AI Makes Room for Opportunity if Implemented Wisely

Dave Moretti, Director of Digital Marketing at Columbia Business School

Dave Moretti, Director of Digital Marketing at Columbia Business School

In this feature with Education Technology Insights APAC, Dave Moretti, Senior Director of Digital Marketing and Technology at Columbia Business School, discusses how AI and technology need to be explored and implemented to better streamline communication between administrators, students, potential candidates and visitors.

Are there any particular topics you have in mind that you would like to share or draw special focus on?

The integration of artificial intelligence has been grabbing the limelight recently. As the Senior Director of Digital Marketing and Technology at the Columbia Business School, I constantly look forward to implementing and improving our technology with feedback from fellow faculty members. Instead of relying on AI to build an entire curriculum or course material, we are trying to understand how staff can incorporate it to enhance educational content creation. Our solution was to harness it as a tool to augment the learning experience through personalized education, adaptive learning platforms and data-driven insights into student progress.

By integrating AI into website development and content strategy, institutions can seamlessly blend human language and technological sophistication. AI-driven tools can also enhance search engine optimization (SEO), tailor content to resonate with diverse audiences and provide valuable analytics to inform strategic decision-making.

Could you talk to me about your journey over the years in the industry and what a day in your life looks like as the senior director of digital marketing at CBS?

Every day in my role is a dynamic journey through the digital landscape, where I immerse myself in a myriad of technological endeavors. From shaping the functionality of our website to envisioning the evolution of our communication platform, my responsibilities span various facets of digital technology. Balancing the needs of faculty, administrators and students, I navigate the intricacies of translating their requirements into actionable tasks for our development team.

My typical day involves upgrading our school website or communications platform to ensure the right information is delivered to students. Day in and day out, I reply to hundreds of emails, texts and Slack messages to comprehend the wants and desires of students, teachers and administrators and deliver the best-suited integration. I also monitor security and development operations and effectively translate administrative needs so developers build the perfect solution.

My duty does not end once technology is implemented. I have to ensure my staff remains up to date, especially with accessibility compliance for students and faculty members with disabilities and impairments. I help everyone understand the intricacies of customizing applications in offline and online school areas and reassess set metrics to reach the target audience.

In addition to fostering a collaborative environment among my team members, including student contributors, I'm constantly mindful of building for the future. This entails exploring uncharted territories, asking questions that have yet to be posed and embracing the ethos of continuous improvement and forward-thinking.

When we look at the educational space today, what are some of the major challenges or pain points you notice prevailing in the industry and how are AI and web technologies addressing them?

From properly implementing AI to eliminating chances of plagiarism, we need to deliver well-crafted content and course materials that provide the best learning efficacy in higher education. I talk to different faculty members, especially on campus, to figure out the right use of technology for their classes. We focus on getting the asynchronous students to learn at the same level as the synchronous, face-to-face students.

“From properly implementing AI to eliminating chances of plagiarism, we need to deliver well-crafted content and course materials that provide the best learning efficacy in higher education.”

For the past 20 years, I have navigated through AI and tech trends as well as their pros and cons for integrating the best tools while understanding tech-driven risks. I regularly engage with my colleagues and peers to help them manage search engine tools and optimize websites and curriculum models. I also substantiate verifying if AI is being repurposed, as it can change their intended messaging.

Can you provide a surface-level understanding of your recent initiatives incorporating AI and the web at your school?

We are integrating AI models to optimize information search with chatbots on our website. We continuously rework AI, increase the transparency of its information sources, and boost the large language model (LLM) to produce the right data in the best language. Simultaneously, we incorporate new AI components for our open climate curriculum to create effective course material in a closed environment.

Where do you expect the industry to be in the next 18 to 24 months?

Amid the evolving industry changes, AI improvements and LLM platforms will impact course delivery and student engagements in line with the growing awareness of free speech and educational rights in the U.S. They will allow creators to maintain their intellectual property control while enabling students to access tools that help them freely discuss their thoughts and understanding of specific topics.

The next few months will draw a picture of the benefits and setbacks of technology like two sides of a coin. While the benefits are widely known, I perceive a pullback in certain integrations due to guidelines for strict educational oversight, like prohibiting tools from performing all schoolwork and regulating use in academic settings. Oftentimes, AI detectors cannot accurately differentiate between human and AI written content, which compounds a faculty’s use of plagiarism tools. Moving forward, there will be more focus on helping clean the AI-driven confusion and ensure the responsible use of available technology.

On a final note, could you impart some advice to fellow peers and colleagues reading this piece on creating a seamless opportunity at their organization?

My advice would be to proceed optimistically with the enthusiasm of a child, yet cautiously and patiently like an adult. It's an exhilarating era filled with boundless possibilities, but we must exercise caution and prudence amidst the excitement. As the adage goes, "Trust but verify" – a reminder to approach new technologies with enthusiasm while assessing their potential impact. Embracing AI is key to staying at the forefront of progress. It's a tool that promises to revolutionize our work, from enhancing efficiency to unlocking new growth opportunities. However, it's essential to tread carefully and not rush headlong into uncharted territory. Instead, we must proceed thoughtfully, experimenting with AI in measured doses and learning from each iteration.