There is a growing need for higher education institutions to integrate and create policies for the use of AI technology in the classroom. Colleges should also give due consideration to its impact on their current and future workforce.
I believe that putting people, not technology, at the center of these decisions is how educators should embrace AI, explore new ways to incorporate its capabilities, and promote equitable student success. Therefore, its power should be used.
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a machine-based system that can make predictions, recommendations, or decisions affecting real or virtual environments, for human-defined purposes. AI originated in 1950 when Alan Turing published “Computer Machinery and Intelligence” proposing a machine intelligence test called The Imitation Game. However, the term was coined by John McCarthy himself in 1955. Since then, AI research has grown, and the fruits of that labor have evolved into its integration into our everyday lives.
AI is now shaping how students learn, and its widespread use has created some complications in education. In late 2023, Educause conducted a survey to gauge current sentiment within the higher education community regarding strategic planning and readiness, policies and procedures, workforce and the future of AI in higher education. According to the 2024 Educause AI Landscape Study, “AI is having the most significant impact on education and learning, technology, and cybersecurity and data privacy policies (by 95 percent, 79 percent, and 72 percent of respondents, respectively). reported, such as 'already affected' or 'soon to be affected').
Navigating these complexities will not be easy. However, it is important. As suggested in the 2023 Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning report published by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology, “Educational policy and decision-makers at the local, state, and federal levels should prioritize We must use our strengths to align, educational strategies, and technology adoption decisions to keep students' educational needs ahead of their enthusiasm for emerging AI capabilities.
As institutions seek guidance in building the infrastructure for AI implantation and use, Elon University in North Carolina has emerged as a leader in the subject. President Connie Ledoux Book, Alvin Scholar-in-Residence Le Rennie, and Professor Davina Frau Meigs of the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris supported the development of the six principles from more than 140 higher education leaders and scholars from more than 40 countries. has received Serves as a framework for organizations to process artificial intelligence. Interestingly, principal number one is, “People, not technology, should be at the heart of what we do.”
This is the approach we are trying to adopt at Community College of Aurora. Efforts to revolutionize the student experience have forced faculty and staff to envision new ways to incorporate AI. Bobby Pace, vice president for academic achievement, described how the academy moved quickly to assemble an AI task force to develop guidelines for promoting equity and inclusion in the classroom: “In the fall Meanwhile, an AI task force was formed from across the academy to frame AI as a calculator or Google-like tool, rather than a taboo technology. “Allows us to ground our instruction within the realities of the world our students will be working in and helps us adopt a technology-based approach to learning rather than punishment.”
Outside the classroom, Clare Collins, vice president of enrollment management and pathway success, explained how AI is being incorporated into the student experience of enrollment management to help student retention and completion: “CCA has leveraged AI and machine learning in academic advising to break down student. Program-wise momentum indicators have led to earlier intervention with students and integration of population health metrics.” which is easier for both staff and faculty to digest. For the first time in higher education, we can be proactive with current students rather than deploying semester-to-semester interventions based on data from previous cohorts.”
This deeper level of AI integration and intent has led to CCA's fall enrollment growth of 4 percent and spring enrollment growth of 11 percent. Additionally, our faculty integrating AI into their teaching have reported deeper engagement among their students, leading to improved course success rates. Additional success has been shown by integrating the college's first multilingual AI chatbot, Professor Fox, which was a cross-college collaboration that significantly improved the college's website visitor retention and navigation metrics.
As the higher ed marketplace evolves with deeper integration of AI, so should the student experience. Doing so will help institutions attract new students and retain current students, supporting efforts to advance equitable student success.