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AU Position Statement on Artificial Intelligence


Responsible AI for Student Success, Academic Quality, and Workforce ReadinessÌý

Aspen Group, Inc., ÌÇÐĶ̾ç (hereafter the organization)ÌýbelievesÌýartificial intelligence can be a powerful tool for expanding access, improving learning, strengthening student support, increasing institutional effectiveness, and preparing graduates for an AI-enabled workforce.Ìý

Our position is clear:ÌýAI should serve people, advance academic quality, improve student outcomes, andÌýoperateÌýwithin a framework of trust, transparency, human judgment, and responsible governance.Ìý

AI is not a replacement for faculty, advisors, staff, academic leaders, or student effort. It is a capability that, when used thoughtfully and responsibly, can help people do their best work. AtÌýthe organization, we will use AI to support our mission of delivering affordable, relevant, accessible, and student-centered education. We will pursue AI innovation in ways that strengthen the student experience, improve academic and operational effectiveness, and preserve the human relationships that are central to teaching, learning, advising, and student care.Ìý

Our approach is guided by the following commitments.Ìý

  1. Student Success Comes First

The organizationÌýwill prioritize AI applications that help students learn, persist, progress, and complete their educational goals. This includes opportunities to provide moreÌýtimelyÌýcommunication, proactive advising, earlier identification of students who may need support, improved access to resources, and more personalized pathways to academic and professional success.Ìý

AI should help us better understand student needs and respond with greater speed, consistency, and care. Our goal is not simply to automate processes; it is to improve the quality, timeliness, and effectiveness of the support students receive.Ìý

  1. Human Judgment Remains Essential

AI mayÌýassistÌýwith analysis, recommendations, communication, workflow automation, and decision support, but peopleÌýremainÌýaccountable for the educational experience. Faculty, advisors, staff, and academic leaders will continue to play theÌýcentral roleÌýin teaching, mentoring, supporting, assessing, and guiding students.Ìý

AI should not serve as the sole basis for decisions that materially affect a student’s academic standing, progression, financial status, enrollment status, access to university services, disability accommodations, student conduct outcomes, or other significant educational interests. When AI is used to support important processes,Ìýappropriate humanÌýreview, escalation, and accountability must remain in place.Ìý

  1. Academic Integrity and AI Literacy Matter

AI is changing how people learn, work, communicate, analyze information, and solve problems.ÌýThe organizationÌýhas a responsibility to help students use AI ethically, responsibly, and effectively.Ìý

Students may use AI to support learning, research, writing, analysis, creativity, problem solving, and professional preparation when such use isÌýpermittedÌýby course expectations, faculty guidance, and university policy. However, studentsÌýremainÌýresponsible for the originality, accuracy, attribution, and integrity of the work theyÌýsubmit.Ìý

FacultyÌýretainÌýauthority to defineÌýappropriate AIÌýuse within courses and assessments, consistent with academic policy, program outcomes, accreditation expectations, and the learning goals of each course. OurÌýobjectiveÌýis not only to prevent misuse, but also to prepare students to evaluate AI outputs critically,ÌýdiscloseÌýAI use appropriately, understand AI limitations, and apply AI responsibly in professional settings.Ìý

  1. Faculty and Staff Should Be Empowered, Not Displaced

The organizationÌýwill approach AI to strengthen the work of faculty and staff, not diminish their importance. AI should reduce unnecessary administrative burden, improve access to useful information, streamline routine tasks, and create more time for high-value human interaction.Ìý

For faculty, AI may support course development, feedback processes, learning analytics, content review, student engagement, and instructional innovation. For advisors and staff, AI may supportÌýtimelyÌýoutreach, workflow management, student service, compliance monitoring, and operational consistency. In all cases, the purpose is to help our people serve students more effectively.Ìý

  1. Trust, Privacy, Security, and Fairness Are Foundational

AI tools that use institutional, employee, or student information must be evaluated carefully.ÌýThe organizationÌýwill consider privacy, cybersecurity, accessibility, fairness, compliance, transparency, data quality, vendor practices, and potential unintended consequences when adopting and using AI-enabled systems.Ìý

We recognize that AI systems can produce errors, reinforce bias, or create inequitable outcomes if they are not responsibly designed, implemented, andÌýmonitored. We will thereforeÌýseekÌýto use AI in ways that are explainable whereÌýappropriate, reviewable by humans, and aligned with our obligations to students, employees, regulators, accreditors, and other stakeholders.Ìý

Students, faculty, and staff should have clear pathways to ask questions, seek humanÌýassistance, request correction, and escalate concerns when AI-enabled tools are used in university processes.Ìý

  1. AI Adoption Must Be Governed, Purposeful, and Measurable

The organizationÌýwill not adopt AI for novelty alone. AI initiatives should be connected to institutional mission, academic quality, student success, affordability, access, compliance, workforce relevance, or operational effectiveness.Ìý

AI use cases should be evaluated throughÌýappropriate governanceÌýand cross-functional review. This includes consideration of academic impact, student impact, privacy, cybersecurity, accessibility, compliance, legal and regulatory expectations, data governance, operational value, and potential risk.Ìý

WhereÌýappropriate, AI initiatives should be piloted, assessed, refined, and scaled based on evidence. We willÌýseekÌýto measure whether AI-enabled activities improve meaningful outcomes such as student responsiveness, persistence, completion, learning support, service quality, efficiency, accuracy, and user experience.Ìý

  1. Responsible Innovation Requires Public Accountability

As part of a publicly traded educationÌýentity,Ìýthe organizationÌýrecognizes the importance of disciplined,Ìýaccurate, and supportable communicationÌýaboutÌýAI. We willÌýseekÌýto describe our AI activities responsibly and avoid overstating capabilities, outcomes, or futureÌýimpact.Ìý

Public communications aboutÌýthe organization’s use of AI should be consistent with institutional policy, applicable regulatory expectations, contractual obligations, accreditation considerations, andÌýdisclosureÌýresponsibilities. Our approach to AI will be ambitious, but it will also be evidence-based, measured, and accountable.Ìý

  1. We Will Prepare Our Community for an AI-Enabled Future

AI literacy is becoming an essential part of career readiness, institutional effectiveness, and responsible citizenship.ÌýThe organizationÌýwill support students, faculty, staff, and leaders in developing practical understanding of AI tools, ethical use, data quality, critical evaluation, privacy, bias, limitations, and role-specific applications.Ìý

Our students should be prepared not only to use AI tools, but also to question them, manage them, improve workflows with them, and understand their implications in the workplace. Our faculty and staff should be supported in using AI responsibly to enhance teaching, learning, advising, service, and institutional performance.Ìý

Our CommitmentÌý

Artificial intelligence will continue to evolve, and so will our approach.ÌýThe organizationÌýintends to be a responsible, evidence-based adopter and educator in the use of AI. We will pursue innovation with curiosity, discipline, and care.Ìý

Our goal is to apply AI in ways that honor our mission, support our people, improve student outcomes, strengthen academic quality, and help every student we serve move closer to achieving their educational and professional goals.Ìý

AtÌýthe organization, responsible AI is not about replacing the human dimensions of education. It is about using technology wisely to make education more accessible, more responsive, more effective, and more relevant to the future our students are preparing to enter.Ìý