The article “Generative AI and the Transformation of Teaching in Higher Education: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Model” analyzes how the rapid expansion of generative artificial intelligence is reshaping the role of university faculty.
Far from being limited to the incorporation of yet another tool into the classroom, generative AI represents a profound shift: it intervenes in cognitive, communicative, and organizational tasks that previously depended exclusively on teachers, forcing us to rethink academic authority, curriculum design, and the way learning environments are constructed.
Based on a systematic review of studies published between 2022 and 2025, the work shows that research on generative AI in higher education has grown rapidly since 2023. The findings point to a redistribution of teaching functions: faculty are no longer merely transmitters of knowledge, but become mediators, designers, critical supervisors, and guides in hybrid ecosystems where people and algorithms interact.
This shift opens up opportunities for personalization, feedback, and pedagogical innovation, but it also creates tensions related to academic integrity, algorithmic bias, technological dependence, and the loss of pedagogical autonomy.
One of the article’s main contributions is the proposal of a conceptual model organized around four interconnected domains: cognitive-technological, pedagogical design, ethical-epistemic, and institutional-curricular. This framework helps us understand that the responsible integration of generative AI depends not only on the use of tools, but also on institutional policies, teacher training, ethical criteria, and robust curricular redesigns.
The underlying idea is clear: generative AI can transform university teaching, but its true value will depend on the ability of institutions and faculty to turn it into a critical, equitable, and pedagogically meaningful ally.
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How to Cite: Juárez-Vázquez, S., Sol Sampedro, F. J., & Hernández Ruíz, N. (2026). Generative AI and transformation of teaching in higher education: Systematic review and conceptual model. RIED-Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 29(2). https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.47225
