Oglethorpe is preparing students to use Artificial Intelligence critically while strengthening the human judgment, creativity and wisdom technology cannot replace.
As colleges across the country wrestle with the implications of AI, Oglethorpe is advancing a human-centered approach that treats critical thinking, judgment and intellectual growth not as alternatives to AI literacy, but as its foundation. The reasoning is simple: in a world where information is increasingly abundant, the most valuable skills may be the ones that remain distinctly human.
That perspective shaped a recent faculty AI summit that brought together educators and staff to examine AI’s impact on teaching, research, academic integrity and career preparation. While participants shared different perspectives on the technology’s opportunities and risks, they returned to a common theme: Oglethorpe’s role is not simply to teach students how to use AI. It is to help them develop the wisdom and judgment needed to use it well.
“Society has adopted AI remarkably quickly, but not always critically,” said Gabriel Barreneche, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The question for higher education is not whether students will encounter AI. They will. The question is whether they will develop the habits of mind necessary to question it, evaluate it and use it responsibly.”
FROM INFORMATION TO WISDOM
For Barreneche, AI is prompting colleges and universities to reconsider some fundamental assumptions about education.
“Information is becoming easier to produce and access,” Barreneche said. “That means we must move from being purveyors of information to cultivators of knowledge and wisdom. Our students need to know how to evaluate evidence, understand context, solve complex problems and make thoughtful decisions.”
Those themes were reinforced by keynote speaker Dr. Amanda Hiner ’91, professor of English and coordinator of Critical Reading, Thinking and Writing at Winthrop University, whose scholarship focuses on critical thinking and pedagogy.
Hiner described a central tension facing educators.
“Generative AI is essentially built to support the goal of minimizing cognitive effort,” Hiner said. “Cognitive effort is the only way we learn, internalize knowledge, and develop critical and analytical reasoning skills.”
Drawing on research in cognition and learning, Hiner argued that people develop expertise through challenge, reflection and what researchers call “productive struggle.” While acknowledging both the potential benefits and risks of AI, she encouraged educators to preserve meaningful opportunities for independent thought while teaching students to evaluate AI-generated information critically.
A campus-wide conversation
Faculty and staff approached the topic from several different angles, but a consistent theme emerged from presentations:
- Jeremy Bennett, assistant professor of management and chair of the Business Divison: Encouraged faculty to move beyond “AI-resistant” assignments and toward “AI-resilient” learning experiences where student thinking remains visible. He emphasized that effective AI use begins before the prompt, with clear purpose, audience awareness, context and standards for quality.
- Sarah Morris, director and university librarian: Connected AI literacy to information literacy, arguing that students must still verify claims, evaluate evidence, identify bias and determine credibility, regardless of whether information comes from a traditional source or an AI-generated response.
- Courtney Sridharan, director of the Writing Center and assistant professor of English: Shared strategies for designing assignments that reward originality, revision, authentic engagement and individual voice, focusing on meaningful learning rather than attempting to “AI-proof” coursework.
- Mariel Meier, associate professor of physics: Discussed creating community-developed AI policies within advanced courses and explored the use of AI-powered tutor agents that can support student learning while maintaining clear expectations and accountability.
- Kate Keib, associate professor of communication studies: Demonstrated classroom activities that help students use AI responsibly in professional communication contexts while highlighting the technology’s limitations and sharing examples of how AI can support faculty workflows.
- Liz Kazungu-Emerson, director of Career Development: Examined AI’s growing role in recruiting, interviewing and workplace environments, while highlighting the continued importance of problem-solving, adaptability, strategic thinking and decision-making.
- Anna Ziering, assistant professor and program coordinator of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Honor Council director: Addressed the increasingly complex questions AI raises for academic integrity and emphasized the importance of clear expectations, thoughtful policies and faculty judgment.
The presentations did not prescribe a single approach for every course or assignment. Instead, faculty considered how the purpose of a learning activity should determine whether AI is integrated, limited or excluded.
Preparing students for an AI-enabled future
The discussion ultimately returned to a question larger than technology itself: What skills will matter most when information is no longer scarce?
For Oglethorpe faculty, the answer included critical thinking, creativity, ethical reasoning, leadership, communication and sound judgment. Those skills remain central to the university’s liberal arts mission and, participants argued, may become even more valuable as AI continues to evolve.
“AI can generate information, but it cannot provide wisdom,” Barreneche said. “Leadership, empathy, creativity, ethical reasoning and sound judgment are not less important in the age of AI. They are more important than ever.”
As artificial intelligence reshapes learning and work, Oglethorpe’s position is increasingly clear: technology matters, but human development matters more.
