Artificial intelligence is already transforming higher education\u2014but without clear direction, it
\ncould create more confusion than progress. That was the message from faculty experts at the
\nUniversity of La Verne\u2019s \u201cAI & Academia\u201d panel on April 17, 2025. Held in the Campus Center
\nBallroom, the discussion focused on how AI is reshaping research, student learning, and
\nuniversity policy at a pace few had anticipated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are in the stage where people are confused or don\u2019t know what to do,\u201d said Ali Dehghan<\/strong>, a Several speakers emphasized that AI literacy is quickly becoming a workforce requirement. Real-world classroom examples showed AI\u2019s promise. Professor of Practice in Management, Policy, however, remains a gray area. \u201cMost universities are at the point where everybody\u2019s Some panelists warned that leaving AI use to individual professors creates inconsistency. \u201cIt Concerns about academic integrity surfaced throughout the session. Faculty noted the difficulty The \u201cAI & Academia\u201d panel at the University of La Verne made one thing clear: artificial Artificial intelligence is already transforming higher education\u2014but without clear direction, it could create more confusion than progress. That was the message from faculty experts at the University of La Verne\u2019s \u201cAI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":3099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[277,280,281,283,292],"tags":[338,536,337,537,539,535,542,540,541],"class_list":["post-3098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-news","category-events","category-faculty-staff","category-in-the-news","category-presentations","tag-ai","tag-ali-dehghan","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-christine-jagannathan","tag-liron-kaneti","tag-llm","tag-nick-athey","tag-teresa-martinelli","tag-yehia-mortagy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\npanelist and Associate Professor, IT & Business Analytics. \u201cAI is moving so fast. If we don\u2019t
\nactively consider how our educational pathways should evolve, we risk having those changes
\nmade for us.\u201d Panelists urged colleagues to proactively shape AI\u2019s role rather than react to it
\nafter the fact.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cApplicants may encounter interview questions about how they\u2019ve used AI and whether they
\nknow how to use it ethically,\u201d said Christine Jagannathan<\/strong>, Professor of Practice in Business
\nCommunication. She added that even hiring managers are using AI to evaluate materials\u2014and
\nuniversities are now playing catch-up. \u201cAI is not going away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nTeresa Martinelli<\/strong> described a graduate student who created an AI agent for leadership
\nassessment. \u201cHe collected his data in one month. That\u2019s very, very fast,\u201d she said. The tool
\nadapted its questions, measured traits like emotional intelligence, and was supported by
\nacademic research. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t even have to leave his garage,\u201d Martinelli added.<\/p>\n
\nexperimenting,\u201d Jagannathan noted. La Verne formed an ad hoc committee in 2023 to explore
\ninstitutional policy and posted sample guidelines on its library site. Still, there is no
\nuniversity-wide rule on AI use across departments. \u201cRight now, it makes sense if individual
\nfaculty experiment,\u201d she said, \u201cbut students don\u2019t want to be mandated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nshould be the university, not individual faculties,\u201d said Yehia Mortagy<\/strong>, Professor of Information
\nTechnology & Decision Sciences. \u201cYou cannot teach in one class with AI and another class
\nwithout it. That creates confusion in how students learn and comprehend material.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nof detecting AI use, especially in online classes. \u201cI get stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with
\nthe assignment, but it gets turned in,\u201d said Nick Athey<\/strong>, Assistant Professor of Sociology. Others
\nshared strategies like oral follow-ups or peer review to confirm students the subject matter.
\nEven so, panelists encouraged a shift in mindset. \u201cWe need to move away from asking, \u2018How do
\nI catch them?\u2019\u201d Jagannathan said. Instead, she suggested involving students in conversations
\nabout plagiarism, learning, and the ethical use of tools. \u201cAI is still a tool,\u201d she said. \u201cLook at it
\nfrom that perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nintelligence is not just influencing education\u2014it\u2019s redefining it. As faculty wrestle with how to
\nbalance innovation, ethics, and academic integrity, the discussion grows louder. The
\nconversation isn\u2019t just about catching up to AI, but about shaping how it serves both students
\nand educators. As Christine Jagannathan put it, \u201cIf we don\u2019t get into the driver\u2019s seat, AI will take
\nus for a ride\u2014or leave us behind in the dust.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"