As educators, we stand at a fascinating crossroads. The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence has fundamentally shifted the landscape of higher education, presenting both unprecedented opportunities and complex challenges. This week, I’m participating in Harvard Business Publishing‘s “Teaching with AI: Practical Approaches to Using Generative AI in Class” webinar with a group of international professors and guest lecturers, and the preparation process alone has been enlightening.
The New Reality of AI in Bachelor education
The pre-webinar assignment was elegantly simple yet profound: engage with generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, or Anthropic’s Claude. This hands-on exploration requirement reflects a crucial truth about modern pedagogy—we cannot effectively teach with or about technology we haven’t personally experienced the different platforms.
As a guest lecturer in Belgium, I’ve witnessed first-hand how students are already integrating these tools into their learning processes, often with little guidance from our institutions. All university colleges are reflecting on how to implement AI in their curriculum.
The question is no longer whether AI will be part of higher education, but how we can thoughtfully integrate it to enhance rather than replace meaningful learning experiences.
Beyond the Fear Factor
Many educators approach AI with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Will it make students lazy? Will it undermine academic integrity? These concerns are valid, but they miss the larger opportunity. Just as calculators didn’t eliminate the need to understand mathematical concepts, AI tools won’t replace the need for critical thinking, creativity, and deep learning—they may actually enhance these skills when used appropriately.
The pre-reflection survey component of the HBR seminar I participated to acknowledges this complexity. By asking us to engage with AI tools before the formal training begins, the program recognizes that effective pedagogy requires both technical familiarity and pedagogical wisdom.
Practical Implications for the Classroom
From my initial explorations with various AI platforms, several practical applications emerge:
Content Creation and Ideation: AI can help generate discussion prompts, create scenario-based learning exercises, or provide alternative explanations for complex concepts. This doesn’t replace the educator’s expertise but amplifies it.
Personalized Learning Support: These tools can offer students additional explanations, practice problems, or study strategies tailored to their individual learning styles and pace.
Assessment Evolution: Rather than trying to prevent AI use, we might redesign assessments to incorporate AI as a tool, focusing on how students critically evaluate, synthesize, and apply AI-generated content.
Looking Forward
As I prepare for the full seminar, I’m struck by how this experience mirrors the broader challenge facing higher education: how do we prepare students for a future we can’t fully envision? The answer lies not in avoiding new technologies but in thoughtfully integrating them while maintaining our core educational values.
The Harvard Business Publishing seminar represents more than just professional development—it’s a recognition that educators must be lifelong learners themselves. By engaging with AI tools before teaching with them, we model the kind of intellectual curiosity and adaptability we want to see in our students.
Conclusion:
Teaching with AI isn’t about replacing human connection and expertise in education—it’s about enhancing our capacity to meet students where they are and prepare them for the world they’ll inherit. As educators, our role is evolving from information gatekeepers to learning facilitators and critical thinking coaches.
The real test of any educational technology isn’t whether it’s impressive or efficient, but whether it helps students develop the skills they need to thrive in an uncertain future. As I continue this journey with AI in education, I’m optimistic that thoughtful integration can help us achieve this goal while preserving the human elements that make teaching and learning so rewarding.
This post reflects my personal preparation for Harvard Business Publishing’s “Teaching with AI” seminar. I look forward to sharing more insights as I complete the program and begin implementing these approaches in my own teaching practice