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ThinkSpace #17:
The Future of Ai and CoBots In Higher Education

Introduction

2022 provided a glimpse into the tremendous power and potential of Artificial Intelligence (Ai) as early disruptors like ChatGPT‘s hit the market and gained rapid worldwide adoption. According to the company, ChatGPT gained over 1 million users within 1 week of launch, and as of January 2023 receives over 10 million queries per day. That is a staggering adoption curve, and demonstrates the marketplace’s hunger for tools like it.

Needless to say, the much awaited rapid adoption of Ai at the industry and consumer levels  has evoked a range of emotions within higher education institutions, with some expressing fear and others beaming with excitement. While breakthrough  innovation and disruption have impacted  how people live and work, a majority of higher education institutions continue to operate using models that are more reminiscent of the 1990s. Bottom line? Higher education has been slow to adopt widely accepted technologies (from automation to mobile experiences), and it has cost the industry in more ways than one. It raises the question as to why this is the case, and how higher education can begin to harness the power of disruptive technologies like AI to drive transformative change that is urgently needed.

In January 2023, Beyond Academics conducted a ThinkSpace session in which we engaged with individuals from over 20 higher education institutions to get a pulse on how Ai is being perceived, and will likely be adopted in higher education. The goal of the session was to gain a deeper understanding of individual and campus perceptions and appetite for AI, as well as to identify areas where AI could have the greatest impact on campus operations and student success. Through a combination of this crowdsourced insight, and our internal research, we were able to develop a vision for how Ai will be integrated into the day-to-day lives of students, staff, and faculty on campus.

Excitement Is Building

27% of our ThinkSpace participants were familiar with, and have used a tool like ChatGPT already. In the open discussion, several participants expressed admiration for its capabilities and potential impact on their work. Many noted that they found it impressive that the technology could understand and respond to complex questions and tasks. It allowed them to envision several ways it could be used to automate and streamline various cumbersome processes on their campus.

73% of the participants shared that they have not used the technology but were excited about the potential for ChatGPT to improve communication and access to information for students and staff on campus.

Overall, the audience had a positive perception of ChatGPT and its capabilities, recognizing the potential for it to drive transformation on higher education campuses. When expanding that perspective beyond ChatGPT, and applying it to other Ai possibilities, the group remained just as optimistic.

Recognizing the Fear & Risks

The most prevalent concern among participants was the potential for job displacement due to automation, with over 67% of individuals expressing this fear. Furthermore, 53% of participants raised concerns about the disruption most industries are facing, and the impact on a students’ ability to be prepared in college for that disruption. The overarching concern was that if higher education leaders do not “read the tea leaves” and adapt to what industry is dealing with, it could be building learners who industry does not find relevant or attractive. The cost to reskill or upskill unprepared entry-level workers could get cost prohibitive, and industry may continue to embrace workers who bypass traditional higher education. These participant insights highlight the importance of being proactive in understanding and addressing the potential negative impacts of AI and CoBots, while also considering the benefits identified later in this document.

Identifying The High Level Use Cases Of Ai and CoBots

Participants were asked to brainstorm ways in which Ai and CoBots could be used within the institution. Given the nature of the collaboration technology we use during ThinkSpaces, participants were able to feed off each other’s ideas, make suggestions, and bubble up the best concepts.

Some of the high level use cases included:

01

Student Experience:

Ai could be used to point students to the correct resources and departments when they need it most. No need to call a phone number or wait in line, a CoBot can do the searching and finding for them. From early alert notifications and wayfinding, to assistance with the application process, and help with scheduling the possibilities were truly endless.  Participants also noted that Ai technology could be used to create pathways for students and to assist with data analysis about student persistence to inform instruction. They discovered that AI technology can help refine query engagement and move students to the solution or person with the solution, and help student success.

02

Data-Driven Decision-Making:

As more and more institutions adopt a data-driven approach, Ai was identified as the means to drive predictive data analysis and insights for decision makers. When administrators and faculty have access to the level of insights an Amazon Fulfillment Center director, or Smart Factory General Manager has, the level of service and impact can, and will be significantly higher.

03

Administrative Processes:

Participants noted that AI technology could be used to more quickly and accurately handle rote administrative processes. This could include reducing the cost of education by eliminating administrative bloat and helping students to enroll in classes that fit their unique situation, and meet their credential requirements. Any such reduction in cost, or increase in student outcomes could have a significant impact on equity and inclusion for students and staff.

04

Operational Efficiency:

Meeting management was an example of an operational efficiency Ai could bring. From scheduling and note-taking, to summarizing discussions and assignments, participants identified multiple benefits. As institutions take more of a System of Systems (SOS) view of their technology stack, and identify all the places where Ai can interact with data to deliver greater efficiency, the possibilities of impact are significant.

05

Academic Programs:

 Although faculty were not a representative segment of this ThinkSpace audience, our participants pointed to the need for future dialogue surrounding the need for honest conversation on why different learners attend college and how campuses could design curriculum and use Ai to personalize and design pathways to meet learning styles, as well as career and personal aspirations.

Impact On Workforce

The potential impact of Ai on higher education workforce is undeniable. 98% of participants agreed that CoBots, or collaborative robots that are designed to work alongside humans in a shared workspace as support tools will free up time for humans to focus on tasks that require human skills and reasoning. However, 76% of attendees acknowledged concerns about the potential displacement of jobs due to the integration of CoBots.

Balancing the opportunities that Ai can bring and the potential consequences on employment is a crucial consideration for higher education institutions. In our ThinkSpace session, 88% of attendees agreed with the statement we posed stating

The attendee data confirms our research findings that the systematic adoption of Ai (both at the individual and institutional level), will become a competitive advantage for those who are early, and mid-term adopters. Late adopters will likely experience significant setbacks in relevance, enrollment and top quality staff retention.

What’s Next?

It’s time for each institution to consider where AI and CoBots will (or won’t) play a role in the next 36
month roadmap. Here’s what you can do to catalyze that process.

 

01

Have the conversation:

Gather up some peers and have the discussion on how AI, CoBots and ML can help your institution. What are the benefits of acting now? What are some compelling reasons to wait  a few years? Where can you see the greatest possible impact(s)? Make sure to be ready to have the conversation around the potential for bias, potential lack of ethical considerations in AI development, and data privacy issues. It’s all part of the very important conversation that must be had on every campus.

02

Whiteboard some strategies:

 If you agree that there are some areas AI and ML could be impactful, host some working sessions to Whiteboard out the possibilities. Remind attendees that this is just an exploratory exercise - and not a go-to-market planning session. It will put the change-averse participants at ease.

03

Align to strategic plan:

Make sure the ideation coming out of your Whiteboard session aligns to the vision, mission, and strategic plan in place at your institution. The last thing you want to do is go against the grain of where everyone else is headed.

04

Know your DNA:

Institutions need to pay close attention to their own Institutional Entrepreneurial DNA (I-DNA) to ensure any strategy aligns to that institution’s capacity for innovation and disruption. Simply following market leaders (who have a very different DNA), or even “best practices” of schools opting out of technology transformation could backfire based on your unique situation. The higher the Innovator and Builder DNA your institution represents, the more likely you will thrive in leading the market in this space. The higher the Specialist DNA in your organization, the better off you will be waiting 3-5 years, and following the crowd.

05

Customize your strategy:

Armed with the insights from items 1-4 above, update your institution's next steps into an actionable roadmap with the proper dependencies, resource allocations, timelines, expectations, and budget.

06

Move forward with confidence

Know that you’re ahead of 95% of the market by getting this far. Take the next step of leadership and execute with confidence.

SUMMARY

It is clear that AI has the potential to revolutionize higher education by streamlining processes, increasing efficiency and accuracy, and providing personalized resources and a better overall experience for all constituents. However, to fully realize this potential it is important for higher education institutions to engage in open and candid conversations about the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, as well as to develop a clear plan for implementation and integration.
With the right approach, any institution can harness the power of AI to drive positive change and improve student outcomes on campus.

Beyond Academics Perspective: Your school does not need to be a pioneering early adopter if it does not have the right Institutional Entrepreneurial DNA for it. However, being on the tail end of this adoption curve positions an institution for setbacks in enrollment, student experience, staff retention, and overall competitive advantage.

ThinkSpace #17 Facts

 

Key Contributors: Bradley Coverdale, Karla
Fraser, Amy MacPherson, Les Mackey, Mark
Simpson, Lawrence Murray, Iber Poma, Lindsay
Farnworth, Alice Martinez.