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Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-3249-2017

Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEIs), such as colleges and universities, face many challenges and competitive pressures and must innovate. How can ideas from complexity and a systems approach help a HEI understand how it creates value and potentially drive business model innovation? This article provides a university-as-a-platform (UaaP) framework that integrates platform thinking and systems thinking to help HEIs think about value creation, innovation, and the design of new business models. Platform thinking is used to provide a platform conceptualization of the university and define the framework's main elements. A HEI creates value by facilitating the participation and value-creating interactions of several groups of participants. Systems thinking, deploying a causal loop diagram (CLD), maps the value creation mechanisms focusing on feedback loops within a HEI and across its boundary. We show that the UaaP framework can help HEIs understand their complex challenges, conceptualize and map how they create value, and identify opportunities for innovation, such as novel business models. We also explain how Artificial Intelligence (AI) feedback loops strengthen the quality of participation and interactions (quality effect) on platforms. Understanding that mechanism allows HEIs to derive additional value from AI transformation. The article contributes to the platform literature and the literature at the intersection of complexity and higher education. It outlines lessons for higher education leadership and identifies opportunities for future complex systems research at the intersection of education, platforms, and AI.

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