3 Areas Where AI Will Impact Higher Ed Most in 2025
"By integrating these technologies, higher education institutions can create more interactive, efficient, motivated, and inclusive experiences for students, faculty, and administrators alike, aligning with the evolving demands of the education landscape."
— Mike Wulff, chief product and technology officer, Ellucian
AI Literacy and Career Readiness
"Artificial intelligence will remain a driving force in the conversation about innovation in learning as we look to 2025. As this conversation evolves, one key aspect is meeting students where they are. Recent research highlights a clear gap between the pace at which students are adopting AI technology and how institutions are responding. This is where higher education holds incredible value: its ability to approach this rapid change with both purpose and intentionality. Looking ahead, learners will need not just technical proficiency but a deeper understanding of emerging best practices and the nuances of AI usage. This is a critical space where institutions, in partnership with technology leaders, can take the lead — championing the ethical, transparent, and forward-thinking use of AI to prepare students to thrive in an ever-changing landscape."
— Dr. Cristi Ford, chief learning officer, D2L
"Instead of continuing to prohibit AI in student course work, in 2025 higher education faculty will increasingly encourage their students to use AI responsibly and strategically. AI integration into projects and performance assessments allows students to gain real-world experience with AI and experiment with the ethical use of AI tools. Even so, students must also be prepared to justify their use of AI or explain their decision to complete a task without it. This approach helps students understand how to responsibly use AI and how AI is utilized in the workplace, better preparing them to apply AI skills in their future careers."
— Peggy M. White, associate dean and director, information technology management, Western Governors University School of Technology
"In 2025, tools like ChatGPT, now equipped with real-time search capabilities, will become primary gateways to information, challenging the dominance of traditional search engines. This transformation will require students to develop a new kind of digital literacy — one focused on leveraging AI for efficient information discovery rather than relying on conventional search methods. There will also be a widening the gap between early adopters who embrace AI-driven learning tools and those who don't have access to these emerging technologies or face additional barriers to learning these new technologies. Without deliberate efforts to ensure equitable access, support, and training, long-standing educational inequities will deepen. To navigate this reality, ed tech providers and institutions must prioritize inclusive strategies that help every learner develop the critical AI literacy skills needed to thrive."
— Evelyn Galindo, senior editor, Carnegie Learning
"AI is having a significant impact on higher education institutions in two major ways: how universities and colleges are adopting and implementing AI tools, and how they are teaching students to develop the AI skills they'll need after graduation. In 2025, it will be imperative for higher education institutions to develop a clear AI strategy that explores both its effective use for faculty and administration, as well as how best to prepare students for an AI-infused future. Doing so will require thinking through things such as modernizing curriculum, integrating AI tools into existing infrastructure, providing professional development opportunities for upskilling, and using data and analytics to improve student success."
— Dr. Hernan Londono, U.S. higher education strategist, Lenovo