pioneer Team – Empowering knowledgeable staff to lead and champion change from within
- Programmatic Approach – Coordinating efforts through structured planning and management
- Communication – Maintaining transparency and inclusive dialogue across all stakeholders
- Cultural Change – Transforming how we work, learn, and relate to technology at the deepest level
People-centered transformation
What distinguishes this framework is its recognition that successful AI adoption fundamentally depends on changing human behaviour, not just implementing new tools. As our research shows, meaningful transformation occurs when institutions prioritize people over technology, create space for experimentation and learning, and treat AI implementation as an opportunity to rethink educational practices entirely.
"If organisations want to create impact with ethical and inclusive AI, they must treat it as a whole, not as a set of isolated projects or fragmented action, and invest in people, not just policies."
The AI Strategy Compass provides educational leaders with a proven roadmap for moving beyond fragmented approaches toward comprehensive AI transformation that enhances teaching, research, student services, and operations, creating lasting change that becomes embedded in institutional DNA.
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White paper
Want to learn more about what our AI Strategy Compass entails? You can read about it in Ines Springael's white paper.
BUas AI Strategy Compass wint tweede prijs op UNESCO Global Forum
Ines Springael, Manager of Meaningful AI Endeavours at BUas, has won second prize for her research poster at the prestigious Global Forum on the Ethics of AI in Thailand.