Howard Updates AI Curriculum to Align With Workforce - Government Technology

Howard University is redesigning its Intro to Artificial Intelligence course, teaching the fundamentals of AI-assisted software development that are proving necessary for entry-level roles. The course introduces AI directly into instruction through hands-on, industry-aligned training, according to a news release Tuesday. Developed in partnership with CodePath, the course draws on curriculum originally designed by the industry-aligned education nonprofit and is co-taught by Howard faculty alongside an instructor from CodePath’s faculty network. CodePath shapes its courses around employer needs, which its surveys indicate are internship experience, technical interview performance, and side projects or portfolios

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/howard-updates-ai-curriculum-to-align-with-workforce

Humanities cuts leave us defenceless in the age of AI - Agnieszka Piotrowska, Time Higher Ed

There is no shortage of talk about risk in AI, in higher education and beyond. We discuss plagiarism, bias, fairness and governance. These are important challenges. But there are others. How do these systems behave over time, and what do their observable behaviours reveal about their underlying structures and about human responses to them? Engineers cannot answer this alone. Such questions are best addressed via the qualitative research methods in which the humanities specialise but these are increasingly viewed with suspicion by funders and university administrators. In the UK and elsewhere, departments that focus on this area are closed or are required to focus on narrower definitions of “impact”. These exclude open-ended engagement with AIs in pursuit of answers to the philosophical and psychological questions it throws up.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/humanities-cuts-leave-us-defenceless-age-ai

The US wants more apprenticeships. The UK figured out how to make them coveted roles - Kelly Field, Hechinger Report

Most students here and in the United States wouldn’t get access to expensive equipment like this until graduate school. Goshawk — a 21-year-old undergraduate student and one of 149 “degree apprentices” employed by AstraZeneca across the U.K. — started using them his second week in. “It shows the trust we’ve been given,” said Goshawk, who is working nearly full time while studying toward a degree in chemical science at Manchester Metropolitan University that his employer is paying for. By the time he graduates next spring, he will have earned roughly 100,000 pounds (approximately $130,000) in wages, on top of the tuition-free education.

https://hechingerreport.org/us-apprenticeships-uk-coveted-roles/

Trump Admin. Touts 8,000 Student Visas Revoked - Johanna Alonso, Inside Higher Ed

The Department of State has revoked 8,000 student visas since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, the department shared on the social media site X on Monday, as part of the president’s massive deportation campaign. In total, the administration has revoked 100,000 nonimmigrant visas, the department wrote, which is about double the number revoked in former President Joe Biden’s last year. According to Fox News, the department said that the majority of the student and specialized worker visas were revoked due to crimes; about half were because of drunk driving. U.S. colleges and universities enroll more than 1 million international students.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/01/13/trump-admin-says-it-revoked-8000-student-visas

Artificial intelligence at the University of Hawaiʻi: ASAP! - Janis Magin, Hawaiʻi Public Radio

The University of Hawaiʻi system has made progress in developing artificial intelligence as an area of study — and an asset to use at the school. UH is focusing even more on AI in 2026 with plans to introduce an online AI literacy course. It’s also using technology to make sure more students in Hawaiʻi have the opportunity to complete a degree completely online. UH President Wendy Hensel sees higher education as vital to developing the next generation of workers to be critical thinkers and innovators — workers who won’t just follow, but lead the rapid development of AI in the workforce.

https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2026-01-09/artificial-intelligence-at-university-of-hawaii-asap

AI on Campus: Rethinking the Core Goals of Higher Education - Abby Sourwine, GovTech

For many professors, teaching has always been about more than delivering subject-specific content. Derek Bruff, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence, said the core mission of college is to help students develop critical thinking, problem-solving and judgment skills that prepare them for life beyond the classroom. But with artificial intelligence offering such a convenient tool to offload those skills, professors are re-evaluating how they approach their goals, sending ripple effects to instruction, assessments and student interactions. “I can’t recall another technology in my career that has had such a transformative effect on higher-ed teaching and learning,” he said.

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/ai-on-campus-rethinking-the-core-goals-of-higher-education

Navigating Higher Ed’s Digital Shift as a Technophobe - Robert Ubell, Evolllution

Psychologists say that some of us are drawn to behavior we fear because the experience creates an exhilarating rush in a safe, controlled environment, allowing us to feel the excitement in a fight-or-flight response without actually being in danger, leading to feelings of euphoria, heightened alertness and a sense of mastery. Or I may be trapped in what Freud recognized as repetition compulsion—a concept he coined—an unconscious tendency to repeat past, often traumatic, experiences and behaviors relived in the present. Freud claimed sufferers may be trying to master or resolve unresolved trauma experienced earlier in their lives by going through similar situations in the present, even if painful or unsatisfied. I am drawn to technology for its exciting, innovative possibilities but unnerved by fear of my tech inadequacy.

https://evolllution.com/navigating-higher-eds-digital-shift-as-a-technophobe

AI Agents in Higher Education: Transforming Student Services and Support - Tom Mangan, EdTech

Similarly, researchers have noted a host of ways that agentic AI tools can potentially drive improvements in higher education. Agents will be able to gather data from multiple sources to assess a student’s progress across multiple courses. If the student starts falling behind, processes could kick in to help them catch up. Agents can relieve teachers and administrators from time-consuming chores such as grading multiple-choice tests and monitoring attendance. The idea is catching on. Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera, launched a startup called Kira Learning to ease burdens on overworked teachers. “Kira’s AI tutor works alongside teachers as an intelligent co-educator, adapting in real-time to each student’s learning style and emotional state,” Andrea Pasinetti, Kira Learning’s CEO, says in an interview with The Observer.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2025/12/ai-agents-higher-education-transforming-student-services-and-support-perfcon

Evaluating Recent Advances in Affective Intelligent Tutoring Systems: A Scoping Review of Educational Impacts and Future Prospects - Jorge Fernández-Herrero, Journal of Education Sciences, MDPI

Affective intelligent tutoring systems (ATSs) are gaining recognition for their role in personalized learning through adaptive automated education based on students’ affective states. This scoping review evaluates recent advancements and the educational impact of ATSs, following PRISMA guidelines for article selection and analysis. A structured search of the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases resulted in 30 studies covering 27 distinct ATSs. These studies assess the effectiveness of ATSs in meeting learners’ emotional and cognitive needs. This review examines the technical and pedagogical aspects of ATSs, focusing on how emotional recognition technologies are used to customize educational content and feedback, enhancing learning experiences. 

https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/8/839

Here are 4 ways AI will impact higher ed in the new year - Alcino Donadel, University Business

1. Emotionally intelligent AI

Institutions will use technology to drive deeper human connection amid the rapid rise of AI assistants, chatbots and algorithmically tailored content, Researchers from MIT, the University of Pittsburgh and other institutions found that AI use in the classroom lowered brain activity and led to student anxiety and confusion. Teachers also feared losing instructional autonomy and human connections. One student panel demanded that institutions and industry place the campus community at the heart of technological innovation. “In 2026, the push for ethically designed, emotionally aware tech will gain momentum,” said Betheny Gross, director of research at WGU Labs. “The next generation of technology will aim to rebuild what the last era of digital tools too often eroded.”

https://universitybusiness.com/here-are-4-ways-ai-will-impact-higher-ed-in-the-new-year/

The Limits of Artificial Intelligence in Professional Military Education - Matthew Woessner, Real Clear Defense

The purpose of this paper is not to prescribe how to incorporate AI into specific courses, but rather to highlight potential student vulnerabilities and offer suggestions for how they can be managed within a broad curricular framework across PME. Even as AI is incorporated into PME, faculty must ensure that the technology does not supplant student progress in reading, writing, and critical thinking. In his “All AI—All the Time” rebuttal, Jim Lacey takes issue with my general framework, arguing that PME is not “grade school.” He maintains that students entering PME already know how to read and write. He further expresses doubt that “there is a PME student alive who does not know that AI systems are fallible and often make things up.”

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2026/01/09/the_limits_of_artificial_intelligence_in_professional_military_education_1157716.html

Artificial Intelligence in Education Market Growing at a CAGR of 37.68% During 2025 - 2035 - IT, New Media & Software, Market Reasearch Future (MRFR)

AI technologies, including machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, are no longer futuristic concept they are becoming integral to classrooms, online platforms, and administrative systems worldwide. The integration of AI in education enhances personalization, efficiency, and accessibility, creating opportunities for a more inclusive and effective learning experience. The Artificial Intelligence in Education market was valued at USD 34.7 billion in 2024 and is projected to experience significant growth in the coming decade. The market is expected to reach USD 47.78 billion in 2025 and surge to USD 1,169.44 billion by 2035, representing a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37.68% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2035. 

https://www.openpr.com/news/4340881/artificial-intelligence-in-education-market-growing-at-a-cagr

After being falsely branded an AI plagiarist, how can I accuse students? - David Mingay, Times Higher Ed

The executive editor emailed back to say that the article aligned with the scope of the journal but that some formatting amendments were required. Also, it lacked a statement on whether AI had been used in its production. I duly made the amendments and included the factually correct line: “No generative AI or AI-supported technologies were used at any stage of this research.” I was surprised, then, to get a reply from the editor saying an AI detection program had judged our paper to have been mainly written using AI. Even more oddly – and ironically – he referred to the paper by the title of an entirely unrelated study examining chatbots’ very limited ability to pass scientific tests.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/after-being-falsely-branded-ai-plagiarist-how-can-i-accuse-students

Using Machine Learning to Understand College Closures - Abby Sourwine, GovTech

As financial pressures mount across higher education, researchers are turning to machine learning to better predict which colleges are at risk of closing. In recent work, higher education researchers collaborated with the Federal Reserve to develop a predictive model that combines hundreds of institutional characteristics to estimate the likelihood a college might close. The model outperforms financial monitoring systems currently used by the federal government, offering a more nuanced understanding of financial distress in higher ed.

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/using-machine-learning-to-understand-college-closures

The ChatGPT Generation: How AI Is quietly rewriting the global student search experience - Tim O'Brien, ICEF Monitor

In September 2025, we conducted a cross-institution survey of over 1,600 newly enrolled international students in the US and UK. Our goal was simple: to understand how students are using AI in the crucial, early part of their journey – identifying and applying to university – long before they ever step into a lecture hall. Approximately one in six respondents (17%) indicated they used AI (Chat GPT etc) as part of their initial search, but that varies significantly by home country. The most critical finding however appears to deliver a clear message on the value students ascribe to Large Learning Models (LLMs): 96% of AI users found the guidance they received from AI tools (ChatGPT, etc.) either met or exceeded the quality of information provided by traditional sources (websites, brochures, agents).

https://monitor.icef.com/2026/01/the-chatgpt-generation-how-ai-is-quietly-rewriting-the-global-student-search-experience/

Enhancing creative writing through AI-powered co-creation with cognitive and emotional outcomes - Xinqiao Cen & Goodarz Shakibaei, Nature

Qualitative insights revealed that students in the High-AI Support Group demonstrated increased engagement and creativity, attributed to tailored AI feedback that alleviated cognitive load by addressing technical aspects like grammatical accuracy. In contrast, members of the Low-AI Support Group appreciated the collaborative interaction between AI and instructor feedback, which enhanced their confidence, independence, and skills in grammar and writing conventions. In summary, this study emphasizes the importance of AI in enhancing both intellectual and emotional growth for EFL learners, advocating for its incorporation as a valuable resource in educational settings.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-34416-2

Opinion: From Lecture Halls to Virtual Classes, AI Is Rewriting the Rules - Oleg Vilchinski, GovTech

Modernizing education with artificial intelligence is less about buying this or that new tool than about new processes, new applications for data analytics, and reorganizing instructional priorities around new norms. For generations, education has revolved around classrooms, textbooks and static curricula. But today’s learners are rewriting the rules. By August 2024, over 86 percent of collegiate, master’s and doctoral students were using artificial intelligence in their studies, and more than half were using AI tools weekly, according to a study by the Digital Education Council, a global community of college and university stakeholders that formed that year. Gen Z and younger learners increasingly expect education to look and feel like the digital experiences they already use: short, visual, interactive and on demand. For government leaders and educational institutions, that shift brings both urgency and opportunity. The question isn’t whether AI will reshape learning, it’s how quickly schools, agencies and public programs can adapt to meet these new expectations.

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/opinion-from-lecture-halls-to-virtual-classes-ai-is-rewriting-the-rules

Artificial intelligence is here ... and it is already rewriting the rules of education - Susan Galavan, Irish Times

‘As educators, our job is not to shield students from AI, but to prepare them for the reality of the working world’ - Artificial intelligence is everywhere. When I open Microsoft Word to draft this piece, a Copilot icon pops up, asking if I want help. One click, one prompt, and a passable first draft would be on the screen in seconds. Every Google search begins with an AI overview, serving up neatly packaged answers-no need to scroll, no need to think. AI is now integrated into almost every digital tool we use and the message is loud and clear: AI has arrived, and it’s not going anywhere. For students, AI isn’t just a novelty; it’s a tool and they’re using it more and more. A recent UK study found that 64 per cent of students now use the application to generate text, up from 30 per cent in 2024.

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2026/01/08/artificial-intelligence-is-here-and-it-is-already-rewriting-the-rules-of-education/

Campus Forecast 2026: How Agentic AI Could Transform University Operations - Times of India

Artificial intelligence (AI) has long served universities as a helpful junior colleague—fast, eager, and dependent on detailed instructions. But according to the UPCEA report, Predictions 2026: Insights for Online & Professional Education, this era is coming to an end. The next phase, agentic AI, is framed not as smarter assistance but as autonomous execution, a shift that could fundamentally change how universities operate. Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow at UPCEA, predicts a second wave of AI approaching 2026. Unlike current AI, which responds to requests, agentic AI acts independently: “…agentic AI becomes a 24/7 project manager. It can understand a high-level goal, create a multi-step plan, execute that plan across different software systems, and learn from its mistakes without human prompting. This will save time and money for universities and accomplish work that would have been too expensive or time consuming in the past.”  The shift is one of agency, not intelligence.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/campus-forecast-2026-how-agentic-ai-could-change-the-way-universities-run/articleshow/126348410.cms

A closer look at workforce development initiatives that prepare and inspire the next-gen workforce - Karen Haywood Queen, Advanced Manufacturing

The skills gap is across multiple generations of workers, observes Dora Smith, senior director, global academic and startup strategy, at Siemens Digital Industries Software. “The accelerated pace of technological change means the traditional knowledge and skills taught even a few years ago are outdated,” Smith says. “We’re seeing a widening digital-skills gap that needs immediate attention. We must move beyond one-stop training and foster a culture of lifelong learning to ensure the workforce can adapt, innovate and thrive in this dynamic environment.”

https://www.advancedmanufacturing.org/workforce-development/addressing-skill-gaps-with-microcredentials-apprenticeships-and-partnerships/article_d665ac01-2645-4c94-873f-e4ee82cf4f43.html

When AI-Powered Humanoid Robots Make Bad Choices - Shaun Shutner, AI Business

When large language models hallucinate, they deliver incorrect statistics or problematic advice. But when LLMs are controlling humanoid robots, the problems they create could be worse. What kind of real-world scenarios did you consider most to uncover whether robots could do violent, aggressive acts? Did you prompt robots to use a gun and hold up a bank? Or was it more the everyday stuff? Hundt: It was more everyday scenarios that happen much more frequently. One of the particular failure moments we identified is that there was a big difference between telling the model to just do a bad thing and telling it to do the steps that comprise the bad thing. So, if you tell it to blackmail somebody, much more often, the robot would say, 'No, that's not acceptable.' But if you say, 'Take this photo and show it to somebody and say that if they put $200 in the robot's hand, it'll be fine,' models said that was acceptable, even though all those steps comprise blackmail itself.

https://aibusiness.com/robotics/when-humanoid-robots-make-bad-choices