As AI rapidly transforms the landscape of education, Brooklyn College faculty and around the world discuss both its promises and pitfalls. From simplifying time-consuming administrative tasks to sparking new debates about academic integrity, AI is already reshaping the teachings of professors and how students learn.
But one thing is clear. AI doesn't go anywhere. This offers an exciting and one-time opportunity for educators and managers to establish thoughtful practices, systems and protocols that can better shape the future of education.
Mariya Gluzman brings a unique perspective to the evolving conversations about AI in higher education. Currently serving as an education designer for Brooklyn College Library & Academic IT, she is at the forefront of integrating AI into academic practices.
Over the past year, she has led numerous hands-on workshops for students, staff and faculty, helping the campus community navigate AI opportunities and challenges. Most recently in July, she led a series of apprenticeships for staff and faculty to explore and apply AI tools to course design, instruction and evaluation work. She also presented a case study on NotebookLM and led a hands-on demonstration session on the use of the tool at the third annual teaching and learning at the AI conference hosted by the University of Central Florida in May.
Gluzman's insights go beyond technology and training. She is also a veteran educator. For over 20 years, she taught as an auxiliary lecturer in the Department of Philosophy. There, he combined his expertise in educational design with a passion for innovative, student-centered pedagogy.
We asked Gluzman about her work at Brooklyn College and her dual role as an educator and education designer, how she would inform her vision for the future of AI in education.
What does AI literacy mean to you, and why is it important for teachers to embrace it for themselves and their students?
The concept of AI literacy is often context-dependent. Usually, it means understanding the capabilities and limitations of generative AI and using a variety of AI tools effectively. However, in an academic setting, additional considerations are required, particularly regarding academic integrity and social justice.
For students, AI literacy involves learning to identify appropriate and inappropriate use of AI in research. This is not just about choosing the right tools or developing a solid prompt. It also means understanding potential shortcomings, even for legal uses. Students' goals are to leverage AI to enhance their work and intellectual growth, not outsource their thoughts and decisions to machines.
For teachers, AI literacy includes yet another essential aspect. This is the responsibility to actively shape and direct the role of AI in teaching and learning.
What do you think is the most effective way for professors to integrate AI tools such as ChatGpt into education without compromising academic integrity?
There are countless possibilities, but concisely I group my instructor's AI applications into two main categories. Enhances student learning and rationalization faculty work.
To enhance student learning, AI can help create educational scaffolding for assignments, develop accessible multimodal content, generate tutorials and assignment templates, and gamify learning activities. For faculty efficiency, AI can help build test question banks, create grading rubrics, and improve course content to tailor learning outcomes.
Of course, teachers should also remember that the implementation of ethical AI means that it is transparent about the unique use of this technology while remaining careful and industrious.
What are the biggest misconceptions professors tend to have about AI capabilities in the classroom?
Some professors believe that by not engaging in AI, students will simply avoid using this technology without explicit permission either by delaying its existence in higher education in some way. However, the reality is that AI is already part of an academic situation, and students often use it, and in many cases there is no proper guidance.
Another important concern that some faculty members have is that using AI for research, teaching, or assessment outsource cognitive labor and at the expense of academic freedom. This doesn't have to be that way. Consider using other advanced tools. They rely on sophisticated kitchen equipment to create complex dishes, but they still design meals. We drive with adaptive cruise control and parking assist, but we have solid control over our destination.
Generic AI helps us become more intentional and strategic in our work, allowing us to focus on higher-order tasks. Responsibly using these tools will help you actively shape integration into learning.
Presented at the AI conference for the third annual education and learning. What was your biggest takeaway from that event?
One important point is how some fundamental challenges in higher education continue with the advent of AI. For example, during my presentation, a teacher raised a classic concern. It's about knowing whether students are actually taking the measurements they need. This issue is not new. It is difficult to be certain unless the professor devotes his class time to close his reading activities. This problem is even more pronounced in online asynchronous courses. Ultimately, we can only design a variety of learning activities and assessments that provide clues regarding student engagement with assigned texts. AI tools make these activities easy to build.
Another important insight is that most faculty members need to see compelling examples of how AI can truly help students. If you think that AI is used to increase course material and engagement with peers, students can acquire essential academic and life skills, clarify important terms, and make everything clear without putting an extra strain on the instructor. When students see useful applications that really benefit them, they take the idea and run.
What have you and your colleagues done to improve your understanding of AI on campus?
Last year, I promoted many faculty workshops on several AI topics. It covered everything from creating and implementing AI policies to protecting allocations against AI plagiarism, designing AI-enhanced student assessments, and integrating AI literacy.
Beyond the workshop, a few pioneering colleagues and I have launched an informal group. We meet sporadically, share our work, brainstorm AI use cases, and encourage continuous conversations about AI integration.
The Library & Academic IT Team has also developed an AI Faculty Guide. Additionally, the Center for Teaching and Learning examined popular assumptions about AI and created and moderated the “MythBusting AI” panel for the 2025 Fanculty Day Conference. We want to continue these efforts. Ideally, faculty will have greater opinions and participation in the upcoming academic year.
You called on everyone to speed up the AI into an emergency. why?
The urgency of not only “increasing speed,” but also having everyone engage with AI is felt in two different ways.
First, many industries are rapidly adopting generation AI. Given Brooklyn College serves as a mission for our public universities and it is important to help students succeed in today's job market. They need to prepare just like any brand university applicant who has had any opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology. This requires a subtle understanding of the benefits and costs of AI.
The other is its role in management of this technology, particularly in higher education. Many school administrations have already formed community policy and tool choices. But how many of these important decisions are informed, not to mention shaped by the faculty? He did not say whether this technology should exist or be used in academic contexts. Given the rapid development of AI, we risk losing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at Brooklyn University and generally in higher education through informed discussion and engagement.
