Smarter Campus Podcast

In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Claire Drolet, Access Services Librarian and Assistant Professor at Delaware Valley University, to talk about her journey from being an AI skeptic to finding practical ways to use the technology without abandoning the values that made her skeptical in the first place.Claire shares the project that changed her perspective: a diversity audit of her university library's roughly 900-book leisure reading collection. What traditionally required librarians to manually sample a fraction of a collection became an opportunity to combine her own expertise with AI. Using ChatGPT and custom bots in BoodleBox, Claire developed a workflow that helped her analyze books in minutes rather than hours while still requiring her judgment and information literacy throughout the process.The conversation explores why using AI well can actually demand more critical thinking, not less. Claire discusses prompt refinement, verifying outputs, understanding where models fail, and why educators don't necessarily need to embrace AI to recognize the importance of understanding it.Claire and Zach also explore what assessment should look like in an AI-enabled world and whether traditional assignments like the 12-page term paper are still the best way for every student to demonstrate learning.For educators who remain skeptical of AI, Claire's story offers a different path forward: you don't have to become an AI evangelist. You can experiment, question the technology, maintain your standards, and decide where it genuinely makes your work better.

In this deeply personal episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with his sister, Mia Kinzler, a sophomore studying Psychology at Loyola Marymount University, to talk about an experience that is often discussed about students but rarely heard directly from them: what it actually feels like to navigate higher education with severe learning disabilities.Mia was diagnosed in fourth grade with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and ADHD. She has spent years learning how her brain processes information and developing strategies to succeed academically. But in college, she has encountered a different challenge: a system of accommodations that can be far better at checking boxes than understanding how an individual student actually learns.Mia describes being able to demonstrate her understanding of material verbally in a matter of minutes while struggling for hours with a written multiple-choice exam—not because she doesn't know the content, but because the format itself creates processing barriers. She shares the exhausting amount of self-advocacy required to receive support, what happens when an accommodation doesn't fit neatly into an institution's existing options, and how repeatedly struggling in environments that don't reflect what you know can change the way you see your own intelligence.The conversation also offers a very different perspective on AI in education. For Mia, generative AI isn't a tool for avoiding thinking. She uses it as a cognitive translator—talking through her own ideas and asking AI to help structure those thoughts into the written formats college requires. She specifically tells the AI not to give her answers. Yet in an environment increasingly suspicious of AI use, the same technology that can provide accessibility can also expose students with disabilities to assumptions that they're cheating.This episode isn't ultimately about AI. It's about whether higher education is willing to recognize that equal opportunity doesn't always mean asking every student to demonstrate learning in exactly the same way.And Mia's message to educators is remarkably simple: when a student tells you how their brain works and asks for help, trust them.

In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Elijah Craft, a Computer Science and Psychology student at Furman University and Student Fellow for Emerging Technologies, to hear what the AI conversation actually looks like from the student perspective.Elijah describes an interesting “convenience paradox” emerging among students. While some enthusiastically embrace AI and others strongly oppose it, there is a growing group that distrusts or even dislikes AI while continuing to use it because of the convenience it provides under demanding academic workloads.The conversation also explores one of the biggest sources of tension on campuses: unclear AI policies. Elijah explains why blanket bans can create confusing gray areas and how greater transparency around what is—and isn’t—acceptable can help students make better decisions. He also shares examples of faculty using AI as a study partner rather than simply a shortcut or replacement for learning.For educators trying to understand how students are navigating this moment, Elijah offers simple advice: be specific about expectations and actually spend time using the technology yourself. Bridging the AI divide between students and faculty may start with more open conversations about what students are already doing.

In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with John Hillsman, Founder and Partner at Access Alliance for Education, to look at today’s AI transformation through the lens of nearly 40 years of change in education and technology.John has watched higher education navigate everything from VHS and closed-circuit television to the internet, online learning, and digital homework platforms. He sees similarities between those transitions and what institutions are experiencing with AI—but with one major difference: the speed of change is unlike anything higher education has dealt with before.The conversation explores why successful AI adoption can’t simply come from administrators or technology teams. Faculty need ownership, students need a voice, and institutions need to break down what John calls their “Silos of Excellence.” What works for a business school may look completely different in healthcare, law, or the arts, making collaboration and open dialogue essential.John also challenges educators to start by simply talking with their students. Instead of banning AI or pretending students aren’t already using it, ask how they’re using it, learn alongside them, and experiment together. As AI changes the relationship between students and educators, the opportunity may be to move beyond the traditional “sage on the stage” and toward a more collaborative model of learning.

In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Lissa Frésquez, Director of Technology Innovation on the Learning Team at EdPlus at Arizona State University, to explore what it actually takes to evaluate, test, and scale emerging technology across a massive online learning ecosystem.Lissa shares how her team manages dozens of EdTech partners while supporting nearly 119,000 online learners. From automated systems that monitor vendor updates to targeted 7.5-week pilots with individual colleges, the conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at how new technology moves from an interesting idea to something students and faculty can actually use.The conversation also explores why smaller startups can sometimes make great partners, the importance of security and accessibility from day one, and why institutions shouldn't simply “throw AI at everything.” Lisa advocates for thinking about AI as augmented intelligence—technology that enhances the learning experience rather than replacing the people at the center of it.Ultimately, Lisa argues that even as online education becomes more technologically sophisticated, one of the biggest opportunities is surprisingly human: creating more intentional, authentic interactions between students and faculty.