At the recent ASU+GSV Summit, an expert panel - including our own Mike Larsen - tackled how universities and colleges can build integrated, scalable systems to help students thrive. Guided by Tyton Partners' Catherine Shaw, the highly-anticipated panel, "The Cutting Edge of Student Success in Higher Ed," offered practical insights beyond AI hype.
If you weren't in the room (or city) where it happened, here is the recap from the session transcript.
Left to right: Catherine Shaw (Managing Director, Tyton Partners) - Facilitator; Mike Larsen (CEO, Studiosity); David Felsenthal (CEO, EAB), Nina Huntemann (former Vice President-Learning at edX LLC); Dr. Tim Renick (Executive Director, NISS / Georgia State University)
Who was on stage?
- Catherine Shaw (Managing Director, Tyton Partners) - Facilitator
- Mike Larsen (CEO, Studiosity)
- Dr. Tim Renick (Executive Director, NISS / Georgia State University)
- David Felsenthal (CEO, EAB)
- Nina Huntemann (former Vice President-Learning at edX LLC)
What was discussed? In short:
1. The panel has to first define "Cutting Edge" - and it might be at odds with ASU-GSV rhetoric.
2. Scaling success. Panelists stress the need for ROI, evidence, educator buy-in, collaboration, and implementation.
3. Approaching AI & tech in higher education: Panelists urge cautious integration, prioritizing pedagogy and culture.
4. Holistic support drives equity: The panel discusses breaking silos with systemic change, for better outcomes.
5. Understanding students: Panel urges being students-first, while also addressing common needs.
Read on, to hear from individual panelists.
1. The panel has to first define "Cutting Edge" - and it is at odds with ASU-GSV rhetoric.
Why? Advanced technology in higher education means that the tech has been proven to serve student needs at scalable deployment; that is, not just showcasing the latest 'shiny' development.
- Dr. Tim Renick: Argued that the focus for many should be on proven practices. Challenging the focus on the "newest and the latest," Dr. Renick argued that for many practitioners at "community colleges, HBCUs, and regional publics," the real cutting edge involves implementing "tested approaches... developed over the last decade." These methods, perhaps "old school" to conference-goers, are what institutions are "craving" because they "have been proven to be highly effective."
These methods, perhaps "old school" to conference-goers, are what institutions are "craving" because they "have been proven to be highly effective."
- Nina Huntemann: Defined it from the student view: "Cutting edge would be anything that does that for them faster and cheaper...".
- David Felsenthal: Emphasized proactive advising, holistic support, and career outcomes: "good, full-time, professional advisors... proactive in their outreach, that can use data... using technology to make the advisors remain as efficient and as effective...". Also, "the students, the families... are all pushing on career success as being part of that definition."
- Mike Larsen: Defining scalability beyond just technology, Mike Larsen focused on "products that are sufficiently well developed that institutions can actually deploy to tens, if not hundreds of thousands of students." He noted this is "non-trivial" for "complex organizations." Critiquing EdTech approaches that "come up with a solution and then go looking for a problem," he advocated for "focusing on what institutions need now" and ensuring "scalability from an institution's ability to ingest a product is a critical factor."
2. Scaling success
The panel stresses ROI, evidence, educator buy-in, collaboration, and implementation.
- Dr. Tim Renick: Stressed the financial return: "...student success done well creates both efficiencies and positive ROI... Were graduating 3,500 more students every year... What does that translate to? About $80 million a year in additional tuition and fees". Evidence is key for buy-in: "...it was a critical tool to help me convince faculty, staff, administrators that what we were doing made sense, that it was grounded in evidence..."
"...it was a critical tool to help me convince faculty, staff, administrators that what we were doing made sense, that it was grounded in evidence..."
- Mike Larsen: Pointed to change management and faculty needs: "Change management is incredibly difficult... bringing faculty on that journey is essential and I think it can be as foundational as what's in it for them. Is this going to make your life easier?". ROI clarity helps: "...it should be OK to talk about what the institution wants in terms of return on investment... spend a dollar here, get four to five dollars back within 12 months..."
- David Felsenthal: Advised using proven methods and focusing on launch: "Don't try and reinvent the wheel. There are things that work.". Find tech built for purpose: "If you need a screwdriver, don't buy a saw." Implementation success hinges on early momentum: "...when technology limitations fail... it was really in those first nine months that the project was lost."
- Nina Huntemann: Underscored the need for vendor-institution collaboration on adoption: "...don't think you've got the cookbook right... you really need to work with the institution to figure out how best for their culture... that you are gonna be together successful in the adoption of the scaling of your product..."
- Mike Larsen: "Bringing faculty on that journey is essential and I think it can be as foundational as what's in it for them." "We have just completed a study at a top 50 university here in North America where we had one professor with 2,500 students in his Psych 101 course. His pain point is that the student's ability to write in an academically effective way was making his life very difficult because in marking all of these papers you have spend so much time getting the student's writing up to speed. So for him the incentive is this is going to make my life easier, if Studiosity can scaffold my students to be better writers then I can focus on my content and that's what I love to do."
3. Approaching AI & tech in higher education
Panel urges cautious integration, prioritizing pedagogy and culture.
- Mike Larsen: Urged a deliberate pace: "Hurry slowly." Focus on enhancement, not hype: "...there is a way to adopt AI in a way that enhances the learning process for students, but its very unlikely to be an out-of-the-box gen AI solution."
- Nina Huntemann: Prioritized pedagogy over technology: "...its the pedagogy, not the platform. And I think we can apply the same principles to AI. It isnt the technology, it is the scaffolding, the learning science that you implement the technology with."
- David Felsenthal: Saw technology as part of a larger system: "it's impossible to separate out the technology for the change management versus the organizational structure... It is a holistic approach that allows people to have different success."
- Dr. Tim Renick: Confirmed success comes from integration: Regarding AI chatbot studies, "We've now published five randomized control trials based on our use of AI chatbot technology in different settings, helping the summer melt for enrolling students, helping with retention, and helping with course performance in high DFWA courses."
"...there is a way to adopt AI in a way that enhances the learning process for students, but its very unlikely to be an out-of-the-box gen AI solution."
4. Holistic support drives equity
Panelists discuss breaking silos with systemic change, for better outcomes.
This topic was also prompted by a question from the audience: "(a) Is there research on the optimal balance between AI and human support? (b) Can technology overcome change management hurdles with legacy systems, or is change management always a separate issue?"
- David Felsenthal: Advocated breaking down organizational barriers: "...in education, I see the same thing [as healthcares silo problem]. We work in silos... How do we make sure we are caring for the student in a holistic way to make sure that each individual student is succeeding?"
- Dr. Tim Renick: Linked systemic change directly to equity: "...the best path to more equitable outcomes is through systematic changes at our institutions... When we began to tackle those systematic issues at Georgia State we began to also produce more equitable outcomes..."
"...the best path to more equitable outcomes is through systematic changes at our institutions... When we began to tackle those systematic issues at Georgia State we began to also produce more equitable outcomes..."
5. Understanding students: Panel urges being students-first, while also addressing common needs.
Also prompted by an audience question: "Do different student cohorts (like online adult learners) have significantly different success needs, or are there more similarities?"
- Nina Huntemann: Emphasized knowing the students: "They want to be known. They wanna be known as individuals. They wanna know for who they are and what they are dreaming of." And in tough times: "I return to the students. I mean, nothing makes me feel more connected to mission than talking directly with students."
- Mike Larsen: Noted student similarities: "...they're much more alike than they are different. And one of the things that we see consistently is the need for that just-in-time support."
- Dr. Tim Renick: Agreed on common needs: "I'd start with the commonalities, that students need personalized support and attention at scale."
What are the takeouts?
Achieving student success in today's environment requires that colleges and universities prioritize evidence, scale, financial sustainability, and whole-institution change.
The panel ultimately came to a few shared conclusions. Specifically - student success with AI requires proven, evidence-based practices at scale. It requires higher ed leaders to leverage technology thoughtfully and pedagogically, ensuring financial sustainability through demonstrable ROI, fostering institutional change and collaboration, breaking down silos for holistic support, and grounding efforts in the pursuit of equity and a deep understanding of student needs and experiences.
Read more about the panelists in the ASU-GSV schedule.
