Higher education conversations about AI often begin with fear: students using it to shortcut learning or generate finished work. But we reframe the conversation. Instead of asking students to avoid AI, we ask them to use AI as a thinking partner and then show their
I can’t be the only instructor who has walked around the classroom during a carefully-designed active learning activity only to find students using their laptops to work on other homework, chat with friends, or, in one memorable case, watch a baseball game. Devices have long
Growing up, I was drawn to punk rock because it effectively expressed the angst I felt with things like curfews and homework, to say nothing of the raging hormones of being a teenager. I loved how it questioned authority with an unapologetic attitude. I now
Diving into the world of academic research feels like learning a new language for novice researchers. Concepts like ontology, epistemology, research paradigms, and methodology can be daunting. To help our graduate students learn research methods, we built an AI agent that guides them through the
While AI is being used to make self-tests, study aids, and a wide range of other learning materials, tutoring systems have arguably the most potential to improve student understanding and performance. Programmed to mimic human tutors, these systems engage in a Socratic dialogue with the
AI has opened a world of new opportunities for student learning. I have discussed how instructors can easily add interactions to their learning material, tutors to their classroom, and digital laboratory simulations that allow students to test how a process changes with different inputs. But
During a recent interview for a longitudinal study on undergraduate writing and learning that I am conducting at my school, one student described a course he was currently taking with a professor he admired deeply. He spoke warmly about the instructor’s passion, clarity, and care
Large language models can explain concepts, summarize readings, and even generate practice problems. But developing professional expertise—the kind of strategic thinking, judgment, and problem-solving that distinguishes novices from experts—requires more than content delivery. It requires coaching. When we wanted to give students more access to
Faculty and institutions are using AI to create educational material and tutors that help students learn the material. These are text-based interactions. But AI can also build digital simulations that allow students to experiment with different variables to learn how they affect processes. This ability
Every teacher knows the challenge: Students complete homework at 9:00 p.m., get stuck, and have to wait until the next day’s class for help. By then, you’re facing a mountain of assignments that all show the same misconception.
