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Guiding Your School's Future: Crafting a Christ-Centered Mission and Vision for AI Integration

Rick Holbeck

Executive Director, Dept of Online Teaching & Learning

Grand Canyon University

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Presentation Objectives

  • By the end of this session, participants will:

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    • Understand the role and potential of AI in education.
    • Learn how GCU has implemented AI within a Christian framework.
    • Explore strategies to integrate AI into your school setting.
    • Draft a starting point for your school’s AI mission or vision.

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Why AI Matters

Personalization: Tailored learning paths

Efficiency: Automates routine tasks

Accessibility: Learning for all, anywhere

Engagement: Boosts motivation and collaboration

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GCU’s AI Journey

Our Path:

    • Started small with committees and pilots
    • Grew to AI resources, tools, and events
    • Kept focused on integrity and a Christian worldview

For You:

    • Begin with a small, diverse team
    • Focus on clear goals aligned with faith

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Building AI Literacy

At GCU:

    • Faculty and student training
    • Tools like chatbots and AI models
    • Collaboration across departments

For Your School:

    • Start with awareness sessions
    • Engage students with accessible tools

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AI in Education

    • Adaptive lessons for each student
    • Real-time feedback on work
    • Skills for future careers

Opportunities:

    • Ethical use of AI tools
    • Balancing technology and personal connection

Challenges:

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Starting Small

Form a Team: Teachers, students, administrators

Set Goals: What problems will AI help solve?

Plan for Growth: Introduce tools gradually

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Aligning With Faith and Integrity

Use AI to reflect Christian values

Service

Human Flourishing

Integrity

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AI

Accessibility for all Students

Personalized & Adaptive Learning

Assessment�& Feedback

Collaborative Learning

Curriculum �& Content Development

Student Engagement & Motivation

Grand Canyon University is committed to a data-driven approach in utilizing artificial intelligence to enhance student performance, engagement, and motivation.

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Our focus on accessible, personalized, and adaptive learning helps foster student success while also preparing our graduates to harness AI technologies in their future careers.

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The integration of AI within the curriculum and classroom, guided by the Christian worldview, our shared values, and principles of character, integrity, community, and academic excellence will help us continue to lead the way forward.

Grand Canyon University’s

AI-Enhanced Teaching and Learning Model

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Tailor Teaching to student’s needs and pace

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  • Create targeted content
  • Adapt tutoring to individual needs
  • Customize learning paths
  • Master learning methods
  • Anticipate student difficulties
  • Tailor content delivery
  • Customize authentic tasks for learners

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AI

Accessibility for all Students

Personalized & Adaptive Learning

Assessment�& Feedback

Collaborative Learning

Curriculum �& Content Development

Student Engagement & Motivation

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Accessibility for all Students

Personalized & Adaptive Learning

Assessment�& Feedback

Collaborative Learning

Curriculum �& Content Development

Student Engagement & Motivation

AI

Improve and automate assessments

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  • Provide instant feedback
  • Revamp assessment methods
  • Automate grading
  • Gamify assessments
  • Utilize AI for ongoing learning support
  • Provide predictive student performance analytics
  • Create self-paced student assessments
  • Implement AI-driven Peer review systems

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Accessibility for all Students

Personalized & Adaptive learning

Assessment�& Feedback

Collaborative Learning

Curriculum �& Content Development

Student Engagement & Motivation

AI

Enable collaborative learning

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  • Create intentional Peer learning groups
  • Facilitate shared virtual collaboration workspaces
  • Enhance group dynamics with AI
  • Suggest projects by student profiles

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Accessibility for all Students

Personalized & adaptive learning

Assessment�& Feedback

Collaborative Learning

Curriculum �& Content Development

Student Engagement & Motivation

AI

Help Teachers create content and curricula 

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  • Align curriculum with learning goals
  • Analyze content through student performance data
  • Automate content updates from research
  • Modify content via student and faculty feedback

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Accessibility for all Students

Personalized & Adaptive Learning

Assessment�& Feedback

Collaborative Learning

Curriculum �& Content Development

Student Engagement & Motivation

AI

Analyze student engagement, suggest motivational interventions 

  • Analyze student performance data for engagement strategies
  • Monitor real-time student engagement
  • Increase motivation through Gamification
  • Tailor engagement to individual student profiles
  • Identify and mitigate disengagement factors

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Accessibility for all Students

Personalized & Adaptive Learning

Assessment�& Feedback

Collaborative Learning

Curriculum �& Content Development

Student Engagement & Motivation

AI

Enhance education access for all students

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  • Adjust content to enhance accessibility and learning lifespan
  • Provide multilingual, multicultural support
  • Adapt to diverse learning abilities and needs
  • Offer flexible schedules for non-traditional students
  • Personalize interfaces for accessibility needs

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AI

Accessibility for all Students

Personalized & Adaptive Learning

Assessment�& Feedback

Collaborative Learning

Curriculum �& Content Development

Student Engagement & Motivation

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Interactive Session

  • Activity:

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    • Draft one goal for AI at your school
    • Example: “Enhance math tutoring with AI tools”
    • Share ideas with the group

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Next Steps at GCU

GCU Student Policy on AI Use in Learning Activities

    • Summary of Contents:
    • Defines acceptable and prohibited student uses of AI.
    • Details student responsibilities: transparency, accountability, and ownership.
    • Clarifies how to attribute AI use versus traditional citation.
    • Describes consequences for misuse and processes for verification.
    • Provides support pathways (instructors, advisors, academic resources).
    • Grounds expectations in Christian character and the pursuit of ethical academic growth.

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Next Steps at GCU

GCU Faculty and Staff Policy for AI Use in Teaching and Learning

    • Summary of Contents:
    • Offers guidance on instructional use of AI across design, delivery, and assessment.
    • Clarifies responsible faculty AI use, including FERPA-compliant practices.
    • Outlines expectations for transparency in faculty-student AI communication.
    • Provides models for coaching rather than accusing students.
    • Emphasizes data privacy, learning-centered assessment, and Christian character modeling.
    • Encourages ongoing AI literacy and collaboration with curriculum teams.

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Next Steps at GCU

GCU Statement on AI in Higher Education

    • Summary of Contents:
    • Public-facing statement affirming GCU’s support for AI in education.
    • Articulates 7 guiding principles:
      • Human-Centered Learning
      • Ethical Innovation
      • Academic Integrity
      • Privacy & Data Protection
      • Equity & Inclusion
      • Institutional Collaboration
      • Continuous Review
    • Frames AI readiness as essential for graduate success.
    • Aligns AI adoption with the university’s Christian mission and values.

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Next Steps at GCU

GCU Philosophy on AI Integration in Teaching and Learning

    • Summary of Contents:
    • Explains the university's foundational beliefs about AI in education.
    • Encourages thoughtful, ethical AI integration to enhance—not replace—learning.
    • Advocates for student empowerment, personalized teaching, and relational learning.
    • Promotes AI use that fosters cognitive growth, discernment, and moral development.
    • Establishes AI as a tool that aligns with GCU’s mission to foster transformational, Christ-centered education.

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Next Steps at GCU

Faculty Guide – Assessing Student Learning When AI Use Raises Concerns

    • Summary of Contents:
    • Provides strategies to verify student learning when AI may have been misused.
    • Includes practical tools: conversational prompts, alternative assessments, and reflection exercises.
    • Rejects reliance on AI detection software; promotes human-led verification.
    • Recommends a compassionate, coaching-focused response to suspected misuse.
    • Supports assessment integrity through professional judgment and student dialogue.
    • Reinforces learning as a relational, character-driven process.

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Lessons from GCU

  • Successes and challenges

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  • Thinking to the future

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  • Much more to learn

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  • The future of generative AI is both exciting and scary!

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Conclusion

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  • AI is a tool for growth, not a replacement for teachers

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  • Keep faith and values at the core

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Contact

  • Rick Holbeck

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  • rick.holbeck@gcu.edu