AI as Thought Partner, Not Substitute

AI is already in your classroom. The question is whether it's building skills or replacing them. Our “Ready for Tomorrow” three-part webinar series features leading voices at the forefront of AI in higher education as it pertains to learning science, curriculum design, and the industry as a whole. Each session will tackle a different piece of the same challenge many faculty are facing: how to harness AI in service of learning, not replace it.

Our presenters leading the conversation will share how they've redesigned their own courses with AI in mind, how they're shaping practice at their institutions, and preparing students for a workforce already transformed by these tools. 

About this Session in the Series:

Most AI policies come down to permission—what students are allowed to use, and when. We're interested in a different question: how are students actually using these tools, and what that use is doing to their thinking.

This session explores how AI tools can serve as a thinking partner, not an answer machine, for students working through some of college's biggest open questions: what their purpose is, what career direction fits them, how to spend their limited time on campus, and where their genuine interests lie. Attendees will see concrete prompt examples and conversation strategies that turn AI into a structured tool for purpose exploration and reflection rather than a shortcut, along with guidance on where AI helps and where human mentorship still matters most.