Emerging Technologies & Trends - EDUCAUSE Review

Advancing AI Literacy: A Faculty Course Refresh Institute at Indiana Wesleyan University

Redesigning learning experiences, not just adding tools, can build faculty confidence and develop students’ critical, ethical, and applied AI literacy.

From Prompt to Practice: A Framework for Transparent GenAI Use in Higher Education

As generative artificial intelligence reshapes instructional workflows at colleges and universities, a four-level transparency framework can help education developers calibrate documentation and disclosure practices to support ethical responsibility and maintain student trust.

The Role of Faculty in the University of the Future

In the age of AI, the true future of higher education lies not in replacing faculty but in freeing them to do what only humans can—build meaningful relationships, cultivate wisdom, and guide students through the ethical and intellectual challenges machines cannot navigate.

When AI Meets Data: The Promise and the Pressure of Bringing AI into Higher Education Systems

The implications of AI for data governance and security don’t often grab the headlines, but the work of incorporating this technology into institutional culture is vital, complex, and illuminating.

The University, the Chatbot, and a Call for a New Mission for Higher Education

In the age of artificial intelligence, higher education institutions must move beyond simply transmitting knowledge and instead prioritize holistic human development, integrating mental health, social-emotional learning, and ethical reasoning into academic structures to prepare students for meaningful lives and responsible citizenship.

AI-Powered Pedagogy: A Guide to Evidence-Based Teaching Tools

Accessible artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help educators streamline course development, integrate evidence-based teaching strategies, and optimize workflows for more efficient, individualized instruction.

The Paradox of AI Assistance: Better Results, Worse Thinking

A student reflects on how generative artificial intelligence is reshaping learning and cognitive development, urging colleges and universities to guide students toward responsible uses of AI to preserve critical thinking skills.

Establishing ROI for Evaluating Edtech Tools

ROI for technology solutions is an emerging practice in higher education that offers promise for helping institutions balance financial constraints with continued innovation.

Three Years In: Reflections and Considerations for the Next Chapter of AI in Higher Education

Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform higher education by connecting student experiences, improving operations, and enhancing outcomes. But unlocking its full potential will require better data integration, deeper cross-campus collaboration, well-defined ROI measures, increased environmental transparency, and more nuanced conversations about its role.

From Personalized to Precision Learning: Unlocking the Next Transformation in Higher Education

Colleges and universities can leapfrog from personalized to N-of-1 precision learning by modernizing their data architecture, building dynamic learner profiles, and adopting computed curriculum. This signals a paradigm shift from the one-size-fits-all model of learning that characterizes most of higher education to an individualized model fine-tuned for each learner.

Dialogue at Scale: AI, Soft Skills, and the Future of Assessment

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) can transform higher education by enabling guided engagement at scale, fostering active and dialogic learning, and expanding access to personalized tutoring. Institutions that harness these capabilities can redesign teaching and assessment to thrive in the age of AI.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#10: Decision-Maker Data Skills and Literacy

Higher education institutions should be data literacy and decision-making exemplars for the rest of the world, embodying best practices in thoughtful analysis and sound judgment. Decision-Maker Data Skills and Literacy is issue #10 in the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#9: AI-Enabled Efficiencies and Growth

It’s time for institutions to find pathways for doing less with less—enabling leaders and staff to pursue their most important work in healthier, more efficient, and more meaningful ways. AI-Enabled Efficiencies and Growth is issue #9 in the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#8: From Reactive to Proactive

With the wealth of data institutions have at their disposal, and with the emergence of more sophisticated analytics and decision-making capabilities, institutions have an opportunity to shift from using data merely to describe what is or has been to explore what is likely or possible. From Reactive to Proactive is issue #8 in the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#7: Technology Literacy for the Future Workforce

Preparing students for jobs in 2026 and beyond requires embedding artificial intelligence and other technologies as a core competency in their education and training. Technology Literacy for the Future Workforce is issue #7 in the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#6: Measured Approaches to New Technologies

Few technology purchasing decisions can be made without first understanding their costs, potential benefits, and impacts. Measured Approaches to New Technologies is issue #6 in the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#5: Knowledge Management for Safer AI

Knowledge management can help institutional teams become more familiar with their enterprise artificial intelligence tools while also restricting those tools' access where needed. Knowledge Management for Safer AI is issue #5 in the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#4: Building a Data-Centric Culture Across the Institution

Using data for improved planning and decision-making is most effective when access is coordinated and shared across the institution. Building a Data-Centric Culture Across the Institution is issue #4 in the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#3: Data Analytics for Operational and Financial Insights

New data and analytics capabilities are enabling institutional leaders to more confidently make complicated decisions about resources, investments, and strategic priorities for the future. Data Analytics for Operational and Financial Insights is issue #3 in the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#2: The Human Edge of AI

Increasingly, artificial intelligence is becoming a competency that rests in the hands of each individual person—an individual capability rather than just, or even primarily, an institutional one. The Human Edge of AI is issue #2 in the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#1: Collaborative Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is no stranger to the EDUCAUSE Top 10, but this year, technology and cybersecurity leaders are zooming in on the partnerships they're building with institutional stakeholders as the focal point of their efforts. Collaborative Cybersecurity is issue #1 in the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10.

Beyond Bloom: A Radial Taxonomy for Microcredentials

Microcredentials operate differently from traditional education, and they call for a more flexible, adaptable system to organize and classify learning objectives.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10: Making Connections [infographic]

The 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10 highlights how higher education technology and data leaders can foster a collective will and support individual capabilities—two deeply connected actions that will help institutions thrive in the year ahead.

A Corporate Perspective on the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10: Jenzabar

Sam Burgio of Jenzabar highlights Data Analytics for Operational and Financial Insights and AI-Enabled Efficiencies and Growth as the most critical 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10 issues to help institutions improve retention, return on investment, and student success.

A Corporate Perspective on the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10: CDW

Michael Durand of CDW highlights Collaborative Cybersecurity and The Human Edge of AI as the most impactful 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10 issues, emphasizing the need for strategic governance, cross-functional collaboration, and proactive, secure technology adoption in higher education.

A Corporate Perspective on the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10: Gartner

Terri-Lynn Thayer of Gartner highlights The Human Edge of AI as the most critical of the 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10, emphasizing the need for enterprise-wide, mission-aligned AI strategies to harness the transformative potential of AI across teaching, learning, and research in higher education.

2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10: Making Connections

A More Human University: The Role of AI in Learning

Far from heralding the collapse of higher education, artificial intelligence offers a transformative opportunity to scale meaningful, individualized learning experiences across diverse classrooms.

An AI Plateau?

Large language models may be nearing their limits, challenging assumptions about the transformative potential of artificial intelligence.

Beyond Tool or Threat: GenAI and the Challenge It Poses to Higher Education

Generative artificial intelligence isn't just a new tool—it's a catalyst forcing the higher education profession to reimagine its purpose, values, and future.

The AI Tsunami Is Here: Reinventing Education for the Age of AI

In the age of artificial intelligence, higher education must move beyond content delivery toward interactionalism—a human-centered approach to learning that fosters collaboration, creativity, adaptability, feedback, and well-being. This article series will explore this system redesign in-depth, beginning with teaching and learning.

Thinking Big, Starting Small: Insights from a Summit on AI Adoption in Higher Education

Leveraging GenAI to Transform a Traditional Instructional Video into Engaging Short Video Lectures

By leveraging generative artificial intelligence to convert lengthy instructional videos into micro-lectures, educators can enhance efficiency while delivering more engaging and personalized learning experiences.

Ethics Is the Edge: The Future of AI in Higher Education

A new framework outlines eight ethical principles to guide higher education’s implementation of artificial intelligence.

In the Room Where It Happens: Generative AI Policy Creation in Higher Education

To develop a robust policy for generative artificial intelligence use in higher education, institutional leaders must first create "a room" where diverse perspectives are welcome and included in the process.

Empowering Student Success through AI-Driven Collaboration

Student success is a shared institutional commitment. Increasingly diverse student populations, mounting mental health concerns, and the exponential growth of digital information call for a reimagined approach to academic support—one that is proactive, personalized, and collaborative.

Artificial Intelligence: Lessons Learned from a Graduate-Level Final Exam

The need for deep student engagement became clear at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine when a potential academic-integrity issue revealed gaps in its initial approach to artificial intelligence use in the classroom, leading to significant revisions to ensure equitable learning and assessment.

AI as a Thought Partner in Higher Education

When used thoughtfully and transparently, generative artificial intelligence can augment creativity and challenge assumptions, making it an excellent tool for exploring and developing ideas.

Mapping a Multidimensional Framework for GenAI in Education

Prompting careful dialogue through incisive questions can help chart a course through the ongoing storm of artificial intelligence.

AI Procurement in Higher Education: Benefits and Risks of Emerging Tools

As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in the technology ecosystem, clear guidelines and practices for selecting and implementing AI products and features and working with vendors are vital for ensuring alignment with institutional goals and culture.

Ushering in a New Era of AI-Driven Data Insights at UC San Diego

TritonGPT, developed at UC San Diego, is a suite of AI-powered assistants designed to streamline administrative tasks, enhance productivity, and provide institution-specific insights by retrieving, summarizing, and generating content securely.

Generative Artificial Intelligence and Education: A Brief Ethical Reflection on Autonomy

Given the widespread impacts of generative AI, looking at this technology through the lens of autonomy can help equip students for the workplaces of the present and of the future, while ensuring academic integrity for both students and instructors.

Striking a Balance: Navigating the Ethical Dilemmas of AI in Higher Education

Navigating the complexities of artificial intelligence (AI) while upholding ethical standards requires a balanced approach that considers the benefits and risks of AI adoption.

How Broadening AI Access Can Help Bridge the Digital Divide

Providing low-income students with free access to paid artificial intelligence tools could decrease disparities in digital access and literacy.

2025 EDUCAUSE Top 10: Restoring Trust

Can’t get enough of the EDUCAUSE Top 10? Hosts Sophie White and Jenay Robert dive into the issues with Susan Grajek, answering audience questions in a lively, unscripted conversation. Recorded live at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, this episode provides a ground-level view of the Top 10.

From Hype to Help: Making GenAI Useful for Enterprise Reporting and Data Analytics

A data scientist makes a plea for intelligent, incremental use of generative AI.

2025 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#10 (tie): Supportable, Sustainable, and Affordable

Developing an institutional strategy for new technology investments, pilots, policies, and uses

2025 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#10 (tie): Building Bridges, Not Walls

Increasing digital access for students while also safeguarding their privacy and data protection

2025 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#9: Taming the Digital Jungle

Updating and unifying digital infrastructure and governance to increase institutional efficiency and effectiveness

2025 EDUCAUSE Top 10
#8: Putting People First

Helping staff adapt, upskill, and thrive in an era of rapid change and ongoing digital advancements