The main objective of OREO was to support the academic community in understanding the educational potential of AI applications and data use, while raising awareness of associated ethical, legal, and pedagogical risks. The project aimed to promote informed experimentation and innovation in higher education, enabling +unreflectively. A further objective was to create a sustainable online learning and exchange environment that would foster dialogue, knowledge co-creation, and peer learning among academics, students, and experts across countries. Finally, OREO sought to establish a lasting network of partners and stakeholders capable of monitoring developments in educational AI beyond the project’s lifetime and contributing to responsible and values-based digital transformation in higher education.
The OREO project was developed in response to the rapid and largely unregulated introduction of Artificial Intelligence and chatbot technologies into higher education. Universities and academic staff were increasingly confronted with AI-driven tools without sufficient guidance on their pedagogical potential, ethical implications, or risks related to data protection, academic integrity, and responsible use. At the same time, there was a clear need to move beyond fear-based or prohibitive approaches and instead support informed, critical, and innovative engagement with AI in education. OREO addressed these needs by bringing together higher education institutions and expert organisations to develop shared knowledge, practical tools, and a collaborative framework that would help the academic community understand AI applications in education, reflect on their implications, and experiment responsibly with their use in teaching and learning.