The Generative AI Paradigm Shift in Higher Education : Synthesizing Impacts on Classroom Pedagogy, Evaluation Frameworks and Institutional Governance

There is an ongoing paradigm shift in the realm of higher education all over the world due to the fast evolution and proliferation of the concept of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Contrary to other educational technologies that have a typical adoption pattern, the arrival of generative AI represents an “arrival technology,” where disruptions occurred prior to any evidence-based pedagogy formation. This paper synthesizes the impacts of generative AI on higher education by examining daily classroom pedagogy, evaluation and grading frameworks, academic integrity protocols, and institutional governance structures. Using a multi-dimensional synthesis methodology by incorporating organizational change theories and socio-technical framework analysis, the research relies on peer-reviewed journal articles and policy papers released from 2021 to 2026. A special focus will be laid on the context in the Global South and specifically on India, where the growing higher education landscape meets national policy initiatives such as NEP 2020, underscoring the potential benefits of personalized learning and the challenges of the digital divide. The study shows that universities need to shift their policies from reactive bans to collaborative models of governance that involve faculty members and allow students to become co-designers. Overall, the research will offer a full-scale roadmap for the generative AI era that is intellectually humble, strategically driven, and systemically equitable.