The Future of Online Education | Dr. Tonya Aman Kwatia

Why Students Struggle and How AI Can Help

Students do not all learn the same way, but much of education still treats them as if they do.In this episode of the Higher Ed Podcast, Ali from Simply Taught joins the conversation to explain how a personal experience with his daughter led him to build a platform focused on personalized learning. The discussion explores why students often struggle to connect with classroom material, how AI can help match learners with better resources, and why engagement may be one of the most important measures of student success.

Can AI Help Students Learn Better?

AI is already changing higher education, but many educators are still wrestling with what that change means. In this episode, Dr. Sonya McCoy-Wilson and Darren Thompson discuss the fears, ethics, and opportunities surrounding AI in education.The conversation covers plagiarism concerns, Grammarly, AI governance, virtual reality, personalized learning, predictive analytics, language translation, and the future of AI-supported student success. Rather than treating AI as either a threat or a miracle solution, the discussion focuses on how institutions can use it thoughtfully to support students, faculty, and learning outcomes.

Training Better Admissions Teams Through Virtual Coaching

Samira Zacharias shares how she entered admissions by accident, why high school recruitment remains such an important part of student outreach, and how admissions teams adapted during and after the pandemic.

Why College Readiness Is a Workforce Issue | Dr. Anthony Cruz

Dr. Cruz shares why he remains passionate about higher ed after more than 27 years, how the pandemic changed teaching and communication, and why colleges must collaborate more closely with K-12 schools, families, and communities. He also discusses the urgent need to increase college-going and completion rates for Black and Hispanic students, the role of community colleges in workforce development, and why higher ed must adapt quickly to demographic, technological, and economic change.

Why Partnerships May Be Higher Ed’s Best Answer to the Enrollment Cliff | Dana Barger

Dana shares her journey from AmeriCorps and mental health counseling into enrollment, why student stories still drive her work, and how partnerships can help institutions prepare for the enrollment cliff. The conversation explores community engagement, employer alignment, student ambassadors, alumni storytelling, sports partnerships, and why higher education must continue proving its value in a changing world.