This EdUp episode addresses the most critical challenge facing higher education: How can we protect student learning and independence in this Age of AI?
Dr. Joe Sallustio, EdD brings his first-hand experience as professor as well as insight from 1,100 EdUp conversations with HE leadership - while Michael Larsen reflects on Studiosity’s multi-national role in supporting millions of students over twenty years.
Considering the elephant in the room - how colleges are approaching AI while protecting social licence - the episode puts forward big ideas, important nuance, and poses timely questions. Read the summary below or skip straight to the full episode.
Idea 1: Higher education needs to discuss AI for Learning vs. AI for Productivity.
“There's a real distinction between AI for productivity and AI for learning.”
Mike and Joe jump straight into the critical issue of the day - that large LLMs are designed to enhance productivity for already educated and experienced individuals. The problem arises when students don't yet possess the critical thinking skills or field-specific skills (and, it stands to reason, most freshmen aren't there yet) to manage that information access and productivity.
"True 'AI for Learning' is about having students engage with generative AI, but in such a way that the more they use it, the less they are reliant upon it," Mike advises.
The higher education mission is to cultivate critical thinking skills; so AI needs to support, not undermine, that mission.
Idea 2: Higher Ed can grow critical thinking before students go into the deep end with general LLMs.
Joe describes a shift in the pedagogy around using AI in higher education:
"You're talking about re-engineering students' minds to learn with GenAI - before they really use GenAI."
Mike and Joe discuss this move - from using AI for simple answers, toward employing it as a tool for formative feedback and conceptual understanding, especially for undergraduates.
Idea 3: AI can be a tool for genuine formative feedback and critical thinking, but not without some expertise and disciplined development.
Both Sallustio and Larsen underscored the importance of AI in providing formative feedback. As Joe states,
"If we embraced it and we used it in a formative way, instead of it saying, ‘here's how to write this,’ imagine if it said, ‘here's how you should think about this concept when you write about it.’ 'It's a whole different perspective on learning. Formative feedback, suggestions on how to look at something or think about something rather than getting the answer to it."
Mike Larsen elaborates on this, noting that Studiosity's models are trained to provide feedback aligned with Bloom's Taxonomy, focusing on higher-order thinking skills.
"So the feedback you might get is, ‘Hey, Joe, this is a great paragraph and this really demonstrates a level of understanding. The next level of higher order thinking is analysis. You should consider comparing your findings from this paragraph with that and go further.'"
Idea 4: Listen to the Academy - educators are looking for evidence.
Joe digs in to uncover staff sentiment around the world and to hear common themes: "What has it been like out there as you talk to faculty and administrators across the world?"
Mike speaks to Studiosity's long-standing partnerships and focus on research-backed solutions, that helped overcome early - and necessary - skepticism in response to AI.
"We have hundreds of colleges and universities that have worked with us for up to a decade or more. Educators were able to see that, 'hey, we're going to be getting the same product here in writing feedback plus and study assist. And it's informed by all of this research.'"
Idea 5: It is necessary for Higher Education administrators to start talking about the ROI of AI.
Mike points out the significant return on investment (ROI) that some AI-powered learning platforms can offer.
"And you know, Studiosity has proven a 4.4x ROI. And that's just on the student retention and satisfaction that can really pay dividends weekly and allow institutions to engage quickly."
Idea 6: Protect the independence and agency of our college students.
Both Joe and Mike discuss the importance of student agency in the age of AI. Mike noted:
"We want students to be graduating with a strong set of core capabilities and a sense of who they are and what they think. I think that's what's good for our societies."
AI is powerful. But successfully-trained and credentialed graduates who can form, communicate, and take responsibility for their own ideas: even more so.
Idea 7: In the 'race to catch up,' AI has the potential to be a better differentiator for universities than it is right now.
Joe suggests:
"I'm waiting for somebody to take a technology like yours and make it part of the value proposition for coming to the university in the first place."
He suggests that universities could attract students by highlighting their commitment to using AI to enhance learning and critical thinking, rather than simply providing answers.
Idea 8: The sector must acknowledge student stressors about using AI and act with clearer communication and resources.
"The amount of stress associated with AI use and academic integrity is through the roof, in large part, because students want to use AI, but they're not clear on which AI to use and how to use it in a way that's compliant with the honor code." (YouGov-Studiosity Global Wellbeing Report 2025).
Mike proposes that universities can help by guiding students more directly on how to responsibly - and ethically - use AI tools. This mirrors the advice of Educational Integrity researchers and leaders: build the norms and culture you want, with support and expectations. (See "The Opposite of Cheating.")
In conclusion, bring it back to core mission: student learning.
"We have to reinvigorate the love of learning. We have to. It's been diluted. We need to bring it back," Joe concludes.
Add to your 'up next': https://www.edupexperience.com/mikelarsen/
With many thanks again to the EdUp team - Elvin Freytes and Joe Sallustio, EdD, bringing you America's leading higher education podcast. And to Michael Larsen, for leading Studiosity's pursuit of increasing the life chances of every student in the world.
More: studiosity.com
