Students at the Center: What We’re Seeing, Trying, and Building Around AI

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future-facing conversation in higher education. It is already embedded in how students study, write, research, organize their time, and prepare for careers.

During a recent webinar on AI and the student experience, we invited participants to contribute to a live Padlet activity, sharing what they are seeing on their campuses, where friction is emerging, and what supports are being built in response.

The responses offered a real-time snapshot of how student AI use is evolving across institutions and where institutional strategy may need to catch up.

Student AI Use Is Already Widespread in Higher Education

Across institutions, participants described a consistent reality. Students are actively using AI tools in their academic lives. According to the Padlet responses, students are using AI for:

• Drafting and revising written work
• Studying, note-taking, and creating flashcards
• Language support for multilingual learners
• Resume writing and career preparation
• Brainstorming project ideas and organizing research

In many cases, adoption is happening peer-to-peer. Several participants noted the rise of student AI clubs and informal sharing networks. Student AI use is spreading faster than formal institutional guidance.

The takeaway from the activity was clear. AI is already part of the learning ecosystem.

AI in Higher Education Is Creating Friction Around Equity, Integrity, and Clarity

While AI adoption is increasing, institutional clarity is not. Participants used the Padlet to surface recurring challenges:

Inconsistent Expectations

Students often receive mixed messages across courses. One instructor may encourage AI for brainstorming, while another prohibits it entirely. Program-level alignment remains limited.

Academic Integrity Concerns

Faculty shared experiences with:

• Fabricated references
• AI-generated submissions that students cannot explain
• Overreliance on AI for entire assignments

Concerns were also raised about the use of AI detection tools, particularly when accuracy is uncertain and trust may be compromised.

Equity and Access

Uneven access to tools and AI literacy support creates disparities. When expectations vary widely, students without informal support networks may be disproportionately affected.

The friction emerging in the Padlet responses was not only about misconduct. It was about the absence of shared norms around AI use in higher education.

Faculty Need Institutional Alignment Around AI Use

Many faculty members are navigating this shift without coordinated institutional support.

Participants described:

• A lack of clear institutional AI policy or guidance
• Uncertainty about when AI use is appropriate for learning
• Tension between maintaining academic rigor and acknowledging reality
• Concern about preserving meaningful assessment

This is not resistance to innovation. It reflects a need for alignment. Faculty are asking what we are actually trying to develop in students and how AI supports those learning outcomes.

Emerging AI Literacy Initiatives Across Campuses

The Padlet also highlighted promising institutional efforts underway.

Participants shared initiatives such as:

• AI literacy workshops and toolkits
• Library-led student support resources
• Syllabus-level AI policies
• Governance groups and AI leadership roles
• Student AI consortiums
• AI literacy certificate programs

Some institutions are embedding AI expectations directly into coursework. Others are crafting institution-wide statements while allowing faculty flexibility in implementation. The work is happening, but it remains uneven across campuses.

The Strategic Opportunity Is to Move from Restriction to Agency

One of the strongest throughlines in the Padlet activity was this. Focusing only on policy and compliance misses the larger opportunity. Students are already integrating AI into how they learn. The question is not whether AI will shape the student experience. It already does.

The institutional opportunity is to shift from reactive restriction to proactive development:

• Establish shared norms across courses and programs
• Provide structured AI literacy for all students
• Encourage transparent, ethical use
• Align AI use with learning outcomes and skill development
• Build agency, not just guardrails

When students understand when and how to use AI productively, the conversation changes. It becomes less about catching misuse and more about cultivating capability.

Putting Students at the Center of AI Strategy

The Padlet activity made one thing especially clear. AI conversations are happening everywhere on campus, but they are not always connected.

What if we began with the student experience?

What if the goal was not merely to regulate AI use, but to design learning environments where students develop discernment, adaptability, and real-world fluency with emerging tools?

Students are already experimenting. Institutions now have the opportunity to lead with clarity, coherence, and purpose. The question is not whether AI belongs in the student experience. It is whether we will shape that experience intentionally.

To explore the broader conversation around AI and the student experience, check out our full webinar recap.