[DEC Leadership Summit APAC] What Must Higher Education Change Now?

Higher education leaders across Asia-Pacific have moved past debating whether AI belongs in higher education. The open question now is whether institutional structures can adapt as fast as AI is embedding itself in academic work.

That shift framed the discussion at the DEC Leadership Summit APAC, held in Singapore on 26 August 2026 at Singapore Management University. Delegates examined how far their institutions have moved from experimentation towards a coordinated approach.

Strategy Is Moving Faster Than Institutional Structures

Most institutions represented at the summit are still building the foundations for AI integration rather than operating at scale, according to the Council's pre-summit survey of participating leaders. Only a small minority described their institution as having reached institution-wide integration.

The result is a coordination gap. Delegates described AI initiatives developing across departments faster than the governance structures meant to bring them together.

Governance was central to the discussion. Many frameworks were built to manage risk rather than to support decisions at the speed AI now requires. As such, delegates called for governance that can respond quickly while remaining accountable to the institution.

Curriculum Models Are Becoming More Continuous

Traditional curriculum cycles are under pressure. As AI changes professional practice, periodic review no longer matches the pace of change. Delegates pointed towards continuous curriculum development, with AI built into individual disciplines rather than added as a separate module.

Assessment was the area leaders most frequently identified as needing fundamental change. Delegates focused discussion on how assessment can show what a student understands when AI is part of how they will work, moving beyond the narrower question of whether students should be permitted to use it.

Institutions are therefore reconsidering where independent performance still needs verification, and where students should demonstrate their ability to work with AI. Oral assessment and portfolios are gaining renewed attention as methods for doing both.

Faculty Incentives Have Not Caught Up With What Institutions Now Expect

AI is changing what institutions expect from faculty. As students gain easier access to information, institutions are placing greater weight on faculty designing learning experiences and building student judgement.

That shift exposes a structural gap. Academic incentive structures have traditionally rewarded research output, while expectations around teaching keep expanding. Delegates framed this as more than a capability question: whether academic roles and incentive structures still match what institutions expect faculty to deliver.

Credentials Need to Signal More Than Job-Readiness

Labour market change is putting pressure on the traditional degree. Shorter certifications are becoming more prominent as learners look for ways to demonstrate specific capabilities. Delegates said the degree is unlikely to disappear. Their focus fell on what each credential, degree included, should now represent.

Delegates cautioned against defining higher education purely by immediate labour-market needs. A university education also builds the judgement and human-centred capabilities graduates need to navigate continued change in technology and work. Institutions need greater clarity about what a degree certifies, and where other forms of learning offer distinct value.

Adaptation Speed Is Now the Test of Institutional Credibility

The DEC Leadership Summit APAC reinforced that there is no single model for the future of higher education in APAC. Institutions across the region are responding from different starting points, shaped by their mandates and stages of AI adoption.

Therefore, higher education leaders must decide how quickly they can adapt without losing academic credibility, and where the sector still offers value that does not depend on which technology comes next.