Adijaya Inc ▮

How AI is Reshaping College for Students and Professors

| Source: PBS NewsHour | Reporter: Fred de Sam Lazaro | Series: Rethinking College

Executive Summary

This PBS NewsHour report examines generative AI’s transformation of higher education. The 2024-2025 senior class is the first to complete their college career during the AI era. While 86% of college students use ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI tools, universities struggle with academic integrity, learning outcomes, and job market readiness.

The AI Problem in Academia

Reality Check

  • Generative AI creates content indistinguishable from human work
  • Tasks taking hours/days now take minutes
  • 86% of college students use AI for schoolwork

Professor Megan Fritts (Philosophy, UA Little Rock)

  • Noticed unusual student writing 2 years ago
  • Essays sounded like business documents - polished but impersonal
  • Problem: Reading AI means losing her best tool to assess teaching effectiveness
  • Uses 8 different detection softwares
  • Detection is imperfect and time-consuming
  • Meets students individually to verify understanding

Academic Integrity Crisis

False Accusations Problem

Ashley Dunn (Louisiana State University)

  • Flagged by AI detection tool for short essay
  • Panicked: Could fail the class or get zero
  • Eventually got an A after professor review
  • On TikTok found widespread similar cases
  • Many students got zeros; some failed the class
  • Teachers flagged normal writing conventions like em-dashes as AI

The Flaw

  • High false positive rates in detection tools
  • Standard academic conventions trigger flags
  • Professors can’t differentiate legitimate vs. AI work

Two Institutional Approaches

APPROACH 1: Restrictive (UA Little Rock)

Framework:

  • Professors determine acceptable AI use
  • Must outline in syllabus

Key Quote - Vice Provost Brian Berry:

  • “Technology outpacing our ability to detect it”
  • Need framework for innovation while minimizing risk

Message to Students:

  • If used right: Most powerful tool ever
  • If misused: Short circuits learning

APPROACH 2: Progressive (Ohio State University)

AI Fluency Initiative - Executive VP Ravi Bellamkonda:

  • ALL undergraduates must learn and use AI tools
  • Determines what to offload to technology vs. humans
  • Goal: Lead rule creation rather than follow

Entrepreneurship Class - Professor Lori Kendall

  • Encourages AI to critically examine original work
  • Uses as learning aid, not shortcut
  • Rationale: AI proficiency essential for job market

Student Perspective - Rachel Gervais (Air Transportation)

  • Generates study questions with AI
  • Tests understanding of weak areas
  • Deepens material comprehension

Innovative Applications Across Disciplines

Music Professor Tina Tallon’s AI and Music Class

Teaching Model:

  1. Identify challenges in students’ field
  2. Find real problems to solve
  3. Apply AI solutions

Case 1: Will Roesch (Tuba Instructor, Doctoral Student)

  • AI analyzes airflow over thousands of repetitions
  • Creates data-driven guidance for perfect notes
  • Helps students improve technique scientifically

Case 2: Natalia Moreno Buitrago (Music Ed Graduate Student)

  • Researching how babies learn music
  • Problem: Spent hours combing through home recordings
  • Solution: AI detects when parents sing/hum around infants
  • Outcome: Dramatically reduced research time
  • Key insight: Critical examination enables incredible things

Core Tensions

Professor Fritts’ Dilemma

  • “Teaching sometimes feels like policing”
  • Detecting instead of teaching
  • Detection creates false accusations and anxiety

Three Perspectives

Restrictive: AI threatens integrity, prioritize detection, risk: false accusations and policing culture

Pragmatic: Students will use AI anyway, teach responsible use, risk: real cheating harder to catch

Progressive: AI is workforce skill, must integrate across curriculum, risk: dilutes academic standards

Economic & Job Market Disruption

Key Issue:

  • Jobs students train for may not exist
  • Both academia and job market affected

Provost Bellamkonda’s Critical Question: “How do we navigate transformation with disruptions while improving society and human lot?”

Answer: Still unclear

Key Takeaways

✅ Reality:

  • AI entrenched in higher ed
  • Detection imperfect, creates false accusations
  • Job market demands AI literacy

✅ Challenge:

  • Balance academic integrity with integration
  • Protect from misuse AND detection errors
  • Prepare AI-ready graduates

✅ Solutions Emerging:

  • Professor discretion with clear policies (UA Little Rock)
  • Mandatory AI literacy across disciplines (Ohio State)
  • Domain-specific applications
  • Responsible use education

✅ For Students:

  • Understand institutional policies
  • Use AI for learning, not shortcuts
  • Develop critical thinking about AI
  • Prepare AI fluency as job requirement

The Bottom Line

Higher education faces inflection point. Progressive institutions ask: “How teach responsible AI use?” rather than “How ban it?”

First generation graduating in AI age will be better equipped for workforce—but only if universities shift from detection/punishment toward education/integration.

Critical Question: Will universities lead or follow market forces?

November 26, 2025 ∙