The arrival of AI has had a very disruptive impact on our campuses and Distance Learning programs. We all know that disruption is not necessarily bad; but in the realm of higher education, it can be.
Higher education is, after all, very resistive to change. Always has been and regrettably, always will be. In conversations, I have often used the example of Colleges of Education (not sure if this is a controversial topic for us – perhaps once you digest my view on this it will be?). All of us know we have a crisis in K-12 education. Personally, I’ve always blamed the Colleges of Education which have boldly been leading us into the early 20th Century of thought and practice for the past 75 years! The approach has diminished content expertise (the basis for teaching prior to the rise of Colleges of Education) and focuses on ritual and bureaucracy rather than learning how to teach and manage the modern classroom (few lessons on how/what to teach, no training on dealing with classroom disruptive behavior or disruptive parents both of which dominate these days).
In 2026, as faculty, many cling to how we learned when we were students and extol the virtues of the traditional “sage on the stage” or the noble Socratic method. The “new” thinking of Interactive Student Learning tends to support of of a decline in attention span of students but at least has tried to make learning more engaging. In actuality, contemporary education has become more like “meat processing” or as Sir Ken Robinson described 12 years ago as the “factory-like: education”. And in most states, there is a disconnect between what high school graduates learn and what higher education expects them to learn.
In the midst of all of this is the rapidly changing nature of technology – and our failure to capture or incorporate necessary abilities and soft skills into our curriculum. AI is the du joir example, but we have struggled with the arrival of computers, the Internet, portable device (especially the cell phone), Wikipedia, and Distance Learning). And yet most of these have relevance for workforce development and life skills. Instead of being the Sherpa guides of technology, a significant number lean into more of a Chicken Little approach that views any change, any disruption as an “existential threat”. Our resistance to evolve our curriculum and degrees creates a stale learning process disconnected from the realities of constant technology evolution.
In addition, our reluctance to change has contributed to the argument that higher education suffers from a diminishing Return On Investment (ROI) as students either self-develop these skills or arrive on the job market lacking these transitional soft skills.
AI offers an opportunity on our various campuses to speak more directly to this problem and tougher, to find workable changes and adjustments to student engagement, curriculum and degrees. Or not.
Recommended Reading
The Apprenticeship (R)evolution, Inside Higher Ed
Once synonymous with hard hats and tool belts, apprenticeships are branching into health care, artificial intelligence, business services, advanced manufacturing and more.
Rising Cyber Threats Drive Higher Ed Leaders To Prioritize Cyber Resilience, eCampus News
Fewer than one-third of US state and local government and higher-education organizations say they are prepared for AI-powered cyberattacks
Canvas Unrolls AI Teaching Agent, Inside Higher Ed
The new AI agent aims to save faculty time on “low-value tasks,” but stops short of fully automating grading. But some experts worry that the rise of agentic AI could lead to a dead classroom, where computers teach other computers.
Colleges Face A New Rival In Teaching: AI ChatBots, University Business Magazine
As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in colleges’ business and administrative operations, academic leaders are growing more skeptical about its role in teaching and learning.
Cornell Module Builds Critical Thinking In AI Era, Inside Higher Ed
The discipline-independent course helps students build critical thinking skills while giving faculty a framework to integrate them across courses.
Active Learning Classrooms Foster Collaboration Amongst Students, EdTech Magazine
Technology facilitates interactivity and group work in college learning environments.
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