Abstract:

Universities across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into teaching at speed, yet the professional roles and competencies that academics need in AI-rich environments remain poorly mapped. Most academics are still defined as lecturers whose work centres on content delivery and examination. This paper reports a systematic review, conducted and reported according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, of how the recent literature characterises university teacher roles, competencies, and professional identity in relation to AI, and of what this evidence implies for the GCC. A structured search of Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and Semantic Scholar covering 2020 to 2026 returned 1,176 records. After duplicate removal and two-stage screening against pre-set criteria, 16 peer-reviewed empirical studies and systematic reviews were included and appraised with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A thematic synthesis produced five interrelated role dimensions: data-informed learning designer, orchestrator of human-AI learning ecologies, ethics and equity guardian, relational mentor, and reflective change agent. The synthesis also yielded three competence clusters of knowledge, skills, and dispositions, and showed that teacher-centred and GCC-specific evidence is thin, fragmented, and dominated by perception surveys. We consolidate these findings into the AI-augmented learning designer model and set out implications for institutional policy, quality assurance, professional development, and student partnership in GCC universities. The contribution is an evidence-based role model, a competence map linked to existing frameworks, and a research agenda for empirical validation in the region.

Keywords:

Artificial intelligence in higher education, systematic review, PRISMA, teacher roles, digital competence, GCC universities, academic identity, professional development.