The report, "Creating the AI-Enabled Community College: A Road Map for Using Generative AI To Accelerate Student Success," released this month by the organization's AI for All Task Force, found that 70% of recent graduates believe AI should be integrated into courses, while only 14% of faculty feel confident using AI in their instruction.
"There's a clear disconnect between the frenetic rate of adoption of AI by students and the far slower movement to use AI by faculty and colleges," the report states. "With constant advances in the development and use of AI, colleges that fail to act risk continuing to prepare students for a world that is quickly fading away."
The 36-page report presents an eight-point framework for community colleges to strategically integrate AI while addressing concerns about equity, academic integrity, and workforce preparation. The recommendations come as Microsoft's 2024 Work Trend Index found that 66% of business leaders wouldn't hire someone without AI skills.
The task force, chaired by ATD Senior Fellow Gregory Haile and established by ATD President and CEO Dr. Karen A. Stout, emphasizes that AI implementation must prioritize students "often left behind by the design of our systems and programs."
"The pace of change has the potential to exacerbate existing educational inequities unless it is implemented intentionally to strengthen student success and increase social and economic mobility," the report warns.
The framework calls for ensuring all students—including those in degree and non-degree pathways—develop "AI agility," defined as the capacity to continuously adapt skills and workflows as AI capabilities expand, going beyond basic AI literacy.
