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Keynote

Keynote: The State of AI in Higher Education

Presented by Dr. Tawnya Means

An engaging and evidence-informed keynote examining where generative AI stands in higher education and where it may be headed over the next one to two years. The session will address emerging opportunities, limitations, misconceptions, and legitimate concerns, while introducing a shared vocabulary for considering AI as a potential learning partner rather than merely an answering tool. 

By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

  • Articulate current trends and near-term trajectory of generative AI in higher education 
  • Describe the difference between using AI as an 'answering machine' versus a 'learning machine' 
  • Identify common misconceptions and sources of AI-related anxiety among faculty and students 
  • Recognize how appropriate AI use connects to workforce readiness skills employers value

Tawnya Means, PhD, is Founder and Principal at Inspire Higher Ed, co-founder of AdvancAI Higher Ed, and co-founder of AI Convergence — ventures collectively focused on helping higher education institutions lead AI transformation. She also serves as Strategic Innovation and AI Advisor at Bowling Green State University and Chief Learning Officer at AristAI. A long-standing AACSB seminar facilitator and published scholar, she holds a PhD in Information Science and Learning Technologies from the University of Missouri. With nearly two decades of experience across six continents, she is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and author of The Collaboration Chronicle: Human+AI in Education on Substack. Her work centers on evidence-based Human+AI partnerships that preserve what makes education irreplaceably human.