The accelerating digitization of higher education has intensified longstanding inequities in access, participation, and epistemic representation, particularly within Indigenous and Global South contexts. While global reform agendas emphasize digital literacy, innovation, and future-ready skills, insufficient attention has been given to how digital transformation intersects with Indigenous knowledge systems, self-determined learning, and sustainability imperatives. This paper advances the concept of digital sovereignty as a transformative response to the digital divide in tertiary education. Moving beyond access-based frameworks, digital sovereignty foregrounds Indigenous epistemological authority, cultural self-determination, and equitable participation in knowledge production within digitally mediated learning environments.

Drawing on heutagogy as a theoretical foundation, the paper conceptualizes self-determined learning as a pedagogical bridge between Indigenous knowledge traditions and digital innovation. Heutagogical principles—learner agency, double-loop learning, capability development, and reflexivity—align with Indigenous relational epistemologies and collective knowledge stewardship. Through this alignment, tertiary institutions can reframe curriculum, technology integration, and digital literacy initiatives toward culturally grounded, sustainable futures. The analysis highlights how curriculum reform, digital infrastructure policy, and institutional leadership must shift from technocentric adoption models to context-responsive, culturally embedded strategies that empower learners as co-creators of knowledge.

The paper proposes an integrative conceptual framework that connects digital equity, Indigenous knowledge systems, and sustainable development goals within higher education transformation. It argues that achieving sustainable futures requires moving from digital consumption to digital agency, and from digital access to digital sovereignty. In doing so, tertiary institutions can cultivate future-ready graduates who are critically literate, culturally rooted, ethically responsible, and capable of navigating complex socio-ecological challenges. The study contributes to emerging debates on decolonizing digital education, sustainable curriculum innovation, and transformative pedagogies in the 21st century.

The rapid acceleration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the global technological revolution has intensified longstanding debates about transformation in tertiary education. While AI is often positioned as a disruptive force capable of reshaping higher education, less attention has been given to a more fundamental question: who must change in response to this disruption? This paper critically examines whether transformation should primarily occur at the level of educators, learners, curriculum content, or teaching and learning approaches, with specific attention to tertiary institutions in Fiji and the wider Pacific region.

Drawing on contemporary scholarship in AI in education, heutagogy, learning analytics, and digital transformation, the study argues that technological adoption alone is insufficient. Instead, meaningful change requires a systemic reimagining of educational roles and relationships. The paper contends that educators must transition from content transmitters to facilitators of capability development; learners must assume greater agency and responsibility as self-determined participants in knowledge construction; curriculum content must evolve from static disciplinary coverage toward adaptive, interdisciplinary, and problem-based learning; and pedagogical models must shift from traditional pedagogy to heutagogy, emphasizing autonomy, reflection, and lifelong learning competencies.

Within the Pacific context, these shifts are shaped by distinctive socio-cultural, geographic, and infrastructural realities. AI presents opportunities to address geographic dispersion, resource limitations, and inequities in access to higher education. However, it simultaneously raises concerns related to digital divides, algorithmic bias, ethical governance, cultural alignment, and educator preparedness. The paper proposes a contextually grounded framework for AI-enabled transformation that balances innovation with ethical oversight, cultural responsiveness, and institutional capacity-building.

Ultimately, this study argues that transformation in the age of AI is not the responsibility of a single actor but a shared, systemic evolution of educators, learners, content, and pedagogy. By situating this discussion within a Pacific perspective, the paper contributes to global debates on AI in higher education while foregrounding the importance of contextual adaptation, equity, and sustainability. It offers strategic insights for policymakers, institutional leaders, and academics seeking to navigate the technological revolution without losing sight of human agency, cultural integrity, and educational purpose.

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping higher education globally, compelling tertiary institutions to reconsider traditional pedagogical models that prioritize content transmission over learner capability. In the context of Fiji and the broader Pacific region, where higher education systems face unique challenges related to geographic dispersion, resource constraints, digital inequities, and postcolonial educational legacies, the integration of AI presents both transformative opportunities and critical responsibilities. This paper argues that the meaningful adoption of AI in Pacific tertiary education requires a paradigmatic shift from pedagogy to heutagogy, emphasizing self-determined learning, learner autonomy, adaptability, and capability development.

Drawing on contemporary scholarship in heutagogy, digital transformation, and AI in education, the paper develops a conceptual framework positioning AI as an enabler of learner agency rather than a replacement for human educators. It examines how AI-driven tools, such as adaptive learning systems, intelligent tutoring, research assistants, learning analytics, and simulation platforms, can support personalized learning pathways, reflective practice, and double-loop learning. Within a Pacific context, this transformation is further situated within the region’s cultural emphasis on relationality, community knowledge, and collective responsibility, highlighting the importance of human-centred, ethically grounded AI integration.

The paper critically discusses opportunities, including expanded access to learning, enhanced research productivity, and innovation capacity, while also addressing challenges such as algorithmic bias, data sovereignty, digital divides, and academic integrity. It argues that sustainable AI-enabled transformation in Fiji and Pacific tertiary institutions must prioritize ethical governance, digital literacy development, culturally responsive pedagogies, and strong human oversight.

Ultimately, this study positions AI not as a technological disruption to be managed, but as a strategic catalyst for reimagining tertiary education in the Pacific, moving beyond pedagogy toward a heutagogical model that fosters lifelong learning, resilience, and capability in an era of uncertainty.