AI’s Impact on Institutional Reputation

While institutions are undoubtedly trying to wrap their arms around the ways AI is changing the way professors teach and students learn, they’re also having to grapple with the impacts on institutional reputation associated with the new technology. 

The tricky path forward for institutions is complicated by just how anxious the public is about AI. Overall, 52% of Americans say they feel “more concerned than excited about the increased use of artificial intelligence,” according to information from the Pew Research Center that was published in August. Additionally, only 10% reported being more excited than concerned.

Reputation Implications 

AI complicates an institution’s ability to ensure academic rigor given that measuring student learning is no longer as straightforward, acknowledged Dr. Ryan Zerr, associate vice president for strategy and implementation at the University of North Dakota. 

“If there are challenges knowing if the work a student submitted was not produced by them, then obviously one has secondary challenges related to the ability to assess the learning of that particular student,” he said. 

Dr. Melissa Vito, vice provost of academic innovation at The University of Texas at San Antonio, noted that the rapid evolution of AI could pose institutional risks. 

“I think it can impact admissions or recruitment or messaging; it’s just going to depend on the profile of the institution and where you want to go with it,” she said.

She noted that AI could be used in an unethical way in a research environment, which could harm an institution’s reputation.

“A misstep that showed bad judgment could come back to haunt an institution,” Vito said. 

On the other hand, Dr. Tony Kashani, affiliate faculty and dissertation chair for the doctor of education in educational and professional practice at Antioch University, questions the belief held by some elite institutions that their reputation for academic rigor will be downgraded if they don’t place firm restrictions on the use of AI.

“That’s perception,” stressed Kashani. “I think if proper policies are put in place and if there’s a connection between the humanities people and the scientific community and we have good discourses coming out of these universities, they could be the leaders of embracing AI instead of thinking if we implement AI into our general curricula we’re going to lose our reputation and people are going to think we’re a shallow institution and become diploma mills.”

Ignoring AI altogether also poses a risk, according to Zerr. 

“If one were to ignore it, there’s no check on whether student work is genuinely theirs, which could ultimately create a reputational problem,” he said.

Owning AI

Many institutions are finding that it’s important that they publicly engage with the new questions posed by AI instead of simply having internal discussions or ignoring the technology altogether. 

“I believe that it’s important to, the extent we can, stay ahead of or at the forefront of the discussion,” Zerr said. 

Part of that, he added, comes down to providing some assurance to the public that an institution is aware of AI and is taking steps to ensure academic integrity. Issuing public-facing guidelines can help assure stakeholders that an institution is taking AI seriously.

As a Jesuit institution, Gonzaga University must uphold the beliefs of Saint Ignatius, who felt it was important to bring education to the margins, explained Dr. Justin Marquis, director of instructional design and delivery at the university.

“AI is one of the margins of higher ed right now. We want to make sure we’re out front and leading on this issue,” Marquis said. “I think any credible institution wants to be forward facing and leading in terms of discussions of critical issues.” 

Zerr explained that resources will play a role in whether an institution can adopt AI. 

“A larger institution will certainly have more resources to bring to bear. In that sense, it seems it would have an easier time dealing with it,” he said.

However, Zerr added, the more close-knit nature of smaller institutions could give them an advantage given that they can ban together more easily. 

“There are certain consistencies across classes that are more readily achieved in an environment like that,” he noted.

Student Questions About AI

Gonzaga University’s admissions recruitment material is typically too general to include specific information about specific courses and AI. However, questions about the role AI plays in the classroom occasionally come up in conversations counselors have with prospective students. In response to those questions, Dr. Stephen Keller, senior director of undergraduate admission at the university, gave examples of how it might be used in a course assignment or how professors might incorporate effective AI prompt strategies to produce better output from the various AI sources. 

“These examples serve as evidence of the forward-thinking professors at Gonzaga University and their desire to best prepare their students to be successful in life after college,” Keller said.

AI Use for Admissions Essays

Marquis has discussed the use of AI in admissions with leaders at his university, specifically whether prospective students can use AI to generate their application essays. The message he said admissions should send is that the institution wants them to come to Gonzaga, not AI. 

“We do not have any interest in vetting AI for admissions to Gonzaga,” Marquis said. 

Keller agreed, noting that his office wants students to bring their genuine selves to campus because the university values them for who they are. For that reason, it expects students to submit applications to provide their thoughts, ideas and genuine selves in their essays. 

“We are not looking for a perfect, grammatical essay. Grammatical essays are easy. We are looking for a genuine essay so that we might get to know the student better and stand with them in their challenges and cheer them on in their accomplishments. Genuine essays are difficult,” Keller said. “If students are able to successfully wield AI to create such an essay, then they probably spent more time than they would have if they simply wrote the essay themselves. Additionally, each applicant attests to the truthfulness and accuracy of their submitted responses on the application.”

AI as Table Stakes 

Although AI poses reputation challenges for institutions, it can also help them differentiate themselves.  

“If you’re a school that’s taken a hardline we’re not going to do this approach, that might be kind of a turnoff for students and their parents because if you’re thinking about this, you want your son or daughter to be able to appropriately understand this and use it,” Vito said. 

The career services professionals at The University of Texas at San Antonio have also been involved in discussions about AI. Leaders like Vito want a better understanding of what large employers in the area are looking for in terms of AI competencies for new graduates. 

“Depending upon your institution, what your appetite is for innovation, you could clearly use it in a recruiting area as institutionally this is something that we create lots of opportunities for our students to be able to experience, use in their course work because we want our students to be well-prepared when they hit the job market,” Vito said. “It’s not the only tool they’ll need, but I think it’s going to be baseline within a year or two.”

The realization on the part of institutions that they need to engage with AI because their graduates will have to deal with it in the workforce is growing, Zerr noted. 

“If one is ignoring it entirely and the result is that students who graduate from that institution are not savvy about its use, then the employers who are wanting that aren’t particularly going to be satisfied with that institution,” Zerr said.

It’s plausible to think that institutions will start to establish AI departments or programs in the coming years, he added. Many are already doing so.

“What I’m certain of is there will be interdisciplinary AI programs that are meant to cross those boundaries that span from the computer science side of things, mathematics, all the way over to the humanities and the fine arts,” Zerr explained.