5 AI trends to expect in higher education in 2025
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AI is just a tool
Think of AI as a hammer. It’s a tool. One tool. Assuming you have lumber and nails, can you build a house with a hammer? Technically, yes? Maybe? But would you want to live in it? Doubt it.
You can gather every tool and material imaginable, but it takes skills, knowledge, and expertise to use them effectively—and safely—that’s where you come in.
Access denied?
AI can help improve accessibility (discussed later), but the tools themselves need to be accessible. Each AI tool is built for a specific task or set of tasks—like generating text. Some tools can help improve accessibility by generating text to better support students with specific disabilities, like using decodable words and formatting to help students with dyslexia. It may do that well, but that doesn’t mean it works with screen readers or other assistive technologies.
In other words, helping improve accessibility doesn’t mean they’re accessible or meet accessibility compliance standards.
Data privacy & security
Whether you’re implementing AI across the institution or just looking for some course content, one thing is non-negotiable: always, always, always have the right people review and approve it for data privacy and security before using it.
Use AI for the right reasons in the right ways
Use AI purposefully, not just because it’s there. It should be a supplemental tool that genuinely helps improve teaching and learning. Otherwise, it’s just another thing students have to figure out how to use without adding real value.
Also, consider whether you’re using each tool for its true purpose. Have you ever seen LinkedIn “experts” bragging that they’ve stumped a chatbot… with a math problem Pretty impressive—as long as you ignore the fact that chatbots aren’t designed to do math.
Would you use a calculator to write an essay? Hopefully not.
While some AI tools can handle tasks outside their main functionality, they work best when used for what they’re actually designed to do.
1. More schools investing in secure AI chatbots
The benefits of AI chatbots in higher education are clear, but so are the data privacy and security risks. That’s why you can expect to see more colleges and universities offering AI chatbots, but taking a more secure approach either by self-hosting them or only through strict agreements where the provider (Google, Amazon, Microsoft Azure) does not use the data to train larger public models.
In other words, students, faculty, and staff can interact with the chatbot and the information won’t be used publicly.
Plus, when colleges offer these and other similar tools, all students can access them, not just those who can afford a subscription.
Benefits of AI chatbots in higher education
Aside from privacy and security, colleges and universities can still enjoy many of these benefits regardless of the approach, but a secure approach adds peace of mind and aligns with the ethical responsibility to protect sensitive information.
Commonly used chatbots: ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Claude
Creating, developing, and repurposing course content
Faculty can use chatbots for just about any course-related task, from drafting comprehensive exam rules and rewriting test questions to creating discussion prompts and generating mock datasets for assignments.
Click below to see templated prompt examples and screenshots.
Create a discussion prompt
Prompt template: Write a discussion prompt for a [type/level (e.g., online graduate)] course within a module about [topics/subjects]. Include open-ended questions that encourage students to share a personal experiences and challenges them to analyze, evaluate, or interpret their experience in the context of [add supplemental details] to demonstrate their understanding and critical thinking skills.
Example prompt output for an accounting course: Think about a time when you had to create or manage a personal budget. How did your approach compare to the principles of accrual accounting discussed in this module? Reflect on whether you followed a cash-based approach (tracking money when it is received or spent) or an accrual-based approach (tracking income and expenses when they are earned or incurred). What challenges did you face, and what does this reveal about the benefits and limitations of each method? Use specific examples from your experience and connect them to the concepts covered in this module.
Rewrite test questions
Example prompt templates:
“Rewrite the following test question(s) to assess the same concepts. Maintain the same difficulty level and word count, but alter the phrasing and structure.”
“Convert these [existing format (e.g., true or false, matching, etc.)] test questions into [new format (e.g., multiple-choice, fill in the blank, etc.)]”
For better results, include an example of a test question with a revised version.
Supplemental assignment materials
Prompt template: Create an mock dataset for [type/level, e.g., undergraduate accounting] students to analyze. The dataset should represent a [specific scenario (e.g., a small online retail business, or a personal budget]. Include data spanning [time period, e.g., 12 months] with the following categories: [list categories (e.g., expenses, income, etc.)
Repurpose "this" for "that"
Prompt template: Adapt this [activity, resource, etc.] about [subject/topic] in a [type/level] course to be repurposed for an [new use case]: [insert text from original activity]
Create charts and diagrams

Prompt: Create a side-by-side visual comparison of Macroeconomics and Microeconomics. Structure it with two main columns (use contrasting but complementary colors). Include three key comparison sections:
- Focus (what they study/address)
- Key metrics (measurements/benchmark)
- Policy examples
Use a clear visual hierarchy with section headers and bullet points. Make it suitable for college students in an introductory economics course.

Prompt: Create a simple but informative Venn diagram comparing and contrasting macroeconomics and microeconomics at a high level for an introductory college economics course. Label the overlapping section 'Shared Concepts'.
Use these text colors and background colors for each part:
*Left (Macroeconomics): text: #ffffff background: #00259c
*Middle (Shared Concepts): text: #000000 background: #a0e79e
*Right (Macroeconomics): text: #000000 background: #ffe63d
Basic embed code for course elements
Prompt to create the table below: Write HTML code for a table I can embed into my course that has 4 rows and 4 columns. Use placeholder text that I can edit as needed (for example “Column 1 Title” “Column 1 Text”). Make this the background color for the first row #ababab. Make this the background color of the first column ##d9d9d9.
The table below is the result of the code provided by Claude.
Column 1 Title | Column 2 Title | Column 3 Title | |
---|---|---|---|
Row 1 Text | Row 1, Column 1 | Row 1, Column 2 | Row 1, Column 3 |
Row 2 Text | Row 2, Column 1 | Row 2, Column 2 | Row 2, Column 3 |
Row 3 Text | Row 3, Column 1 | Row 3, Column 2 | Row 3, Column 3 |
2. Improving accessibility
AI has the potential to make education more accessible and inclusive in some unexpected ways, like recognizing accents, localizing content, and detecting emotions. On top of that, it can automatically check for compliance and make changes to meet accessibility standards—almost like a set-it-and-forget-it solution for specific areas.
Languages
AI is making communication smoother, not just with basic translation tools but also through localization, accent recognition, and name pronunciation. Here are some AI tools to consider, how they work, and why they’re important.
Recognize accents
Accent recognition AI does exactly what you’d expect—it recognizes and understands accents. It’s like Siri, but more fluent (and cultured?)
Why does that matter for online learning? Think about students who rely on speech-to-text because using a keyboard isn’t an option. Or a faculty member with an accent whose live lecture captions are filled with errors. It’s a frustrating and limiting experience.
Accent recognition AI can help fix this by making captions and transcripts more accurate and voice-controlled assistive technology more usable.
Check out these accent recognition tools: Lokalise, Smartling, Fluent AI
Localize content automatically
Did you know there are around 160 different English dialects? Some have only slight variations, while others differ significantly in pronunciation, grammar, spelling, and even word meanings.
For example, what Americans and Canadians call french fries or fries, Brits and Australians call chips. And Americans write center and localize, while Canadians, Brits, and Australians often use centre and localise.
Most of the spelling differences don’t affect understanding. But it can be confusing when words have entirely different meanings. What if a term with different meanings was used on exam or assignment and the student didn’t know?
Localization AI helps by adapting your content to specific dialects and cultures. You can also use chatbots to help localize your content and review it for language that may be confusing for some people.
Translate sign language
AI sign language translation software can translate speech into sign language in real time.
The AI chooses from a huge collection of real videos of people signing to create smooth and accurate translations. Some solutions integrate into your websites and can be added to videos or other content in a simple picture-in-picture format.
Check out Signapse AI and Slait AI. They provide real videos of people signing, unlike previously existing tools that provide cartoon-like avatars.
Name pronunciation
If your name is even remotely unique you’ve probably heard it mispronounced. The really unfortunate part is that rather than correcting people, some just accept it and answer to all kinds of mispronunciations.
That’s where name pronunciation AI like Nameoach come into the picture. Namecoach integrates with the LMS, SIS, and most other platforms and browsers.
Students create a voice recording of their names or use audio databases for accurate pronunciation. These recordings and phonetic spellings are accessible to instructors and other students so that whether it’s a virtual event or support call, names are pronounced correctly.
Adapting content to support students with learning disabilities and diverse learning needs
Chatbots can assist faculty with adapting content to better support students with learning disabilities and diverse learning needs.
For example, faculty can ask the chatbot to adjust exam questions to meet a wider range of cognitive abilities and language comprehension levels. Chatbots can further support accessibility by creating descriptive elements for images and completing other accessibility-related tasks.
Click below to see templated prompt examples.
Generate alternative text for images
Shorter prompt: Please provide alternative text (125 words or less) and an image description for this photo: [attach photo]
Detailed prompt: I’m using this image on a [course page, email, etc.] about [subject/topic]. Please generate: descriptive alt text (125 words or less); detailed image description; suggested file name; and caption for this photo: [attach photo]
You can also try out this step-by-step alt-text creator.
Rewrite text to better support students with dyslexia
Prompt example: Rewrite these [object (e.g., instructions, questions, etc.)] to make them clearer and more accessible for students with dyslexia. Simplify the language by using shorter sentences, straightforward vocabulary, and decodable words where possible. Break the text into smaller sections, use bullet points or numbered lists, and highlight key terms or steps. Keep the instructions concise and avoid unnecessary jargon. Here are the instructions: [add your instructions]
Example using the prompt:
Original instructions: Write a 500 word essay analyzing the themes in the assigned text. Your essay must include an introduction with a thesis statement, at least three body paragraphs with textual evidence, and a conclusion that summarizes your argument. Cite all sources using APA formatting. Submit your essay in a Word document via the course portal by Friday at 11:59 PM. Late submissions will incur a penalty of 10% per day.
Revised version for students with dyslexia (Note: This is a generic example. You’ll need to adapt the prompt based on your students and the specific activity and provide any necessary context.
Write a 500-word essay about the themes in the assigned text. Follow these steps:
- Introduction: Start with a short paragraph that states your main idea (thesis statement).
- Body Paragraphs: Write at least three paragraphs. Use examples from the text to support your ideas.
- Conclusion: End with a short paragraph that sums up your main points.
Remember:
- Use APA format to include references for any sources you use.
- Check your spelling and grammar before submitting.
How to Submit:
- Save your essay as a Word document.
- Upload it to the course portal by Friday at 11:59 PM.
Important: If you turn it in late, 10% will be taken off for each day it’s late.
Emotion detection AI
Emotion AI detects and interprets emotions by analyzing text, voice (audio), and video (facial expressions and gestures) and associating specific components with related emotions.
This technology can help:
- Students with cognitive and/or physical disabilities communicate
- Detect signs of stress, confusion, frustration, happiness, etc.
- Understand which course activities students are most interested or uninterested in
Example of how it works
The images below show how video emotion AI could work to give instructors insight into learner engagement during specific activities.
- High Attention: Learner attention increases with eye contact.
- Low Attention: Attention drops when they look away.
While eye contact doesn’t always mean focus, and looking away doesn’t mean they’re not listening, combining this with other data—like duration, facial expressions, and body language—gives a clearer picture of behavior. Educators can use this to identify course activities that increase engagement, create confusion and frustration, and more.
High Attention
Low Attention
But these tools aren’t perfect, and they probably never will be. That’s because of how they work. With facial expression recognition, for example—the AI looks at things like raised eyebrows and lip movements and tries to match them to emotions it’s been trained to recognize. In reality, it’s just grouping facial features into preset emotion categories, not actually figuring out the person’s true emotional state. Plus, we all express emotion differently, and some emotions are expressed in pretty similar ways—how easy would it be for happiness to be misinterpreted as surprise?
AI accessibility checkers
AccessiBe and Equally AI are two AI-powered tools that help institutions, faculty, and staff check their websites, courses, and content for accessibility. These solutions continuously monitor resources and automatically make adjustments to improve accessibility and meet compliance standards.
This isn’t AI, but Accessibility Desk provides a hub of free accessibility tools to check websites and content for accessibility.
Learn more about web accessibility compliance standards and guidelines.
3. AI will incrementally become a staple for studying
AI can be the ultimate study partner because of its diverse capabilities and interactiveness. After providing it with text, notes, files, or images, here’s how students use AI to study smarter.
Creating study guides and outlines
Summary about using either Notebook LM or chatbots
Chatbots
Example prompts: Based on the sources I’ve provided, create a detailed [outline or study guide] for [sections/chapters e.g., chapters 2-4]. [Add follow up text from the examples below].
Follow-up text for an outline
Organize the outline using [preferred format e.g., headers, bullet points, etc.]. Focus on [specific information/goals (e.g., identifying connections between X and Y, comparing and contrasting X and Y)].
Follow-up text for a study guide
Include the following information for each chapter: a high-level summary paragraph, a section explaining key concepts and why they’re important, a bulleted list of terms and definitions that are easy to understand, and a list of potential exam questions.
NotebookLM
With NotebookLM, students can upload PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, audio files, Google Docs, or Slides. NotebookLM quickly turns these into detailed outlines, study guides, FAQs, or even conversational “podcasts” using all or some of the uploaded sources.

Students upload the sources here, which can range from PDFs and websites to videos and audio files. We picked a video, Google Doc, website article, and three PDFs.
Students can ask the AI questions based on the sources. The AI provides answers based on the sources and cites which source(s) the information is from.
Always check the accuracy of anything AI generates. This is their disclaimer: "NotebookLM can be inaccurate, please double check its responses."
An audio overview can be created where two AI voices discuss the sources in a podcast-like format that actually sounds realistic.
Students simply click the buttons below for comprehensive study guides, briefing docs, FAQs, and timelines.

Students upload the sources here, which can range from PDFs and websites to videos and audio files. We picked a video, Google Doc, website article, and three PDFs.
Students can ask the AI questions based on the sources. The AI provides answers based on the sources and cites which source(s) the information is from.
Always check the accuracy of anything AI generates. This is their disclaimer: "NotebookLM can be inaccurate, please double check its responses."
An audio overview can be created where two AI voices discuss the sources in a podcast-like format that actually sounds realistic.
Students simply click buttons below to comprehensive study guides, briefing docs, FAQs, and timelines.
Flashcards
Here’s an example prompt students can use to engage in an interactive flashcards activity with a chatbot: Create 10 flashcards to test my knowledge of the different parts of a cell based on their function. Present the “front” of the flashcard first, then I’ll answer, and then you present the “back” of the card so I know if I’m correct or not. If my answer is incorrect, please provide the correct answer and 1-2 sentences of additional context.
Summarize, simplify, paraphrase, or rephrase content
Whether students provide an entire study or a paragraph of text, chatbots can help summarize and simplify the information. Here’s how a few chatbots responded to a basic prompt to simplify a few sentences of overly complicated text (text & prompt below).
Text & prompt used
Text provided to the chatbot*: “Educational technology influenced in many and often centrifugal ways educational innovation as part of societal development. Successive behaviorist, cognitive, constructivist, and socio-constructivist approaches to learning and the concomitant use of technologies suggest a clear, straightforward contribution to education based on the internal dynamics of that field.”
Prompt used: Shorten and simplify this text into two sentences that are very easy to understand. Use practical, simple language instead of complex terms.
*Text is from Lowyck, J. (2014). Bridging learning theories and technology-enhanced environments: A critical appraisal of its history. In J. M. Spector, M. D. Merrill, J. Elen, & M. J. Bishop (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology (pp. 3–20). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3185-5_1
Prompt response: Educational technology has driven many changes and improvements in education as society develops. Different learning approaches and the use of technology have consistently made education better.
Prompt response: Technology has played a big role in how education has changed over time. Different ways of thinking about learning, like focusing on how people behave, how they think, how they learn by doing, and how they learn from others, have all been shaped by technology and have helped improve education.
4. More faculty will proctor written assignments
With the right prompts, chatbots can generate human-like text on basically any topic from any perspective. The downside is that students can use them to complete written assignments. But the good news is that written assignments can be proctored just like online exams.
During proctored written assignments, students WON’T be able to do the following:
- Use chatbot applications, websites, or browser extensions.
- Visit unauthorized websites unless the instructor permits access to specific resources like links to specific studies or articles.
- Refer to books or notes unless approved by the instructor.
- Paste pre-copied content into the word processor.
- Search for information on their cell phones.
- Ask for help from voice assistants like Siri or Alexa.
5. Engaging students with assignments that involve AI
Some instructors will design assignments that actively incorporate chatbots. For example, students might be asked to:
- Use a chatbot to generate an essay on a specific topic, then analyze its response by identifying errors, making corrections, and explaining their reasoning.
- Compare responses from different chatbots on the same topic to evaluate their accuracy and identify inconsistencies.
- Teach the AI about a concept by starting with a prompt like, “Pretend you don’t know much about [topic/subject] other than [specific aspect of the topic]. I’ll explain how it works. Ask me clarifying questions throughout.”
AI is slowly being embraced in higher education—sometimes as a helpful tool, other times as something students try to sneak past their professors. As schools and faculty rethink assignment and assessment strategies, they also need to consider the challenges around privacy, security, and academic integrity at every stage. But when used the right way, AI can make learning more effective, engaging, and fair.
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