Navigating the New Era of Education: Study Sheds Light on Human Dimension of AI Integration

28.11.2025

Aynur Deliveli’s MBA Thesis Highlights Critical Gap in Institutional Support for Business Lecturers

In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming business and education, Wittenborg graduate Aynur Deliveli’s thesis highlights the human element of this technological shift. Aynur, who is originally from Türkiye and completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Education Management, analysed the relationship between institutional support and how business school lecturers perceive their ability to integrate AI into their work.

The graduate notes that her topic of choice was inspired by her years of experience in higher education. As she explains, the dual impact of AI on business and education makes business schools particularly vulnerable. “We don’t really know how capable lecturers feel in using these tools or whether institutional support makes a difference, so I was driven by a desire to explore their perspectives.”

For her research, Aynur adopted a qualitative exploratory approach, conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 16 business school lecturers from seven different higher education institutions across the Netherlands. The faculty members taught a variety of business disciplines, including marketing, finance and human resources, and their teaching experience ranged from three to 25 years. This method, as Aynur notes, was a deliberate choice to capture “rich, detailed experiences” about AI integration.

The interviews explored several key topics, including educators’ familiarity with AI tools and learning experiences, their views on institutional support systems and ethical considerations, such as transparency, fairness and accountability.

Aynur’s findings reveal a complex picture. She found that while many lecturers were comfortable with individual AI tools for basic tasks, they often struggled with effectively integrating them into their pedagogy and content. The most significant finding was the gap in institutional support. Most participants reported a lack of formal AI training or professional development opportunities. Similarly, technical support was minimal, with many teachers even purchasing their own AI subscriptions.

“This research reinforced my belief that educational technology isn’t just about the technology; it’s about the people using it and the systems supporting them,” Aynur states.

She also underlines an unexpected but critical theme that emerged from her interviews: Policy Leadership. “Teachers expressed frustration with unclear or contradictory policies on AI, which created systemic barriers beyond just a lack of training or resources. This led to a sense of hesitation, confusion and isolation.”

Regarding her plans for the future, Aynur, who is currently a Research & Education Administrator at Wittenborg, plans to continue leveraging the knowledge and skills from her MBA in the fields of higher education and research. She intends to share her research findings through publications to add value to both academic and professional communities.

The graduate encourages current students to choose something they genuinely care about when working on their theses and graduation assignments. “My passion for understanding how teachers navigate technological change kept me motivated through challenging phases of the research.”

She also advises students to embrace the iterative process and not underestimate data analysis, noting that the real insights emerge from this phase.

For Aynur, the interview process was the most enjoyable part of her thesis journey. “Listening to lecturers talk about their experiences – their challenges, successes and creative ideas – was both insightful and motivating,” she says. “It felt meaningful to provide a space for them to share the issues they encounter in their daily work.”