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Explore the Future of AI in Higher Ed at SXSW EDU 2025

This March 3-6 in Austin, TX, the SXSW EDU Conference & Festival celebrates its 15th year of exploring education's most critical issues and providing a forum for creativity, innovation, and expression. Topics for this year's panels, workshops, and conversations "range from ethical AI application and strengthening talent pipelines, to rising areas of interest such as non-traditional learning spaces and enhancing opportunities for neurodivergent students and educators," according to organizers.

Not surprisingly, among the multitude of trends and technologies on the agenda, the event features dozens of sessions focused on various aspects of artificial intelligence. In particular, five sessions offer a perspective on AI in higher education:  

Navigation & Guidance in the Age of AI
This panel featuring Julia Freeland Fisher, director of education at the Clayton Christensen Institute, Tiffany Green, founder and CEO of Uprooted Academy, David Ma, CEO of Hope Street Group, and Brooke McKean, president and co-chief executive officer of REACH Pathways, will discuss the potential of generative AI to provide students access to 24/7 support and "build a system where guidance and support are no longer luxury goods."

AI-Powered Theatremaking
Learn how Will Lowry, associate professor and scenographer at Lehigh University, developed "Can AI Make Art?", a first-year theater seminar that incorporated AI to "develop textual and audiovisual components of embodied storytelling, such as tableau narratives, cut-up spoken word, site-specific climate scenework, and Turing Test monologues."

Equity-Centered AI in Holistic Student Support Functions
In this session, higher education leaders, tech solution developers, and implementers will explore how AI can enhance student support, particularly from the perspective of institutions that serve students from under-represented minority and low-income backgrounds. Panelists include Joe Licata, founder and CEO of Canyon GBS, Cecelia Marshall, director of external partnerships at Partnership for Education Advancement, Clyne G.H. Namuo, president of Joliet Junior College, and Shmona Simpson, founder and CEO of Paritii.

AI & Edu: Sharing Real Classroom Successes & Challenges
This topic-focused networking event offers an opportunity to share real-world experiences and evidence about how to use AI to improve student engagement, learning, and skill development. Participants are encouraged to bring their own classroom examples and questions. The session will be facilitated by Zhuo Chen, text analysis instructor on the Constellate team at ITHAKA, and Dylan Ruediger, principal of The Research Enterprise at Ithaka S+R.

Navigating the AI & XR Revolution: A Cross-Sector View
In this interactive meet-up session, explore the challenges and opportunities of AI and XR technologies in education with Simeon van Eijl, innovation and tech manager for Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Erik Woning, program manager, Innovation & Education, at Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam.

View the full schedule of SXSW EDU sessions and events at SXSWEDU.com.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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