Higher Education and AI

Are you as passionate about higher education as I am? I come from a blue-collar, working class family and am a proud first-generation college student. Higher education has been a game changer in my life and in my family’s life.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how teaching, learning, operations, and governance happen on campus. In my newsletters over the past six months, I have focused on real-world case AI studies and practical take-aways to help businesses assimilate and benefit from AI. Now it’s time to explore AI in higher education.

From faculty using generative models to design lessons and grade at scale, to chatbots that raise first-year student persistence, to boards rethinking oversight and strategy — AI is no longer hypothetical. Below are concrete examples, policy priorities, and practical pointers.

How Do Faculty, Students, Administrators, and Trustees Use AI?

	Carnegie Mellon has taken an empirical approach to generative AI in teaching and learning — studying when and how LLMs can support student learning and how faculty can integrate AI tools responsibly into coursework (tool design, scaffolded assignments, and research into learning outcomes). Their work models faculty-led experimentation. Learn more.
	Arizona State University has deployed adaptive courseware and product/UX design around AI to improve student experiences and scale effective teaching. Their case studies emphasize faculty development as critical to success (tools work best when instructors are trained in pedagogy and tool use). Learn more.
	PRACTICAL POINTERS: Pilot one AI-augmented assignment this term, and document rubric changes and student learning outcomes.

	Students are using generative AI heavily for drafting, summarizing, and ideation — and institutions are grappling with detection and pedagogy.
	Turnitin is a service that checks papers for plagiarism. Turnitin’s analyses and journalistic coverage estimate millions of student submissions now include AI-generated text. Learn more.
	PRACTICAL POINTERS: Know that employers have changed job descriptions to require AI expertise or the willingness to use it. Higher education institutions need to train the workforce accordingly. Additionally, institutions need to rethink design of student assignments in light of AI, rather than rely only on detection of its use.

	Georgia State University uses a chatbot for student enrollment.
	Its chatbot work is a leading example of AI-driven outreach. Chatbots and automated messaging have been linked to improved onboarding, fewer administrative “holds,” reduced summer “melt,” and measurable persistence/enrollment gains. Randomized and quasi-experimental evaluations support real student-success effects when bots are well-designed and integrated with human support. Learn more.
	PRACTICAL POINTERS: Conduct an inventory to determine where AI is used in the operations of the institution. What is the ROI from these implementations? Run a privacy & vendor assessment for any campus chatbot or LLM. Add AI to the risk register.

	Boards are increasingly expected to deal with issues involving institutional AI strategy, risk and ethical oversight, vendor risk management, data governance, and workforce implications.
	Organizations such as the Association of Governing Boards (AGB) and NACUBO have begun publishing guidance and webinars specifically aimed at trustees on this topic — moving AI from an operational issue to a board agenda item.
	PRACTICAL POINTERS: Ensure AI is on the Board agenda quarterly. Ask for a quarterly one-page “AI Dashboard” showing approved deployments, incidents, compliance status, and outcomes from pilots. Review the institution’s AI policies and provide oversight of AI management. Who decides if and how AI is used in the classroom by students? Is there a cross-functional oversight committee and what is its charter?

Summary

AI greatly impacts the education of our workforce and the future of our society. As employers, administrators, faculty, and board members, we need to be actively involved and ensure that AI is making the impact we desire.

See the complete newsletter.