AI and Technology: Building a Healthy Future in Education

Lowell K. Davis, Vice President, Student Affairs at The University of Texas at Arlington

1. Can you share some insights into your professional journey and the key experiences that led you to your current role at the University of Texas at Arlington?

As a child growing up in Dallas, Texas, and serving in Student Government in high school and college, it has been my goal to make a difference. There are several instances I can point to that may have led me to where I am today, but the one that stands out the most is my work supporting students who have aged out of the foster care system. These students may be invisible on many campuses, and I have worked at three universities and put in support mechanisms to help these students graduate from college. I came to the University of Texas Arlington after serving as the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. I have tried to remain intentional about serving students and ensuring they are equipped with the tools needed to succeed through their co-curricular experiences. I have worked in both Academic and Student Affairs and view myself as a cheerleader for all students. As the Vice President for Student Affairs at UTA, I get to support students in a community that is familiar to me.

2. What are the most significant trends and advancements you believe will impact the Education industry?

Like many industries, the emergence of Artificial Intelligence and its expanding implementation will likely be the most significant technological development impacting education. Its potential benefits are profound in streamlining services to current and prospective students and employees, enhancing efficiency in work processes, and otherwise positively affecting an institution's capacity to achieve their mission and objectives. The challenge AI creates for disrupting deep learning by students and integrity in their academic work demonstrates how learning itself is immense. How the higher education industry adapts to AI to take advantage of its positive potential while minimizing its negative impacts will absorb much attention from leaders for the foreseeable future.

The continued growth of new companies and their platforms to serve the functions of education institutions, from content delivery to course registration to housing management and so much more, promises more competition among potential partner vendors. These changes should enhance the productivity of institutions and potentially lower costs within the technology marketplace.

3. What do you think are the biggest challenges in the Education Technology landscape over the next decade, and how are you preparing to address them?

My response above covers the primary challenge in AI. AI offers so much potential for efficiency and enhanced processes and communication. The other side of that influence is the potential to substitute AI for the type of work that needs to be invested in by students for genuine learning to occur. Educators in institutions must be able to ensure they design academic work that demands full engagement by their students and structure their courses so that students must attend to all aspects of the learning process.

“My best advice is to be deliberate in exploring how technology is chosen and implemented. Education, at its core, still highly involves collaboration. Technology can streamline and enhance efficiency in accomplishing goals.”

All forms of technology, including the many systems that support the functions of institutions and the relevant hardware, are expensive. Rising costs will continue to be a challenge unless competition can reduce the expense to some degree.

4. Can you describe the process and methods you have in place at the University of Texas at Arlington? What considerations went into selecting these educational frameworks?

We rely on our various departments to remain aware of best practices in their fields, including how they use technology to achieve their purposes and goals and what technology they rely on. We ask our departments to scan their relevant marketplace, identify potential partners, vet them for the best fit, and develop agreements to support their work. We have internal resources in our IT area and processes like our Legal Review team to support departments' work to identify the best technology and agreements for their use; however, the departments take the lead in selecting their partners. Also, where we can identify cross-functionality with platforms, we do so to reduce costs and enhance our data connectedness.

5. What advice would you give others looking to adopt emerging education technologies and other approaches? What are the key considerations and potential pitfalls they should be aware of?

My best advice is to be deliberate in exploring how technology is chosen and implemented. Education, at its core, still highly involves collaboration. Technology can streamline and enhance efficiency in accomplishing goals. It's an invaluable resource. Those responsible for various functions will do best when they focus on their mission, consider how technology can help achieve it, and then diligently pursue equipping appropriate technology and partners to support it. Many potential partners will offer what appear to be fantastic services, and many are. As long as the focus remains on the mission and not on the impressive and exciting opportunities technology offers, leaders can avoid buying products they don't need or using technology for processes that should prioritize interactions among people.