Rethinking the Rules

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Noogies and Nuance

Hi all, 

Over the summer, we get to read a lot of reflections on teaching, which are always illustrative. This year, one theme stood out clearly: many of us are wrestling with the complex ways AI tools are reshaping our learning environments, interactions, and assessments. 

Growing dependency on AI, along with its broader societal and cultural implications, continues to dominate news headlines and conference agendas. This past week, while attending the Computing Research Association (CRA) summit on AI in Education, questions related to AI were everywhere. How do we teach students critical thinking skills when they outsource that to AI as often as they can? How do we scale rich assessments of students? How do we scaffold the use of AI so that it builds rather than replaces skills? It was clear from these conversations that this is a pressure being felt across higher education.

Many peer institutions have talked about embracing AI in higher education. I like to think that we’re putting it in a headlock and giving it noogies here at UMSI. We are ahead of the curve in terms of building ethics into our curriculum. We are light-years out in terms of how we embed experiential learning, which is considered key to advancing AI education. 

Still, we have a lot to figure out. That is why this fall, we will host several open meetings to share questions and solutions. These conversations will focus not only on managing AI in the classroom but also on how we can develop curricula that help students use these tools to advance their learning and their futures.

Thank you for the thought, energy, and care you bring to this moment. I am excited for the year ahead and grateful to be entering it alongside a community so deeply committed to helping students find their footing and their future.

Best,

Cliff Lampe, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs