Category: Education

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being integrated into higher education to address challenges such as personalized learning and operational efficiency. AI-powered tools are streamlining administrative tasks like scheduling, registration and financial aid management, freeing up valuable staff time and reducing errors. AI-enhanced learning analytics provide more comprehensive data analysis, enabling professors to understand student behaviors and needs while identifying at-risk students early in their courses.

However, the integration of AI into higher education also raises concerns about its ethical use, including data privacy, security and the potential for bias in algorithms. While AI has the ability to enhance personalized learning experiences, there are concerns about the quality of education delivered through AI-driven platforms. Additionally, faculty members might encounter a learning curve as they integrate AI into their instructional approaches, while the fear of increased plagiarism by students is a valid concern.

Recently, EdSurge spoke with Bruce Dahlgren about the power of AI in higher education. Dahlgren’s experience in the technology sector spans four decades, with the first half of his career in large public IT companies and the latter half in private, software and SaaS-oriented firms. He brings a passion for higher education, evidenced by his service on a university board in Florida. Combining his love for IT with his dedication to advancing higher education, Dahlgren now serves as the CEO of Anthology, a leading global provider of edtech ecosystems for universities. In this role, Dahlgren aims to leverage the company’s talent and technology to support higher education institutions effectively.

EdSurge: What critical challenges is the higher education industry currently facing?

Dahlgren: Higher education is at a significant crossroads. There are active debates about the value of the traditional college experience, and I understand that perspective. Rising tuition costs, concerns about employability and alternative credentialing options have fueled this conversation. Students are increasingly questioning the necessity and return on investment (ROI) of a four-year degree.

Students who choose that route expect greater flexibility, personalization and real-world relevance in their education. To meet these expectations, institutions will need to invest in both technology and innovative teaching methods that meet students’ valid expectations.

Add the financial pressure caused by falling enrollment, reduced state funding and heightened competition for limited resources, and institutions are facing a real inflection point. These challenges have forced them to reassess how they deliver education and find innovative ways to remain viable and relevant. To secure their future, they will likely need to embrace some bold initiatives.

How do you believe artificial intelligence can play a role in addressing those challenges?

This is the really exciting part. AI is going to transform every aspect of higher education and the student journey. How students engage with their professors, the methods used to evaluate learning and retention and course curriculum design will all be influenced by the opportunities and challenges posed by AI. There has been a progression from data processing to networking to workflow automation to data warehousing. AI is a natural evolution of all these digital changes.

I’ve been in the tech industry for a long time, and every time there is an advancement in technology, there are fears about the risks. Right now, there are worries about generative AI. Could it create an opportunity for cheating, plagiarism and hallucinations? And universities are feeling the stress.

But this is an exciting time. AI is pervasive in everything we do. The ability to use this data, the skillset and its impact on our lives — it all must be a part of higher ed.

The answer is integrating the responsible use of AI, which is why Anthology came out with the AI Policy Framework. It is like setting up guardrails. We want to help institutions embrace AI in an ethical and responsible structure. We want universities to see Anthology as a partner in this exciting journey.

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Which do you perceive are the most effective applications of artificial intelligence in higher education?

I look at leveraging AI in three primary ways. The first is using AI to help a professor simplify or improve the rudimentary aspects of their job so they have more time with students. Every board meeting I attend, faculty ask for more time with students. Anthology created this AI-powered course-building tool that helps educators develop courses faster, thus embracing AI as a productivity tool to improve efficiencies and spend more time engaging learners.

Second, AI can help universities analyze and effectively use disparate data from across the institution to improve the learner experience and outcomes. We can leverage the data and lower the barriers to using it by tapping AI through natural language queries. Imagine how access to that data can paint a more complete picture of a learner and their journey and help with the operational aspects of the university, such as simplifying the transfer of students and improving marketing and donor connections.

Third, the use of AI can be incorporated into university courses themselves. Most university students have only known the digital world. They want to learn about AI and look to their courses to show them how to leverage AI in their future profession. Professors are trusted advisors and will be counted on to demonstrate the opportunities and risks associated with using AI. AI is shifting the mindset of education. We are rethinking how to test students. It’s not just about students remembering or retaining facts anymore but how they interpret, communicate and use those facts; this is the current reality. Students need to learn AI as a skill set, and universities have the role of building future leaders.

As the industry leader, Anthology must meet universities wherever they are in the process of integrating AI and help them leverage this technology to improve their systems, operations and livelihoods. Where do we start? We work closely with faculty. If faculty can embrace AI as a productivity benefit, they can more readily present it as a future advantage for students as they enter the workforce. This is an exciting time; we need to keep an open mind about AI and stay current with the technology while still being responsible.

With the spring semester halfway over, many institutions are preparing to make cuts before the next academic year. While multiple colleges and universities announced job cuts in March, others noted the need to tackle budget deficits but did not specify whether layoffs were coming. Some are conducting academic portfolio reviews that will likely result in at least some low enrollment programs being shuttered.

Click here for our recent coverage of other campus cutbacks.

Rockland Community College

Rockland Community College, part of the State University of New York system, will eliminate 19 positions as it navigates a structural deficit of $3.6 million, the local Journal News reported. Furloughs are also expected while the college seeks to cut $8 million from its budget.

This is the second round of cuts after layoffs and furloughs in December.

The Rockland Community College Faculty Senate responded to the cuts with a no-confidence resolution in President Lester Edgardo Sandres Rápalo and other senior administrators. Other campus constituent groups also signed onto the statement of no confidence in leadership.

Saint Martin’s University

Citing “dire” financial issues, St. Martin’s University in Washington plans to cut an unspecified number of jobs, local NBC affiliate King 5 News reported. Though the university did not identify the number, the network reported that 14 jobs are expected to be lost. Additionally, the university has frozen hiring for 25 vacant positions, according to its website.

Majors and minors in the humanities are also being considered for elimination.

The cuts come amid declining enrollment at St. Martin’s, which federal data shows slipped from about 1,800 a decade ago to 1,357 this spring, according to numbers on the university’s website.

St. Norbert College

Facing a $5 million budget deficit, St. Norbert College in Wisconsin laid off 12 faculty members earlier this month, the Green Bay Press Gazette reported. The move follows 45 layoffs last fall.

The layoffs, which were accompanied by cuts to retiree health benefits, prompted protests from students concerned about transparency in the process.

Officials have defended the cuts as necessary due to declining enrollment. Federal data shows the headcount at the private Catholic college fell from around 2,100 in fall 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, to 1,750, according to the latest figures reported by the newspaper.

Portland State University

Portland State University is eliminating its Intensive English Language Program by July 1, according to an announcement earlier this month by President Ann Cudd. She noted that the university is “rapidly spending down our reserves,” prompting budget cuts ahead. With only 30 students enrolled in the Intensive English Language Program for nonnative English speakers, typically international students, Cudd said it had become unsustainable.

As part of the program elimination, it appears 12 jobs will be cut. Though the announcement references 11 full-time, nontenure track professors in the program, the Portland State University chapter of the American Association of University Professors said in a newsletter that 12 employees will be terminated along with the program. The AAUP chapter also disputed Cudd’s claim that the decision was made in conjunction with faculty.

St. Joseph’s College

The Maine institution has laid off 10 employees as part of a restructuring, the Portland Press Herald reported. All 10 were in administrative positions, according to the newspaper.

Affected departments include information technology, marketing and athletics.

Additional layoffs are not expected, according to St. Joseph’s President Joseph Cassidy, who joined the college in August. He cited cost savings as part of the rationale for the layoff decision.

Drake University

Following a review, Drake University in Iowa is looking to discontinue 13 academic programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the private institution announced earlier this month.

Targeted undergraduate majors include anthropology and sociology, astronomy, physics, religion, rhetoric and health care administration. At the graduate level, masters programs in accounting and public administration, and an evidence-based health care certificate, will be cut.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported nine faculty members will lose their jobs due to the cuts, which won’t be finalized until late April when the Board of Trustees is expected to vote on the plan.

State University of New York at Fredonia

Due to budget issues, SUNY Fredonia is moving forward with a plan to cut 13 majors, including various language and fine arts programs, according to the local Democrat & Chronicle. Beginning in June, students will no longer be admitted into those 13 majors as the programs begin to wind down.

University officials told the newspaper the number of teaching positions affected is unclear.

University of Houston-Victoria

The University of Houston-Victoria is looking to cut $3.7 million by August 31, the Victoria Advocate reported. The university has already enacted a hiring freeze and is now cutting jobs.

Just how many jobs will be affected remains unknown to the public. “We are not currently prepared to share the number of individuals or specific departments affected out of respect for the employees who are impacted by this decision,” President Bob Glenn told the newspaper, adding that the layoffs are the university’s “only anticipated reduction at this time.” Glenn is reportedly taking a 10 percent salary cut as part of the belt-tightening plan.

Officials cited declining enrollment and retention as the reasons for the layoffs.

University of Montana

Big changes may be coming to the University of Montana, where 67 programs are under evaluation as part of an academic portfolio review, NBC Montana reported. Reviewers are looking at enrollment and degree completion in those programs over the last seven years.

The review is expected to be completed by fall, with potential changes coming in the 2025–26 academic year, NBC Montana reported, adding that such program reviews are expected to become annual.

Valparaiso University

Cuts could also be on the horizon for Valparaiso University.

Currently, 28 academic programs are under review, the Chicago Tribune reported. Decisions on programmatic cuts are not expected to be made until August, when the fall semester begins. Any programs that end up on the chopping block will likely be phased out in the 2026–27 academic year to allow current students to complete their majors, the newspaper reported.

Marquette University

Marquette University plans to cut $31 million from its budget over seven years, including $11 million for the 2025–26 academic year, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Currently the university is facing a $9.5 million budget shortfall, which has caused it to tap contingency funds.

“Although we are in a strong financial position, Marquette—like other universities—is facing increasing economic and demographic pressures. Fewer traditional students are attending college, and those who do attend often need more financial and other support,” university officials said in a March 18 statement outlining the financial challenges and budget reductions.

While they did not reference possible layoffs, Marquette has made deep job cuts in recent years.

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Dive Brief:

• Eleven states are suing the U.S. Department of Education and President Joe Biden to stop implementation of the administration’s new income-driven repayment plan, called Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE.
• The president and the department do not have the authority to change the terms of loans, the states said in a federal court document filed Thursday. Some of the plaintiffs said they will see a decrease in tax revenue because of the plan. 
• The suit is just the latest roadblock to Biden’s student loan agenda. Broad-based debt relief, the marquee item in his plan, has already been scuttled by a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Dive Insight:

The eleven states bringing the suit are Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas and Utah. The states are mostly led by Republicans. 

A Education Department spokesperson said Friday the agency would not comment on pending litigation. 

However, the department said Congress gave the agency the authority to define the terms of income-driven repayment plans in 1993, and the implementation of the SAVE plan is the fourth time it has used that authority. 

“The Biden-Harris Administration has been fighting to fix a broken student loan system, and part of that is creating the most affordable student loan repayment plan ever that is lowering monthly payments, protecting millions of borrowers from runaway interest and getting borrowers closer to debt forgiveness faster,” the spokesperson said via email. 

Under the SAVE plan, borrowers are required to pay between 5% and 10% of their discretionary income in service of their student loans. But borrowers who make below 225% of the federal poverty line —  just under $34,000 for a single person in 2024 — won’t be required to make a monthly payment. And borrowers who owe $12,000 or less will have their loans forgiven if they make payments for about 10 years. 

The Higher Education Act gives the department the authority to change the terms of student loans, but the states contend that the SAVE plan actually forgives billions of dollars in student debt “under the guise of modifying the terms of loan repayment.” 

The plan effectively makes the loan into a grant, something the Education Department lacks the authority to do, the states argue.

The department is also not permitted to grant this forgiveness without authorization from Congress because it is a matter of “great economic and political significance,” they allege. 

In the lawsuit, the suing states that collect income tax argue the rule decreases this source of revenue. The American Rescue Plan stipulated that student loan forgiveness cannot count toward the definition of taxable income until the end of 2025. The states contend that the SAVE plan increases the amount of debt relief students receive before that date, making it untaxable.  

The plaintiffs pointed to comments from a department spokesperson, who said that borrowers in Kansas had already seen nearly $10 million in debt relief under the SAVE plan. They allege that Kansas cannot collect income tax on this amount, when it otherwise would have been able to if those loans were forgiven in 2026 or later. 

The rule creating SAVE is also “arbitrary and capricious,” plaintiffs allege, arguing that it fails to account for the full cost of the plan. 

Earlier this week, U.S. Senate Democrats introduced legislation that would codify the SAVE plan into law. Lawmakers said the bill would help protect the SAVE plan from being rolled back under future administrations. 

“I’ve long pushed for better income-based repayment programs because we must do all we can to address America’s student debt crisis,” said Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, adding that the act would ensure “student borrowers will have a much-needed path to loan forgiveness for years to come.”

Boston – Across the nation, flexible self-paced learning is capturing the interest of students and their families due to the flexibility it offers. That interest is reflected in the ever-increasing popularity of VHS Learning’s flexibly paced courses. The number of students enrolled in at least one of VHS Learning’s Flexible self-paced course offerings increased by 430% between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years.

The flexible self-paced courses remove the restrictions of set semester and school-year start dates, allowing students to create customized academic schedules. VHS Learning first offered flexible self-paced courses during the 2022-23 academic year. At that time, 221 students enrolled. In the 2023-24 academic year, the number enrollees rose to 1,172, including almost 200 students that have signed up for VHS Learning’s new Flexible self-paced half-credit courses.

Flexible Self-paced courses are available in three categories:

• Advanced Placement (AP)® courses
• Full-credit non-AP® courses
• Half-credit non-AP® courses

Students can enroll in Flexible self-paced Advanced Placement® courses (both half-credit and full-credit) any Monday from September through December to be ready for the AP® exams in May. The remaining full-credit courses (non-AP®) are available to start any Monday, September through February. For both AP® and full-credit Flexible self-paced courses, students must complete their work by the end of the school year, meaning students who enroll later will progress through the material at a faster pace.

The new Flexible self-paced half-credit category allows for enrollment on a rolling basis year-round. It includes courses like Personal Finance, Cybersecurity, and Chinese Language and Culture. Students have up to 20 weeks to complete the course.

The Flexible self-paced AP® full-credit courses have proved the most popular option for students. Between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years, enrollment rose 476%, from 135 to 778 students. Flexible self-paced full-credit courses (excluding AP®) were the second most popular option, with enrollment rising 473%, from 51 to 292 students, during the same period.

“The soaring enrollments in our Flexible self-paced courses show that we’re meeting a very important need,” said Carol DeFuria, President & CEO of VHS Learning. “These Flexible self-paced options are teacher-led courses that give students the flexibility to enroll at the time that best suits their academic schedule. For many students, it’s a winning combination.”

About VHS Learning

VHS Learning is a nonprofit organization with almost 30 years of experience providing world-class online programs to students and schools everywhere. More than 500 schools around the world take advantage of VHS Learning’s 200+ online high school courses — including 29 AP® courses, credit recovery, and enrichment courses — to expand their programs of study. VHS Learning is accredited by Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) and the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC). Courses are approved for initial eligibility by NCAA. For more information about VHS Learning please visit https://www.vhslearning.org/ and follow on Twitter at @VHSLearning.

eSchool Media staff cover education technology in all its aspects–from legislation and litigation, to best practices, to lessons learned and new products. First published in March of 1998 as a monthly print and digital newspaper, eSchool Media provides the news and information necessary to help K-20 decision-makers successfully use technology and innovation to transform schools and colleges and achieve their educational goals.

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