Training Faculty for the Age of AI: Building the Foundation at Lipscomb University
Part 2 Answering the Call: Lipscomb’s Journey with AI in Higher Education
The foundation of academic transformation always lies with faculty. That’s why, at Lipscomb University, we began our journey into the age of artificial intelligence by investing deeply in faculty development.
As Provost, I have the privilege each August of welcoming our full-time faculty to a day-long meeting that marks the start of the academic year. It is my goal that this time be more than a routine gathering; I hope for it to be a space where we cast vision, build community, and explore professional development together. For our 2024 Opening Faculty Meeting, I chose to focus on a theme that captured both the urgency and the opportunity of our moment: Flourishing on the Brink of Change: Navigating the Future with Timeless Wisdom.
We are living through a season of profound technological disruption, and artificial intelligence is reshaping every corner of our world, including how we teach, learn, and lead. Yet, in the liberal arts tradition, we know that transformation must be anchored in enduring values. That’s why we structured our opening gathering to explore the powerful synergy between AI innovation and the wisdom of the liberal arts. We asked: How can we prepare students for an ever-evolving world while remaining rooted in critical thinking, creativity, and ethical discernment?
Our keynote speaker, José Bowen, challenged us to consider the human-centered future of education and sparked thoughtful discussion during our interactive Table Talks. Faculty across disciplines discussed how to develop AI literacy, imagined AI-integrated assignments, and wrestled with the ethical implications of emerging technologies. Faculty also engaged in two 50 minute breakout professional development sessions on topics such as how educators, students and AI can work together to enhance learning opportunities, using AI to maximize personal productivity as a faculty member, and how to create comprehensive AI policies for individual courses using Lipscomb’s AI Guidance document. These conversations became a launching pad for a year of strategic training and collaboration.
Throughout the 2024–2025 academic year, we launched a full spectrum of faculty training initiatives designed to support every instructor, from the AI-curious to the AI-confident. These included:
Weekly AI Tips crafted and shared by Dr. Sarah Gibson, our AI Faculty Fellow, offering quick, practical ideas to inspire experimentation and confidence.
An AI in Teaching Canvas Course developed by our Center for Teaching and Learning, housing guides, sample prompts, classroom strategies, and discipline-specific case studies.
A university-wide book initiative in which every full-time faculty member received a copy of Teaching with AI by Bowen and Watson to read, discuss, and apply in their own course development.
A new badge-based professional development program focused on AI and academic integrity. Faculty engaged with these asynchronous modules at high rates, finding meaningful applications for their own fields and classrooms.
These efforts are just the beginning. In Spring 2025, we launched our Faculty AI Design Lab. This was a three-session interactive workshop series where faculty designed, tested, and refined assignments that integrate AI tools thoughtfully and ethically. Our goal with all of this work is not to replace the human voice in the classroom but to empower faculty to lead wisely, adapt creatively, and model ethical engagement with AI for our students.
At Lipscomb, we believe that flourishing in the age of AI means drawing from both our timeless commitments and our willingness to grow. Our faculty are not just keeping pace with change; they are shaping it. Just this week, I’ve had multiple conversations with faculty about how they are using AI in their classrooms, and how that use is equipping their students for future careers and enriching their current learning experience, including the relationship between faculty and students. I could not be more proud to support and walk alongside Lipscomb faculty in this essential work.