CHE hosted its first-ever Strategic Innovation in Academic Affairs Forum on Jan. 29, convening higher education professionals from across the state to learn about a new initiative in mathematics instruction, followed by a presentation on one of the most divisive topics in higher education today: the application of artificial intelligence in academe.  

The virtual forum was conceived and hosted by CHE’s Office of Academic Affairs and Licensing, and drew more than 50 participants from all sectors of higher education to include public, independent and technical colleges. 

A new opportunity for conversations on academic innovation 

This forum was developed to strengthen academic program quality and collaboration and provide an opportunity for higher education professionals to learn about emerging challenges and promising practices from national and state experts in these topics.

“We appreciate the opportunity to facilitate these conversations and are encouraged by the strong level of participation as we look ahead to hosting additional forums that support innovation in higher education,” said Angela W. Peters, Ph.D., Director of CHE’s Office of Academic Affairs and Licensing. “The success of this forum demonstrates the value of bringing academic leaders together to learn from one another and explore emerging issues facing higher education.”

Math as a critical student success issue

The first session, “Launch Years Initiative: Reimagining Mathematics Education in South Carolina,” focused on the challenge of math as a major barrier to degree completion and workforce readiness. Dana Yow, Executive Director of the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee, and Trena Houp, Executive Director of Academic Program Planning and Decision Support at the University of South Carolina, co-presented to share information on the current state of math readiness of K-12 and college students in the state, as well as the benefits of participating in a nationwide initiative to improve math performance.

“What we've seen at USC Columbia is that more students are placing (through test results) into the lower-level math courses that serve as prerequisites, but not degree applicable math credit,” Houp said. “The implication of that, particularly if the students are interested in a STEM major, is that it could take them a year before they can get into the math that's required for that STEM major.” This has the potential to delay degree completion, she said.

To combat this issue, South Carolina joined more than 20 other states participating in the Launch Years Initiative, an effort supported by the Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin to scale mathematics pathways from high school through postsecondary education and into the workplace, in alignment with students’ goals and aspirations. 

“This has really given us an opportunity,” Dow said of the collaboration with Launch Years Initiative. “We've really had some very cooperative, collaborative conversations, and we've learned from other states. We're anxious to move forward and really dig into a lot of the measures that we're using in accountability, work backwards, and figure out how we can better prepare students for that next step as it relates to math in post-secondary education and in careers.”

A forward-looking discussion on artificial intelligence 

Robert Placido, Ph.D., Chief Information Officer for the University of Maine System and a national leader on AI in higher education, led the second session “Bridging the AI Gap: From Polarization to Pedagogical Power.”

“The rapid improvement of AI is changing the future of learning, which is equally exciting and terrifying for many of us,” Placido said. “Today, I wanted to move us past the hype and the fear and talk about practical pedagogy that can move the conversations forward.”

He explained the divide in faculty attitudes toward AI and recommended adoption of AI as a tool to deepen learning. He advocated for pairing AI integration with strong governance, professional development, and a culture that supports inquiry and academic integrity. 

“I think we must carefully cultivate the use of AI with a focus on improving learning outcomes,” Placido said. “It's not about the AI. It's about: can we use a tool to help students learn and faculty do their work?”

He closed by encouraging institutions to begin the integration with small-scale faculty pilot programs, encouraging the reimagination and redesigning of courses. This process allows them to be champions for AI integration and share their insights with colleagues about what works and what doesn’t. Placido cautioned that the largest risk of AI in the coming years will be unmanaged adoption, which can lead to numerous issues, from data security to legal headaches.

Presentation materials and additional resources are posted on the Strategic Innovation in Academic Affairs Forum page on the CHE website.