GenAI as an Educational Gatekeeper: Balancing Personalisation and Standardisation in Higher Education

Felipe Tessarolo; Denise Whitelock; Chris Edwards; Duygu Bektik

doi:10.65043/eurodl.186

GenAI as an Educational Gatekeeper: Balancing Personalisation and Standardisation in Higher Education

European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning

Volume 28 (2026): Issue 1

By: Felipe Tessarolo , Denise Whitelock , Chris Edwards and Duygu Bektik

Open Access

|May 2026

Abstract

This conceptual paper theorises Generative AI (GenAI) as a structural gatekeeper in higher education, advancing gatekeeping theory through a synthesis of media studies and educational governance. It positions GenAI not as a neutral tool but as an epistemic actor that reshapes control over knowledge production, curriculum design, and institutional autonomy. The paper introduces two constructs: the GenAI Algorithmic Gatekeeping Model, modelling recursive algorithmic influence; and the Human–AI Gatekeeping Model, a normative framework for sustaining academic integrity and epistemic diversity. Drawing on policy discourse, literature analysis, and illustrative cases, it develops a comparative lens for examining how algorithmic mediation reconfigures authority and standardisation in educational contexts. It concludes by setting a research and policy agenda for governing AI in education, inviting further inquiry into the conceptual architecture and normative implications of algorithmic gatekeeping.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.65043/eurodl.186 | Journal eISSN: 1027-5207

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Language: English

Page range: 7 - 7

Submitted on: Dec 19, 2025

Accepted on: May 7, 2026

Published on: May 20, 2026

Published by: EDEN Digital Learning Europe

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

AI-driven assessment,

personalisation in education

© 2026 Felipe Tessarolo, Denise Whitelock, Chris Edwards, Duygu Bektik, published by EDEN Digital Learning Europe
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 28 (2026): Issue 1