AI in Higher Education: Where Caution and Curiosity Meet

By Clare Sherman —

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing all aspects of our lives. Adults use it to generate travel itineraries, kids are increasingly turning to chatbots as companions, and according to the Higher Education Policy Institute, 92% of students use it in their school work.

Although there is no official definition of AI, NASA refers to it as “computer systems that can perform complex tasks normally done by human reasoning, decision making, creating, etc.” In what is considered the 4th Industrial Revolution, the age of Artificial Intelligence marks the emergence of humans and technology thinking alongside one another. John McCarthy created the term “artificial intelligence” in 1955, and since then, simple chatbots and chess-playing machines have paved the way for the breakthrough technology we use today.

In 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, a large language model (LLM) that can predict and analyze human language and is available for mass public use. Students felt they had hit the jackpot, using ChatGPT to generate entire essays and homework solutions in seconds, and disrupting typical teaching methods. At the same time, AI technology has infiltrated the business sector, including healthcare and customer service, and further AI advancements will continue to affect the everyday person.

With AI’s growing importance in daily life, higher education has begun to embrace this technology, integrating it into classrooms and conducting research on how it can best enhance education. Universities recognize that current students will likely use AI for the rest of their lives, so preparing them for the future is crucial. Reshaping educational learning, however, raises concerns about the negative impacts of AI. Students and faculty alike experience firsthand how excessive AI use diminishes foundational learning skills and creates ethical challenges, leading them to question the function of higher education.

Here, we will take an in-depth look at how AI technology is disrupting and reshaping the educational experience at Miami University, drawing on detailed insights from Miami faculty and local professionals. Because AI implementation most significantly impacts the student body, this article also features perspectives from an anonymous survey of 45 Miami students.

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AI and the Workforce

To understand the push for Artificial Intelligence in higher education, its role in the workforce must first be explored. A growing number of businesses, around 88% in 2025 according to McKinsey & Company, use AI technology in some capacity. AI can easily complete repetitive tasks in work environments, such as resume reviews and scheduling. Supporters of AI’s role in higher education argue that students must be AI literate to prepare them for future careers.

AI is defining everyday workplaces.

Employers look for AI literacy.

Given all that AI has to offer to businesses, Ramirez believes that graduates with strong AI literacy have an advantage in today’s job market. Employers look for candidates equipped with the necessary skills, and considering the newness of widespread artificial intelligence, right now, this simply means a basic understanding of AI tools. A mixture of hands-on experience and strategy tactics, such as brainstorming and prompting, are skills that every AI-literate employee should have. At over 160 artificial intelligence seminars Ramirez has given, she tells audiences that, above all, leaning into curiosity is the most important form of preparation.

Considering current business practices, other experts agree with Ramirez that simple literacy is key preparation for students. After all, only recently has artificial intelligence begun to shift business operations. John Burke, the head librarian and library director at Miami Middletown and an artificial intelligence resource for faculty and students, worries that this is a challenge for graduates entering the workforce.

Prioritizing their business practices, AI training companies aren’t often vocal about how businesses are implementing the technology. “It makes it harder for a student coming into [the workforce] to know exactly what they should be doing,” Burke remarks. Nonetheless, he believes that as time passes, companies will become more transparent about their exact AI practices. And in the meantime, students should prepare by practicing baseline skills.

Gearing up for an AI-driven world.

To those who want to ensure their confidence with AI tools, Ramirez recommends free online training from Microsoft, Google, LinkedIn Learning, and YouTube. Community learning groups are another way to expand knowledge, and CincyAI is a free, local organization that meets monthly. “AI literacy,” says Ramirez, “is someone having a job versus not having a job.”

The state of Ohio is working hard to prepare all age groups to use artificial intelligence, creating literacy kits for K-12 and parents alike. Also, being mindful of AI preparedness in universities, Ramirez is glad to see how enthusiastically they’re adapting. “If [universities] say ‘Hey, you can’t use AI,’ [they’re] not preparing students for the future.”

How strongly should higher education prioritize workforce preparation?

The growing emphasis on preparing students for the AI-driven workforce is worrisome to many, who fear that if universities get carried away with AI implementation, it may damage the quality of education. Dr. Linh Dich, an associate professor of English at Miami University, points out that foundational skills—leadership, communication, and trustworthiness—will ultimately lead students to success as they navigate careers throughout adulthood. “We should teach students how to be students,” she says.

After all, when students respond to AI implementation in classrooms with overreliance, by letting it solve problems for them or replacing collaboration, they risk lacking skillsets that employers value. Prof. Dich and other concerned educators believe that universities should better communicate the importance of skills that artificial intelligence can’t provide.

In other words, these numbers show that most students aren’t convinced that using AI in the classroom is essential for career readiness. This uncertainty contrasts with the University’s enthusiasm for AI integration.

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AI in Higher Education

Universities foster the journey young adults take towards becoming active members of society, helping them think independently, communicate effectively, and confidently pursue their interests as they mature. With many entering college as an investment for future careers, universities are expected to prioritize workforce training; however, the arrival of artificial intelligence has increased the urgency regarding the true purpose of higher education. How do universities strike an appropriate balance between creating technically skilled workers and cultivating personal development?

Faculty reactions to AI vary.

Faculty are experimenting with AI integration.

While all faculty are encouraged to use AI in the classroom, they understand that its appropriateness depends on the course. Dr. Leah Henson, a Senior Lecturer at Miami Regionals and the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, uses her linguistic course on formal reasoning to illustrate this idea. In this instance, AI use would undermine her course’s learning outcomes, which include self-sufficient critical thinking.

Although Dr. Henson feels strongly about deterring AI misuse and prioritizing self-sufficiency in the classroom, she’s among the faculty who support student exposure. “As long as it’s going to be around,” she says, “we’re doing a disservice to students if we just completely ignore it.” Even in her formal reasoning course where AI use can potentially hinder student growth, Henson will enter a problem into a large language model and have the class discuss the generated answer. This way, students become comfortable with AI tools while being able to critique generated information, and no lines are crossed.

Dr. Jennifer Yamashiro is another faculty member who is skeptical of AI’s role in academic settings, yet is open to its presence in certain situations. As a professor of Art History at Miami Regionals, Dr. Yamashiro has been tinkering with artificial intelligence for the past several months and has found it useful for teaching preparation. For example, if she finds herself wanting to add a topic to her lecture but has minimal preparation time, she tasks AI with creating an organized PowerPoint presentation.

In both her career as an instructor and personal life, Dr. Yamashiro feels comfortable using AI for general inquiries, like asking how to improve the tone of an email. “I like AI as a thought partner,” she says; however, when it comes to allowing AI use for student work, she’s hesitant.

Because AI can be misused for unauthorized assistance, Dr. Yamashiro’s assignments don’t regularly include it as a component. Still, she has cautiously incorporated it into the classroom for the sake of student exposure. Last spring, she guided a class through a brainstorming session with LLM Google Gemini as a part of research for their final project. Also, like Dr. Henson, she likes the idea of having AI answer questions in class and getting students’ thoughts on the generated answers. Including artificial intelligence in the classroom, she says, benefits students by engaging them. “Assignments that might seem boring to [students] could be more fun if AI were used as a component,” she reflects.

This semester, Dr. Yamashiro hasn’t allowed any of her students to use AI due to the online format of her courses. Distant learning on the faculty end requires significant attention towards the students’ writing style and thought processes, and she believes allowing AI use would add difficulties to an already delicate arrangement.

Students are experimenting in their own way.

AI in the classroom cannot and should not be universal.

Dr. Henson and Dr. Yamashiro are among many faculty members who are moving towards cautious acceptance of AI, while keeping its use within appropriate boundaries; however, Quaye doesn’t see a future where AI will be implemented in every course. “Faculty members must be able to teach in the way they need to teach,” she says. Individual faculty members are encouraged, but not required, to contribute to AI exposure. Therefore, if the university wants to ensure every student has AI literacy, that will likely take the form of a separate, required course.

Adding to the conversation, Dr. Henson explains the importance of flexible AI guidelines by comparing them to differing work environments. At one job, using Microsoft Office may be the norm, while at another, using Google Workspace is required. Just like adaptability is needed to move from one workplace to another, students are responsible for navigating each classroom’s rules on artificial intelligence use.

Practical and pedagogical concerns complicate AI implementation.

Despite artificial intelligence steadily making its way into classroom practices, several concerns remain about AI in higher education. Among these are practical and pedagogical concerns. Burke notes that, as artificial intelligence tools advance, it may be difficult for the university to keep up financially, as the most helpful features of AI tools often require a paid subscription. Already, Miami students have an account with Google Gemini automatically set up, but it only allows students to access the simplest features.

This paywall also affects teaching choices. Wanting to make a class project more interesting, Dr. Yamashiro discovered an AI presentation generator that turns a picture and a set of notes into an animated video presentation. However, she was disappointed to then discover that she couldn’t act on the idea because users can only go so far before having to pay a fee. “We have to be mindful of what we expect students to be able to do,” she says.

Practical AI concerns like paywalls create barriers to getting the most out of AI tools, but pedagogical concerns, including threats to information literacy and writing capabilities, make faculty wonder if AI does more harm than good.

When discussing AI misuse at orientations, Quaye notices that it’s often parents who call for AI normalcy inside the classroom. They argue that, because they use AI daily for work-related purposes, their children must start using it regularly. “You know if what AI is giving you is good or not,” she explains to them, “because you have knowledge about your job.” First-year students, who have a beginner-level understanding of topics, can’t evaluate if the information AI tools generate is accurate. Establishing fundamental skills without relying on a tool is essential, argues Quaye.

Among the fundamental skills threatened by AI are skills related to writing. Faculty worry that LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini are particularly misused in generating entire essays. “Having AI write up texts for you is a huge responsibility on the student’s part,” says Burke. “Just the possibility of AI doing everything [for them] is very concerning.” He sees that more caution is needed, as students often view AI-generated writing as “perfect and glossy.”

While the common narrative is that students over rely on AI-generated writing to avoid work, some students feel pressured to rely on AI, turning to it because they believe their writing skills don’t measure up. The catch with AI writing, says Dr. Henson, is that it may impress novice writers with professional grammar, but it lacks meaningful substance. “The difference is night and day,” she says about AI-generated writing versus student writing.

AI has helped me build confidence in what I’ve written, and clarify that I’m understanding what I’m learning.

— Miami student survey respondant

Quaye worries that students don’t realize the larger implications of mass AI-generated writing in the classroom. It’s an issue when faculty review the papers of 40 students, and 15 of them include similar AI-generated writing. This evasion of honest work results in a lack of original discussions. “If we’re talking about adding to a scholarly conversation,” says Quaye, “whether it is in the classroom or adding to research, I think we’re going to lose out.”

Part of the issue with AI overuse is that students won’t learn to be comfortable with making mistakes. Prof. Dich credits writing as a process that “expands thinking in a way other skills can’t,” saying that learning how to communicate ideas compellingly is incredibly meaningful. Failure is a part of this process, and Dr. Dich warns students that they’re doing a disservice to themselves by using ethically dubious AI shortcuts.

On a larger scale, Prof. Dich connects this issue with the broader pattern seen in higher education: a tendency for institutions to prioritize perfectionism. Because of this, students often hold themselves to unattainable standards, and the integration of artificial intelligence has already begun compounding the problem.

Responsible AI practices are encouraged to enhance educational learning.

Overreliance on artificial intelligence prevents student development, and professionals instead recommend responsible use that benefits educational learning. Burke encourages students to use AI for research tweaks, brainstorming, and grammatical checks. These are small-scale tasks, and he aims to prevent students from trusting AI algorithms too much for more significant work. “There’s not enough basic understanding of what some of the pitfalls are,” he remarks, which includes AI’s tendency to pull information from made-up sources. Students, he says, should look at AI as an efficiency tool so that it can free up time for higher-level thinking.

After working with university students, Ramirez notes that responsible AI use starts with student accountability. “Students are literally copying and pasting directly out of ChatGPT,” she says, adding, “I always encourage them not to check their brains at the door.” She wants students to realize that AI can elevate their thought processes. Using it as a co-creator and asking it to challenge ideas is more rewarding than letting it do all the work.

When it comes to faculty, Ramirez recommends using specific AI-monitoring practices to maintain control of the classroom. She stresses that allowing students to use AI must involve them “showing their work,” meaning all prompting, refining, and compiling activities. Additionally, Ramirez wants to see AI used to generate personalized learning plans, allowing professors to accommodate for visual, auditory, and kinetic learning styles.

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AI Misuse

Since AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini have become a regular part of student learning, AI misuse has become a widespread issue in higher education. As the Assistant Director for Academic Integrity, Quaye notes that last academic year, over 52% of academic integrity cases at Miami involved AI dishonesty. AI has become the new “cheating tool” for students struggling to get work done. “It used to be copying a friend’s work or Googling,” says Quaye, but now, “it’s AI.”

During the current fall semester, Quaye states that although the proportion of AI misuse in integrity cases has increased, the overall caseload has decreased. Dr. Henson also noticed a drop in cases. Last spring, she reported around 25%-30% of students misusing AI; however, only 10% were reported this Fall. The two associate the change with growing student suspicion and a lack of faculty reporting.

How misuse shows up in the classroom.

Faculty attempt to deter AI misuse with flexibility and transparency.

Faculty are mindful of student struggles and are making honest efforts at deterring AI use. At faculty workshops led by Henson, Quaye, Dich, and others who are on the forefront of dealing with AI misuse, participants are encouraged to be flexible with due dates. If they communicate with students that they prefer extending deadlines to cheating, students feel less pressured to turn to AI in a pinch. Built-in fail-safes give students a fallback, such as a handful of 24-hour “no questions asked” extensions.

Another crucial component of deterring AI misuse is transparency and communication. Being clear on whether AI use is allowed on course assignments is necessary and should be included in the course syllabus. Professors are also encouraged to be honest in communicating with students about how AI misuse affects them, as the issue is both exhausting and disheartening to educators. Since the increase in AI misuse cases, Prof. Dich explains that the significant energy spent handling the disruption has taken time away from course prep and student feedback.

Since Quaye relates several AI dishonesty cases to inadequate writing skills, faculty are encouraged to help their students with resources. For example, students’ writing ability and confidence can be increased with quizzes on paraphrasing, quoting, and citing. Students can also access the free tutoring that is always available to them at the Tutoring and Learning Center.

Students are concerned about false accusations.

Serious consequences come from AI misuse.

The University Policy Library separates sanctions for academic dishonesty, of which AI misuse is a part, into first and second offenses. Considered low-severity, a first violation of the Academic Integrity policy can result in a grade of zero for the assignment. Additionally, a reduction in the course’s final grade is applied, and the student is required to participate in a $200 online academic integrity workshop.

For a second academic integrity offense, students receive more serious consequences. A final grade of F or Y (no credit) is applied, and a notation of “Academic Dishonesty” will likely appear on their transcript. A workshop with the academic integrity staff is also required after a second offense.

Anyone who uses AI is looked at like a “dirty cheater” and I wish people who use it to brainstorm ideas or to reinforce their understandings of concepts weren’t judged.

— Miami student survey respondant

Changing attitudes on campus.

Quaye and Henson relate the recent drop in AI-misuse cases to changing student attitudes and a lack of faculty reporting. Because faculty are more clearly communicating their AI guidelines, students better understand when AI can’t be used. Also, students are increasingly upset at the ethical challenges posed by AI use. In Prof. Henson’s classroom, many students won’t use AI because they believe it hinders their creativity and damages the environment.

From the faculty side, Quaye believes that cases have decreased due to the difficulty in confirming and reporting AI misuse. Dr. Yamashiro confirms that she’s stopped checking for AI misuse because the process is “consuming and discouraging.” Instead, her mindset is that students who misuse AI tools won’t gain the necessary skills of honest students.

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University Resources

Keeping students and faculty up to date on AI advancements and workforce trends is crucial to Miami University’s administration. While faculty are encouraged to experiment with AI practices that build on their course content and teaching style, university resources aim to inform about broad AI practices. Moreover, writing and learning centers guide faculty in creating assignments for the modern student.

So far, the university lacks AI misuse resources, despite the relationship between academic dishonesty cases and artificial intelligence being undeniable. Faculty believe that the university should better communicate to students the cautionary aspects of using AI.

Educational support services help students and faculty become comfortable with AI.

Miami libraries, Academic Affairs, the Regionals Tutoring and Learning Center, and the Howe Writing Center are all Miami educational support services with AI guidance. As a part of their guidance, Gardner-Harvey Library’s online resources provide details on which AI tools are trustworthy, how to create a prompt, and how to research with AI.

“AI in Teaching” is an Academic Affairs webpage that helps faculty adapt to AI. Intending to approach AI tools as education enhancers rather than disruptors, the resources encourage implementation at the faculty’s discretion. To ensure responsible faculty use, Academic Affairs covers AI-detection methods, student privacy, and transparent AI policies.

The Howe Center for Writing Excellence, among other things, gives access to research workshops completed in 2023. Tasked with an AI-centered question, several groups wrote about both their exploration of AI and recommendations for using it in the classroom. The case study “Writing and AI in College Education” presents AI as something to be integrated into writing assignments, to both give students experience and to provide assignments that were previously unrealistic. The group encourages faculty to find alternatives to the typical essay-style writing assignments, such as multi-step, collaborative writing.

Beyond implementation, these online resources also touch on issues AI may bring to higher education. Namely, the Gardner-Harvey Library lists “drawbacks” in AI tools, such as biased information and hallucinations (made-up texts). Academic Affairs mentions privacy threats and warns against public versions of AI tools, recommending instead Miami-provided Google Gemini accounts with enhanced protection. “Writing and AI in College Education” asks faculty to consider how AI-generated writing affects students’ self-confidence, and to show students that AI algorithms are not perfect.

Libraries lead AI education.

While AI research is often done through the lens of a specific field, librarians take a more general approach. Burke hopes that librarians embrace AI and earnestly expand their knowledge on how students and faculty can benefit from it. “If we step away from it,” says Burke, “we can’t shape it.” Education starts with library guides and classroom visits, where librarians introduce responsible and versatile AI practices.

The Fall of 2025 marked the first semester in which the Gardner-Harvey Library hosted educational events on AI. So far in the “AI-Toolkit” series, Burke led a session on best AI research practices, and librarian Jennifer Hicks centered her session around identifying AI-generated images. Following its success, the series plans to continue in the upcoming spring semester.

Amidst various university resources on AI practices, misuse remains a neglected topic.

AI quickly became a normal part of the educational experience, and the discourse surrounding resource gaps suggests a transitional phase. Education and policies will be solidified, and to get there, administration, faculty, and students must remember that every group’s experience with AI is unique. Furthermore, collaboration is key in creating well-rounded resources. What’s certain is that detailed AI education must reach every student, and that it should better prioritize AI’s relationship with academic integrity.

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Ethical Concerns

As AI becomes more common in higher education, concerns about academic dishonesty only tell part of the story. Increasingly, Miami faculty and students are troubled about the larger moral dilemmas that accompany AI use.

These concerns raise more significant questions about how AI impacts our cultures, identities, well-being, and even the environment. If we want AI to truly move society forward, dealing with ethical challenges may matter more than celebrating its benefits.

AI affects our culture and identities.

Artificial intelligence creates new paths to information and interaction. Given her research on online rhetoric and identities, Dr. Dich observes that AI communication practices alter community and culture. At first, the internet gave people access to unlimited information, and while many thought or assumed that social media would bring people together in support of a connected world, it did the opposite. Prof. Dich sees that AI will feed into the hyper-individualistic world that the previous industrial revolution brought.

AI companies use questionable methods to train algorithms.

When LLMs were first created, companies trained the algorithms on any information that was publicly available. Regarding ChatGPT, Ramirez points out that “It [trained on] some very copyrighted materials, [including] books and artists.” Regardless of the fact that using the work of others without their consent is problematic, it also aligns outputs with biased information. “Who put in the information? Can I trust that source or person?” writes one survey respondent about their AI concerns.

Prof. Dich notes that a particularly worrisome AI training method is the exploitation of content moderators. Rest of World explains that, while many people believe that AI companies directly monitor algorithm outputs, they actually hire outsourcing companies, like Sama, to hire cheap monitoring labor. These companies recruit from countries where workers aren’t well protected, like Kenya, so that poor wages and working conditions can go unchallenged. Confined by legal contracts, outsourcing firms can say little about their work, which protects big AI companies from lawsuits and criticism.

AI is bad for the environment.

Creativity could die out if people use AI for their classwork

— Miami student survey respondant

These concerns showcase the complicated reality of integrating artificial intelligence into higher education. Since AI has begun reshaping our lives, Miami University is motivated to follow suit by offering hands-on experience and enhancing education. Unfortunately, adjusting to an AI-supportive environment has felt frantic for students and faculty, who believe that higher education should take a more cautious approach.

Dr. Dich believes that, while industries are understandably motivated by finances, higher education should be motivated by other things. But, this doesn’t always ring true. Writing skills, creativity, and critical thinking skills all have undeniable roles in student development, yet AI is threatening these skills. Subsequently, Miami faculty call for more recognition of AI misuse, and students worry about growing over-reliance. AI feels suffocating, and it’s currently distracting from what Prof. Dich believes is the true purpose of higher education: to help students be great at who they are.

The fact is, AI is here to stay, and it will reshape the educational experience at Miami University. As Ramirez frames it, “We can’t stick our heads in the sand and hope this passes.” Artificial intelligence has incredible potential for higher education and has already become a valuable thought partner to students and faculty; however, to use the technology in its most progressive way, we must both learn from it and address its adverse effects.

Webpage disclaimers can’t meaningfully address these issues. Faculty and students need reliable resources and open conversations. As the next generation of leaders, today’s students must learn to think critically about AI so that they can hold authorities accountable when issues arise.

The rise of AI marks a shift in how our very society functions, and people are still uncertain about what it fully means for education and careers. It’s important to stay informed on both the positive and negative aspects and repercussions that come along with increased use of AI, and listen to the experiences of others. AI’s impact depends on us, and together, we can determine how we want to move forward.