In this Friday SLO Talk, J.D. Mosley-Matchett, Senior Assessment Developer at Western Governors University, examines how higher education is responding to artificial intelligence and the broader technological changes affecting teaching and learning. Drawing on more than three decades of experience in higher education as a professor, dean, and administrator, Mosley-Matchett frames the current moment through three competing narratives about the future of universities: “buggy whips,” “rocket ships,” and “total eclipse.”

The “buggy whip” narrative reflects the fear that traditional academic practices may become obsolete as knowledge becomes instantly accessible through AI and digital technologies. However, Mosley-Matchett argues that institutions rarely disappear; instead, they adapt and redefi ...