What’s Possible With Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education?

Opportunities and Challenges

As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the landscape of higher education has, and is, fundamentally changing. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one area at the forefront of this change. There are both opportunities and challenges for students, educators, and administrators alike. As faculty at a community college, we are very familiar with the increased joys and pains AI has created over the past few years. Our intent is not to persuade nor dissuade the use of AI, but to share some of the opportunities and challenges AI might bring to higher education. Moreover, this piece explores the multifaceted role of AI in higher education, drawing insights from recent studies, articles, and our own experiences and observations.

Opportunities Presented by AI in Higher Education

AI provides many tools that lend well to higher education. AI can provide writing assistants, which can significantly enhance the writing process for students. A study conducted by Pearson in 2023 found that these tools provide real-time feedback on grammar, style, and coherence, thus helping students improve their writing skills. As faculty, we acknowledge that AI cannot do everything, especially when it comes to writing, organization, and critical thinking. However, we do believe AI could serve as a good starting point to draw students’ attention to some of the errors they may have in their writing. Additionally, with the efficient guidance of educators and AI, we can build more self-supporting and independent scholars.  

In our classrooms and departments, we have also seen the benefits of how AI can personalize learning experiences by adapting content to meet individual students’ needs, thus promoting a deeper connection with and understanding of the material, similar to what The Chronicle of Higher Education posited. The more we individualize and customize our approach as educators to meet the needs of students, the more effective the learning experience and sense of belonging our students feel. This customized approach and sense of belonging leads to week-to-week retention, which leads to semester-to-semester retention, ultimately aiding students in successfully accomplishing their goals for attending college. 

AI continues to be a hot topic in higher education. As educators, it seems that we are finally getting a handle of what AI is and how it can impact the learning experience and learning environments. While we are still figuring out many of the unknowns of AI, there is one thing we do know: AI will be sticking around for a good while. Since AI seems to be here long-term, we as educators encourage and task higher educators with doing more to get to know AI, as the simple ban of AI or turning a blind eye won’t be enough moving forward. 

Higher education must continue to explore AI and rethink its role in education. For example, AI can assist or support by analyzing datasets more quickly and accurately. This capability allows for more efficient data analysis, helping researchers to identify patterns and insights that may otherwise go unnoticed. Another thing AI can assist with is automating tasks. By automating routine tasks, we can free up time to focus on more complex aspects of work. Again, while we continue to express that AI cannot do and does not know everything, we do believe it could assist us in working smarter than harder with routine or simple tasks. 

AI may provide an extension and serve as a supplement to the learning experience. AI-powered platforms may enable students to engage in self-guided instruction, allowing them to learn at their own pace. These platforms can provide personalized recommendations and adaptive learning paths based on students’ progress and performance. This not only fosters independent learning but also encourages students to take ownership of their educational journey while providing space for them to assess their progress. 

Moreover, with benefit to educators, AI can function as a virtual teaching assistant, helping instructors manage administrative tasks, create or edit assignment rubrics, and provide efficient and effective feedback to students. Using AI morally and ethically can allow educators to focus more on teaching and mentoring to support student success, as claimed by The Chronicle of Higher Education. We are not saying that AI could replace students or faculty roles, we are saying that AI could potentially help to create an enhanced experience. Consequently, these practices may contribute to a more efficient and effective educational environment.

Challenges Associated With AI in Higher Education

Despite its numerous benefits, the integration of AI in higher education presents significant challenges, particularly regarding its use in higher education spaces. The ease of access to AI-generated content has raised concerns about academic integrity, honesty, and rigor. As faculty, and supervisors of faculty, we have had to deal with students being tempted to use AI to generate content for assignments with no guardrails or boundaries to what is and is not ethical use of the resource. With this, we see an increase in intentional and unintentional plagiarism and academic dishonesty offenses. With this knowledge, we charge our colleagues in higher education to develop new strategies to uphold academic standards and leverage the many benefits that AI tools might provide.

For educators, a huge hurdle to tackle is developing methods, procedures, and processes for detecting AI-generated content. It is important to note that while AI pulls from anything it can find online, it oftentimes can put together responses that—on the surface—look, sound, and present as sophisticated and accurate. Therefore, educators must find effective ways to address the use and integration of AI in higher education space. Moreover, we note that as AI technology continues to advance, institutions must invest in clarifying academic expectations to ensure the integrity of academic work for faculty, staff, and students. While the promotion of AI has made it easier for students to engage in academic dishonesty or misconduct, as educators, it is our duty to uphold academic integrity by way of awareness, support, and policy. By taking a deeper look at how AI is impacting higher education, educators can strategize to mitigate the risks associated with AI and leverage this powerful tool to enhance teaching and learning.

Playing in Possibility With AI

To address the challenges of AI and academic integrity, educators must also adopt proactive strategies to promote academic integrity beyond the typical reactive approach. Faculty are vital in their role of providing academically sound standards and expectations, including the usage of AI. Therefore, clear expectations and boundaries are essential, especially around the utilization of AI resources. When we are clear in our expectations, we can better communicate those expectations to our students. When our students have clear guidance, they are better positioned for success. 

This leads us to our next point of encouraging transparency as an effective strategy. By asking students to share their thought processes and reflect on their learning, educators can assess students’ understanding. Additionally, introducing AI into the classroom and exploring effective uses with students could help to remove unintentional accounts of plagiarism or misuse. This approach fosters an open and honest academic environment, where students and faculty feel comfortable discussing the use of technology and benefit from the resources provided by technology. 

By intentionally incorporating discussions and resources about AI and its implications into the curriculum, we can help students understand the useful, honest, and effective ways to use AI. Educating students about the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI encourages critical thinking, and responsible usage is an effective practice to embrace AI as a tool and not an obstacle in the promotion of teaching and learning. Requiring evidence-based work is another important strategy—by asking students to support their arguments with researched evidence and to include reflections on the processes, educators can enhance critical thinking and make it more difficult for students to turn only to AI-generated content. This approach promotes deeper engagement with the material and ensures the authenticity of students’ work. 

While the challenges are significant, the benefits of AI in higher education are immense. AI can be leveraged as a catalyst toward new possibilities for teaching and learning. By embracing these opportunities and addressing the associated challenges, we can harness the power of AI to improve higher education and empower learners. The integration of AI in higher education presents a complex and exciting landscape, but this complex landscape requires a balanced approach that leverages AI’s capabilities while safeguarding academic integrity. As we navigate this evolving technological tool, ongoing dialogue will be crucial in this transformation of education.

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Authors Bios:

Darian Senn-Carter, EdD, ACC, is a tenured Full Professor and Director of the Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Institute at Anne Arundel Community College. Dr. Senn-Carter is also an ICF Certified Life Coach. Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn.

Antione D. Tomlin, PhD, PCC, is a tenured Associate Professor and Director of Academic Literacies Tutoring Center at Anne Arundel Community College. Dr. Tomlin is also an ICF Certified Life Coach. Feel free to reach out at www.drantionetomlin.com or on X (Twitter) @Tomlinantione.

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Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of Interfolio.