How instructional design shapes higher-order thinking among higher education students in generative artificial intelligence-supported teaching contexts - Yujia Chen & Jinling Wang, Nature

Against the backdrop of the widespread integration of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) into higher education, previous research has yielded divergent findings regarding its relationship with students’ higher-order thinking (HOT). Moving beyond outcome-oriented discussions of technology use itself, this study examines the association between HOT performance, instructional design elements, and cognitive processes in GAI-supported teaching contexts from an instructional design perspective. A multimethod analysis combining structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was conducted. The findings indicate that HOT performance cannot be explained by technology use alone. Rather, it is more likely to be associated with cognitive conflict and cognitive elaboration processes shaped by instructional design. Different instructional design elements played differentiated roles in triggering cognitive conflict and supporting cognitive elaboration. The overall influence of disciplinary context on these cognitive processes was limited, although one individual path showed a significant difference. The configurational analysis further showed that high HOT performance did not correspond to a single pathway but was associated with multiple combinations of instructional design elements and cognitive processes, demonstrating configurational multiplicity and asymmetry.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-66335-1

How AI Actually works - Cris Tolomia, Quartz

This piece is not about whether AI is good or bad. It's about what it actually is: how it learns, how it generates output, where its failures come from, and why the problems that afflict these systems are structural rather than incidental. Understanding these things won't make you a machine learning engineer. It will make you a sharper reader of AI coverage, a more careful user of AI tools, and a better judge of claims made by the companies building them. The 15 concepts here cover the full chain — from how models are trained to why they hallucinate, from what "parameters" actually means to why the alignment problem is harder than it looks. Some of these ideas are technical but not complicated. Others are philosophical but grounded in real engineering decisions. All of them matter if you want to engage honestly with the technology reshaping how work gets done, how content is made, and how decisions are reached in medicine, law, finance, and government.

https://qz.com/how-ai-actually-works

Building expertise in the age of AI: Who trains the next generation? - Bryan Hancock, McKinsey

For decades, organizations have relied on early-career talent to do the routine, lower-risk work that supports the business and to serve as a training ground for future leaders. Think of Peggy Olson’s trajectory on Mad Men, from novice assistant to Don Draper’s protégé to confident copy chief at an advertising agency—a climb that began because routine work kept her in the room where judgment was practiced, and where her own could be noticed. In real life, advances in automation and AI are changing the composition of entry-level work itself. Tasks such as research, documentation, data cleanup, basic coding, and preliminary analysis are being streamlined or absorbed into AI systems. These are precisely the activities through which young employees have traditionally built instincts, developed judgment, and earned the right to take on more. At the same time, fears are growing about the impact of AI on jobs. In the 2025 Women in the Workplace report by McKinsey and LeanIn.Org, entry-level workers, particularly women, reported feeling the most worried of all age groups about how AI use will affect their jobs. 

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/building-expertise-in-the-age-of-ai-who-trains-the-next-generation

How to make your academic work visible to AI - Darshan Vigneswaran, Times Higher Education

Here is the brutal truth about AI discoverability: it is not replacing citation metrics. It is layering itself on top of them. So, work that is already cited, circulated and sitting inside recognisable debates is likely to become even more visible. The rich get richer, now with a chatbot assistant. If Google Scholar sometimes buries obscure work, AI tools might simply forget it was ever born. This is grim news for anyone who believes good research should glow naturally in the dark. It does not. Visibility is not a moral reward for intellectual virtue. It is a distribution problem.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/how-make-your-academic-work-visible-ai

Lifelong learning in an AI-driven world: assistance, personalization and automation under scrutiny - Gerardo Alfredo Rodríguez, Andres Chiappe, Fabiola Sáez-Delgado, Frontiers in Education

This scoping review examines the growing intersection between lifelong learning (LLL) and artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on whether the promises of assistance, personalization, and automation are aligned with the broader educational, social, and equity-oriented aims of LLL. The review addresses a central concern: although AI is increasingly promoted as a transformative resource for lifelong education, its deployment may not always correspond to the paradigms, geographical contexts, and vulnerability profiles emphasised in LLL literature.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1916528/full

Improving GPT‑5.6 Sol in ChatGPT—and expanding access to GPT‑5.6 Luna for free users - OpenAI

Our mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. We’re introducing updates to ChatGPT that improve everyday conversations while expanding access for Free users. For Plus and Pro users, we’re updating GPT‑5.6 Sol in Chat to be more reliable with facts and provide more focused answers. A new slider lets you choose how much thought ChatGPT puts into each response. For Free users, we're updating the default model to GPT‑5.6 Luna and expanding access with unlimited text chats. For questions that need more thought, a new Think button lets you access higher reasoning for harder questions.

https://openai.com/index/improving-gpt-5-6-sol-in-chatgpt/

Top 10 Online Course Apps and Websites for Learning New Skill - Sekolapedia

The global education landscape has undergone a permanent shift. Up-skilling, continuous learning, and professional certifications are no longer optional extras—they are essential requirements for navigating an increasingly automated and competitive workforce. Online learning platforms have democratized education, allowing anyone with an internet connection to learn from top university professors, industry practitioners, and subject-matter experts.

https://daftarsekolah.spmb.teknokrat.ac.id/2026/08/top-10-online-course-apps-and-websites-for-learning-new-skills/

Self-directed learning ability and online student engagement among nursing students: the mediating role of information literacy and the moderating role of self-control - Haihong Zhang, et al; NIH National Library of Medicine

Self-directed learning ability had a significant positive direct effect on online student engagement (β = 0.511, t = 17.586, p < 0.001). Information literacy mediated the relationship between self-directed learning ability and online student engagement, with an indirect effect of 0.346, accounting for 67.7% of the total effect. Self-control negatively moderated the direct effect of self-directed learning ability on online student engagement (β = −0.310, t = −2.140, p < 0.01).

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13323687/

AI won’t kill the college degree, but it will change what it’s for - Colin Gabler, Atlanta Journal Constitution

In the AI era, the value of college will not be measured by the output students generate, but whether they can form and defend the judgments they make behind it. That shift to artificial intelligence is already changing what counts as evidence of real learning in higher education, how we justify the valuable time and resources students, parents, local communities and potential employers invest in the next generation of citizens. I saw this firsthand in my MBA classroom, where students recently presented market-entry strategies to a live client. Article author, Colin Gabler says  In this op-ed at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I argue that college is worth its cost in the age of AI only if it develops graduates who can interpret, challenge, and take responsibility for machine-shaped decisions rather than merely execute them.

https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/ai-wont-kill-the-college-degree-but-it-will-change-what-its-for/

AI Detectors Are Out, New Assessments Are In - Kathryn Palmer, Inside Higher Ed

“It’s a difficult, delicate moment right now. And I’m not sure we have all the answers,” Kevin Yee, director of the Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning at the University of Central Florida, told Inside Higher Ed. “If faculty had an AI detector that was reliable, that’s what they would use. But many are reluctantly moving in the direction of assignment redesign because they are at wit’s end” over AI-powered cheating. From what he’s observed, about half of faculty want to make as few changes as possible to AI-proof their assessments. But staying the course may be a viable option only for those who teach in-person classes with fewer than 30 students. In a small environment, “they can actually succeed in convincing students not to take these shortcuts, establishing strong relationships and convincing students that the learning is really what matters here,” he said. “In larger classes, there’s less of a personal connection between students and faculty, so faculty need to redesign their assessments to be more AI-resilient or a completely kind of deliverable that AI can’t do, such as a blue book exam or an in-person oral exam.”

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/artificial-intelligence/2026/08/05/ai-detectors-are-out-new-approaches-are

OpenAI wants teachers and profs to foist their work off on ChatGPT - The Register

The House of Altman announced a trio of new education-focused offerings on Tuesday: one for K-12 teachers, another for college educators, and a third for college students. The new plugins, the company explained, will help students and educators make more use of ChatGPT’s agentic capabilities for both studying and teaching. The new features are available through ChatGPT Edu, an institutionally licensed suite for higher education, and ChatGPT for Teachers, a free resource available to verified US K–12 educators and school districts. The new offerings, says OpenAI, build on its educational AI philosophy that “AI should support learning, not shortcut it, and the best learning experiences keep educators and students in control.”

https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/08/04/openai-wants-teachers-and-profs-to-foist-their-work-off-on-chatgpt/5283064

Education Department Approves First Workforce Pell Program - Sara Weissman, Inside Higher Ed

Students in an EMT program at Iowa Central Community College will be the first to take advantage of Workforce Pell. The U.S. Department of Education approved its first Workforce Pell program, for training emergency medical technicians at Iowa Central Community College, according to a Tuesday announcement. Students can now access Pell Grants, federal financial aid for low-income students, to pay for the 14-week program. “After decades of debate and a lot of hard work, Workforce Pell is finally here—opening up new opportunities for students to use their Pell Grants on programs that will help them jumpstart their careers,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to providing students with affordable pathways to rewarding careers without taking on significant debt.”

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/08/06/education-department-approves-first-workforce-pell-program

Public Colleges Anchor State Workforce Pipelines - Kathryn Palmer, Inside Higher Ed

The type of college a person graduates from is one of the strongest predictors of whether they’ll remain in the state to work after graduation, new data shows. According to a report the Strada Institute for the Future of Work published Thursday, 62 percent of workers between the ages of 20 and 65 who graduated from a public institution attended college in their home state and now work there, compared to 44 percent of workers who graduated from a private, nonprofit institution who did the same. “State support permits public colleges to subsidize tuition for in-state students, helping to retain these students for college and often after college as well, making public postsecondary institutions anchors for states’ talent development,” the report says. “Private colleges typically do not offer such discounts; thus, students are less incentivized to choose a private college in their home state.”

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/careers/2026/08/06/public-colleges-anchor-state-workforce-pipelines

Fitch: New visa limits could hurt international enrollment and revenue - Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive

The Trump administration’s new rule capping international student visa stays at four years could hurt revenue and decrease enrollment at colleges, particularly those that heavily rely on foreign students, according to a Tuesday analysis from Fitch Ratings. Financial pressure will be greatest on institutions with weaker student demand, limited financial flexibility, and a high reliance on tuition and fee revenue, Fitch analysts said. Colleges with significant STEM and graduate offerings could also be particularly hit hard, as it often takes more than four years to complete such programs. These institutions may face higher expenses “to address overseas recruitment challenges,” the analysts wrote. 

https://www.highereddive.com/news/fitch-new-visa-limits-could-hurt-international-enrollment-and-revenue/827158/

Differential engagement with generative artificial intelligence in higher education: Gender, motivation, and achievement trajectories - uan-Hsuan Lee & Jiun-Yu Wu, International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education

Engagement frequency was shaped by learner differences: female students, those with stronger autonomous motivation, lower prior knowledge, and higher course performance interacted more frequently, while higher-performing students were less likely to abstain from use. Importantly, engagement was not merely a matter of frequency but of inquiry quality and diversity. Growing Achievers (students who began with weaker achievement but demonstrated substantial performance gains) posed more diverse and conceptually oriented questions. In contrast, Declining Performers engaged minimally and focused on narrower, procedural inquiries despite stronger initial knowledge.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41239-026-00615-8

Why reinvention is the new responsibility of public higher education - Anthony Graham, Pine Bluss Commercial

Leadership scholars have long observed that every system is perfectly designed to produce the results it produces. This simple observation carries profound implications for higher education. If our universities are producing outcomes that no longer meet the needs of today’s students, employers, and communities, the answer cannot be to simply work harder within the same organizational structures. We must have the courage to ask a more fundamental question: Are our institutions designed for the future we are trying to create or for the past we have inherited? Artificial intelligence is reshaping nearly every profession. Employers increasingly seek graduates who combine technical expertise with communication, critical thinking, data literacy, creativity, ethical judgment, and adaptability. Demographic shifts are reducing the number of traditional college-age students across much of the country, while public expectations for accountability and return on investment continue to rise.

https://www.pbcommercial.com/anthony-graham-ph-d-why-reinvention-is-the-new-responsibility-of-public-higher-education/

A $40,000-Per-Year AI School With No Teachers Is Opening in Oklahoma - Maya Henry, Good Men Project

An AI-powered, billionaire-backed chain of private schools promises to educate students with two hours of virtual learning a day and entrepreneurship workshops. There are no teachers, and tuition is nearly double the most expensive private school in the state. This is Alpha School and, come August, it’s touching down in Oklahoma. Here’s how it works, according to Alpha: Students start each morning on a laptop, with two hours on Alpha’s adaptive, AI learning platform. Half an hour is allotted to each core subject: math, reading, science and social studies. Then, in the afternoon, students learn through projects and workshops that build life skills. Alpha’s rejection of tradition is its draw; for one soon-to-be Alpha parent, whose son will start eighth grade at the Tulsa location, the workshops and highly personalized learning convinced her family to commit.

https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/a-40000-per-year-ai-school-with-no-teachers-is-opening-in-oklahoma-this-august/

AI use mirrors student schedules in study of 77,000 online learners - André Adler, Phys.org

This makes it the world's largest empirical analysis to date of the actual use of a dedicated AI learning assistant in a higher education context. Syntea is currently available to more than 80,000 online students at IU International University of Applied Sciences, as well as around 5,000 learners at IU Academy. 

Among other findings, the analysis revealed the following:

Syntea is widely used: Around 58% of the students included in the study used Syntea during the observation period.

The use of Syntea reflects students' different study and life circumstances: While most interactions take place during weekday daytime hours, part-time students are more likely to use the AI learning companion outside regular working hours, particularly in the evenings and on weekends.

Students across all age groups use the AI learning companion: Around 64% of Generation Z students (born 1997–2012) use Syntea, compared with around 50% of Generation X students (1965–1980) and 38% of Baby Boomers (1946–1964).

Women use Syntea slightly more frequently than men (59% compared with 55%).

https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-mirrors-student-online-learners.html

Montana Tech Names First Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer in Montana University System - Amanda Badovinac, Montana Tech

Recognizing the transformative impact of emerging technologies on higher education and industry, Montana Technological University has appointed Professor Chad Okrusch, Ph.D. to serve as the university’s first chief artificial intelligence officer. The position is the first of its kind in the Montana University System (MUS). As chief artificial intelligence officer, Okrusch will lead Montana Tech’s strategic integration of artificial intelligence across campus, ensuring that students, faculty, and staff are equipped to navigate, utilize, and shape the future of AI responsibly. 

https://mtech.edu/news/2026/07/montana-tech-names-first-chief-artificial-intelligence-officer-in-montana-university-system.html

Public health courses provide opportunities for international collaboration and learning - Mellissa Withers, Keck School of Medicine, USC

Both of these courses are delivered online to facilitate international collaboration and participation across partner institutions, and are open to USC students in any modality or concentration. Students from outside of the MPH program are also welcome to enroll.

https://keck.usc.edu/news/public-health-courses-provide-opportunities-for-international-collaboration-and-learning/

Illinois Institute of Technology cuts 160 faculty and staff just before fall semester - Lisa Kurian Philip, Chicago Sun time

The Illinois Institute of Technology has laid off approximately 160 faculty and staff just before the start of the fall semester, a university spokesperson said in a written statement. According to an email shared with WBEZ, the university’s president said Illinois Tech is facing research funding cuts and “severe restrictions on international students.” “The university has no choice but to pursue targeted reductions to address these challenges and protect our mission as an opportunity engine for all,” Illinois Tech President Raj Echambadi wrote in an email to employees on Tuesday. Illinois Tech, which has its main campus in Bronzeville and a law center downtown, is not the only university with these struggles. The Trump administration has significantly cut federal funding for university research and tightened regulations on foreign students.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2026/07/31/illinois-institute-of-technology-cuts-160-faculty-and-staff-just-before-fall-semester