5-Minute Read

I am sure you have heard something along the lines of “AI is ruining education” or even my favorite “AI is making people lazy”. At least in the context of being a student. I had gone through my entire grade school and half of my college education without AI assistance. This write-up will explore my personal college experiences and explore its effect on education with present GenAI.

As I began college in 2018, I only had access to tutors and Google. These were my tools that helped me be a successful student. After the turn of the COVID-19 pandemic it was clear workplaces, school, and most everything was forced to grow remote and digital. As we narrow the scope to education, around 2022 we would see ChatGPT and other forms of GenAI be born.

In the beginning of GenAI and its use from students in college, I recall many people attempting to write entire assignments and essays for them. Leading to professors and teachers reading the most garble nonsense possible. Yes, GenAI was being used for lazy students and/or forms of cheating. This might have been the idea of how many students would use GenAI, however I believe that is not the case in present time 2025.

From its start, I personally had interactions with students just plugging in questions and pulling answers from it. I will admit that I am guilty of doing the same when I hit major roadblocks. However, overtime I and many others realized that GenAI was more than just a question solver, It became the ultimate learning tool. At least for myself and my educational journey.

In a research article on campustechnology.com it was recorded that 86% of university students use GenAI in their studies. in 2024. This is not surprising to me as a current SDSU student. As this is present every day for many on campus in my interactions. They also mention that students argued that universities should provide training on how to use AI and even integrate AI into learning/teaching.

During my time as a college student, I have seen professors build entire exams/quiz’s on ChatGPT or other forms of GenAI and admit it to the class. While students create study guides with it, dive into solutions faster for assignments with AI. I have seen a lot of uses in the form of education in the last couple of years hands-on. I believe that if it is effectively used as a learning tool, it has potential.

An article on theguardian.com dives into how AI was a “Cheating crisis” in modern education in 2024. David, in this article, examples that roughly half of what he sees submitted in his class has clear use of AI and has become “desensitized” by it. Then arguing that if he worked hard to get a job but then realizing everyone else, he now works with “cheated” to get to the same position. There have been counters with AI detection for grading, however it is noted heavily in this article that much of its detection is false flags.

Does this mean everyone is just cheating if they use GenAI? Short answer in 2025, no. The education system has been dented by GenAI and since 2022 that dent has been buffed out quite a lot. While students utilize GenAI, professors and teachers had to adapt to its use and some even encourage its use to help them through their class. While some (very few) professors in experience repent against any form of GenAI in their class.

I have learned to use GenAI to assist me in my educational journey, and I would disagree that using it as a tool is not a form of cheating as many had exclaimed. Sure, some people could use it to find a simple answer but what is the difference between just googling info about a topic? I hope to see more uses in education regarding accessibility, and its integration into how professors and teachers implement it in their classes.

In regards to accessibility and its use as a study tool, we have seen growth in how teaching tools in a blog from schiller international university the author dives into its adaptive learning and assistant capabilities to provide a collaborative and teamwork based learning tool. Pointing to the fact that they themselves as a university strive to integrate AI tools into their learning and student interactions in coursework.

Should all education be taught or assisted by AI? I don’t think GenAI should ever totally replace a professor or class. As of now in 2025, GenAI is simply a copilot that assists and grows with its user (student) and guides the learning at a completely different pace and style than I had prior in my first couple years in college. However, it has at least improved my educational journey and maybe now my future career!

So where are we now? Well, ChatGPT, Gemini, GenAI, AI; Whichever way you want to call it, the future of information access has changed for all of us. I’d like to reference the saying my grandparents would say “your generation has all the world’s information at your fingertips”. I would say now not only that, but now all that information is organized and searchable in seconds. I have not seen its use firsthand beyond education, however I am sure that GenAI will and has changed many careers, workplaces, and formally the education system for the foreseeable future.

College education has been totally slapped with GenAI, from its rocky start seen by the education body as a form of “cheating”. While examples of people quite literally copy and pasting documents to show as their own, I want to shine a light on how higher education needs to adapt in a higher degree of inclusion with GenAI to better the existing college body. Do I personally think we can reform the education system, well maybe not in a snap but maybe over time as we grow with GenAI.

As a student that had grown through a pre-GenAI and now preset-GenAI high education environment, I hope that students like me can help direct how GenAI lives beyond this generation of students I belong with. As creating a smarter, more effective way of education could mean a greater next generation of students. Building off my previous blog post, I will explore how this could be approached and my experiences with SDSU and the possible future of integrating GenAI.

Students use GenAI, that it be for finding quick answers, data, and knowledge development of subjects. As I imagine many of these students who have graduated may even continue to use GenAI as an effective tool to complete tasks. Teaching methodologies in universities have been around since the 10^th century, this should mean it’s working, right? Many students I have asked about this idea have had many thoughts about this statement.  Some of the students I asked were former military, while others had some work experience or none at all.

Answers I got from students who had prior work experience exampled that their job(s) had given what they needed to be successful, not what they are currently learning. While those who had no work experience held close to what they were learning, hoping that the education they are learning now will benefit them blindly once they have their degree in hand. Two very polarizing sides of this spectrum.

I currently work in SDSU’s instructional technology services (ITS). I have seen up and close how professors work with current classroom technology and how they use it. This job has given me the privilege to see the classroom from the professor’s perspective, which has also shown me a better understanding of how or why professors do the things they do. I can also take off my student hat with the professors and interact with them as a supporting role.

The concerns with teaching with present day GenAI has evolved beyond the scope of wondering if a student had submitted a generated essay vs their own work. Now professors that I had this conversation with think students are either smart and effectively using GenAI, or lazy and non-committing to their work. Some professors are now encouraging the use of GenAI, which I believe is the appropriate approach. As I have personally experienced professors who have given us ideas how to use GenAI and better and effectively use it as a learning tool. 

In a article by Reuters OpenAI (creators of ChatGPT) are expanding its educational presence by integrating its use in the CSU education space. That this is done through tutoring and admin support to a staggering 23 CSU campus and totaling 500,000 students. Other than the obvious tutoring support, OpenAI has its GenAI completing grading, content creation, and other needs a professor would need to do themselves. Allowing them to have more time to connect with students and having more time to be a effective professor.

Another article by Cornell University examples how students use GenAI to support writing, exam prep, and overall academic support. This article also examines the need to redefine learning objectives and teach its staff how to effectively use GenAI and prevent academic dishonesty and its related areas of misconduct. While in extreme cases, they also example how AI is banned in certain universities. While this could lead to enhancing or disrupting current educational practices.

Both of these articles examine the need to reshape our higher education practices in how classes are taught or overall structured. Earlier in this post I explained how work experienced students and those without work experience have two completely different mindsets when asked how college is preparing them for work life beyond school. With the rapid growth of technology and GenAI, leaving the education sector behind is a massive, missed opportunity if so.

With current adaptations and changes universities are undergoing with GenAI and a forced tech boost post COVID-19 pandemic requirements. We need to integrate AI into classrooms, through its attendance in class and giving tests based on lectures and requirements set by the professor. Giving mini checkpoint tests/quiz’s generated by AI with content and context from within the classroom. Giving the professor insights on how the class is doing with content and understanding.

This would not be in the idea to replace a professor with GenAI, and I do not intend this perspective to show interest in removing the professor from the classroom. As its integration would not only facilitate grading and professor-related tasks but would most benefit the student. With proper use and utilization of GenAI. The class material is now organized, tested, and facilitated by GenAI, allowing students to be effective through learning in a present day GenAI environment.

As GenAI facilitates, it could create content for exams that are relevant, no more surprises for exam preparation or stress of miscommunication between students and their professors. Creating a new wave of effective students and effective GenAI users. Now a student can learn anything while the professor is simply a guide that leads them to data driven education. I would only hope most of these professors would be open to its integration with no friction to its use in class.

What I have seen firsthand in my ITS position here at SDSU, is that professors are now more open to GenAI and its use for their courses than ever before. Some are better with class technology than others, which leaves the question of how generational cohorts might affect the future of teaching anyway. Will professors in the future from Gen Z be more AI intensive than those of Gen A? It’s an interesting thing to sit down and wonder as we get older.  

I have spent a lot of time in college compared to many of my peers, I am now coming close to closing my educational journey, I can only wish the best for those who will be just starting. From my perspective, GenAI has completely reformed how higher education is taught. Mostly how students are learning in and beyond the classroom. I am very excited in watching how GenAI evolves in our everyday lives and beyond.

Estimated reading time: 3~ minutes.

GenAI is here and growing at an incredible rate, since it began in the early 2020’s. In the current time a half decade later, GenAI is a common household topic. My last blog posts had entertained the topic of GenAI in education as it had begun halfway into my higher education. This post will explore a deeper GenAI topic in business technology. SDSU has introduced it to us students as “Prompt Engineering”.

Through my educational journey, I never thought I would be confronted with “Prompt Engineering”. What this process is includes providing deep questions or instructions to GenAI. I have spoken with professors at SDSU and internal IT at the state university and this is what I learned. GenAI was not initially seen as the effective tool it is now. We have now moved into a new phase of its use in a very productive manner.

During the Spring semester of 2025, to my understanding professors are encouraged to express use of GenAI in their course or at least teach/promote GenAI. Some of the professors I had spoken with had distaste for GenAI, while some were very happy to use it. For example, one of my programming professors had exampled the use of Prompt Engineering and creating effective study material through many GenAI’s available today.

So what really is Prompt Engineering? Its not a new technology. Well, actually a better use of new GenAI models that have been released in recent years. Prompt engineering is designing effective prompts to allow GenAI to give precise and relevant responses to the user. As a student, why would we want to better use such a technology?

As a student of Fowler business college within SDSU, its good to understand its advantage in the workplace. In a article by Grand View Research, the global prompt engineering market is worth over 200 million and expected at 2 billion by 2030. (https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/prompt-engineering-market-report) and another statistic report by statista includes the insight of 72% of enterprises will have a component or use of GenAI in some form. (https://www.statista.com/statistics/1545783/ai-adoption-among-organizations-worldwide/)

SDSU is simply allowing students the chance to understand GenAI more than just a study tool but as a effective work tool. As professors also exclaimed that they are guilty of using GenAI to increase workflow (outside and inside college, i.e. workplace and career). Which as this generation of students exit college with a now promoted view on GenAI there is a great chance we see many adaptations in GenAI inside many careers of the future.

So what’s my point? GenAI is reshaping higher education, and its simply changing the roles of many in their careers. As time goes by, myself and this generation of students will access GenAI as a partner and tool to assist in many tasks we may face in our careers. Is this a bad thing? Will the job market adapt to GenAI or will it shrink the job market? Who or what jobs will allow GenAI? These are questions I enlist to you and invoke thought as we enter this half decade of GenAI.

5-Minute Read

Since my first post about GenAI and its quick adaptation by the educational space; We have reached another huge milestone for GenAI and its role with education. In 2025 OpenAI had partnered with the California State University system to provide over 460,000 students with access to the latest most powerful GenAI available for free. (https://telecomtalk.info/california-state-university-ai-system-us-openai/989230/).

It is clear that GenAI is here to stay and grow with future generations of students and its faculty as years will pass. As a current student of SDSU, I have seen the birth of GenAI and its ever-growing impact on education since my journey began in 2018. Is there any more steps GenAI can take with higher education. How should any college student and its faculty look at this moving forward.

As someone who did not have access to this tech until midway through college, I have noticed a lot of college culture change as newer generations entered college after myself. Most of my observations have been more concerning than excited to see the future with this tech; However I am optimistic to see it grow as there truly is opportunity for those who use it correctly.

Using GenAI “Correctly” is more of a broad statement than what can be described. GenAI has been around for long enough for incoming college freshmen to have had used it in grade school. Some interactions with younger college students have been a mixed bag. My own interactions is small, but evident that some students have used GenAI with a “lazy” or “do it for me” mindset.

My own personal sample size is not representing all students, but only brings myself concern. I have had many group projects, assignments, and classwork in general where I have heard many things of that scope. On the contrary I have also had some but few conversations with other fellow students where they had used GenAI as a study tool, not a completion tool.

Many of those students using GenAI in a study buddy format, had much deeper conversation, and ideas with how to utilize GenAI. As we advance in this information and automated future. I can only hope grade schools are preparing students and teaching them to correctly use GenAI. As we now have a leading edge in upper level education. The push for AI in SDSU and CSU in general is another stepping stone for our future.

Is this a calculated chess move from the CSU? or a simple business deal from OpenAI. We may never know as outsiders, but time will tell how the future graduates of SDSU and other CSU’s benefit from this decision. Only the careful guidance and adaptation of AI in upper division classrooms will guide these students to be more ethical with GenAI.

Some students I have spoken with were concerned about this decision, as many have the mindset that CSU’s want to collect data on its students. Some are scared to use it as they have the mindset they will be seen as “cheating”. I think this is a interesting idea, as why someone would think that, academic honesty is everything, but why do many of my fellow classmates and friends think this?

I think the stigma of early GenAI still resonates with a lot of us, as GenAI in the beginning was seen as a cheating tool and not a educational one. This does not discern that some may still use it in a unethical way in education. With my current CSU, most of my professors have given instruction or guidance on how to use GenAI in their course.

As professors have gone to this approach and now all CSU students having the latest and greatest GenAI, what now? There are a lot of variables to be evaluated as time goes on. I do not think we have plateaued in this GenAI integration, and wont for quite some time. It has been quite the journey experiencing this first hand as a student.

I have used GenAI personally as a robot tutor, mostly pushing all my data I find, want to find, and what I want to take from it. GenAI has allowed myself to dig through vast amounts of data and keep my scope exactly where I want it. I personally cherish GenAI and its use in my education. I think it is important to understand it and utilize it to further expand knowledge and use of ease of access data.

There are still concerns about its ethical uses in education, and much more as we continue to expand it. However as I mentioned, I do not think we have gotten to the peak of GenAI and wont for quite some time. I am very excited to see the future of GenAI and beyond education as I close my chapter in College to step into my career.

My question to my reader, how do you use GenAI? How do you or others you know use it?