Only a third of chief technology officers recently surveyed by Inside Higher Ed believe their institution is adeptly handing the rise of AI. It’s a multifaceted challenge that requires a complex response, and part of the solution has to come from the faculty—a campus constituent notoriously firm in its commitment to the status quo. 

But there are early adopters and innovators among the faculty who can be a driving force for new ways of thinking about teaching and academic integrity. One of those educators recently joined Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief, Sara Custer, on a recent episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed’s news and analysis podcast, to talk about the evolution of her institution’s response to AI. 

Jenny Billings, the program chair of associate in arts and division chair of English and study skills at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in North Carolina, shares how improving students’ AI literacy has also taught them how to use AI tools to enhance their learning. It’s also improved students’ grades and retention.

“You have to shift your focus when it comes to impact, because, yes, it’s going to make things easier for them, and yes, it could potentially help them cut corners, but we’ve got to use AI to continue the learning process and the academic journey, not make that shorter or replace steps for them,” Billings says. “And we’ve really had to think about those impacts … how is this detracting from the learning process? But how can we use it to add to it?”

Jenny Maxwell, the head of higher education at Grammarly, one of the “approved providers” students can use at Rowan-Cabarrus, talks about the “moral responsibility” educators have to prepare students to work and live in a world that’s now dominated by AI. She also shares how the company is thinking about creating products that encourage students to engage more with their writing.