Podcast
Unfixed: How AI Is Reshaping the University
Hosted by Zach Justus and Nik Janos · EN
Unfixed is a podcast for anyone interested in how generative AI is transforming higher education, from teachers and administrators to students and curious learners. Hosted by the faculty behind the blog Melts into Air, it offers candid reflections on a university system in flux, where even the mission of higher ed is up for debate.
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ep. 32 AI Is Not EdTech: Why Higher Education Keeps Treating It Like It Is
2w ago00:25:02Tap to summarizeHigher education has spent decades evaluating and adopting educational technology, but generative AI may be something fundamentally different. In this episode, Zach and Nik argue that AI is not simply the next ed tech tool and explore why universities continue to approach it as if it were. From AI agents and enterprise adoption to data governance, faculty alignment, and the growing tension within the ed tech industry, they examine what changes when AI becomes part of institutional infrastructure rather than just another classroom technology.Microsoft, 2025 Work Trend Index Annual ReportEinstein AIEDUCAUSE Review, “When AI Meets Data: The Promise and the Pressure of Bringing AI into Higher Education Systems.”Zach Justus, AI Agents and the problems of start-up culture for higher edZach Justus, AI Is Making Edtech Pricier—and In-House Builds Plausible AgainThoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.orgYou can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.orgSubscribe to the Unfixed Newsletter—The AI Higher Ed Breakdown our bi-weekly newsletter unpacking the top news stories at the intersection of AI and higher education.
Transcribe →Ep. 31 [Special Episode] CSU Renews Its OpenAI Deal: Zach and Nik React
3w ago00:30:13Tap to summarizeThe California State University system just renewed its OpenAI contract, turning what began as a bold AI pilot into a long-term institutional commitment. In this special Unfixed reaction episode, Zach and Nik break down the costs, controversies, and consequences of the ChatGPT Edu deal—from academic freedom and governance to vendor lock-in and the future of teaching. Is CSU building essential educational infrastructure, or making a risky bet on a single AI company?This big university system is embracing AI. Students and faculty aren't all on boardCalifornia State University renews controversial systemwide contract with OpenAI | EdSourceNik and Zach, Canceling that Cal State ChatGPT contract does not solve the AI problem; it might make it worse | EdSourceThoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.orgYou can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.orgSubscribe to the Unfixed Newsletter—The AI Higher Ed Breakdown our bi-weekly newsletter unpacking the top news stories at the intersection of AI and higher education.
Transcribe →Ep. 30 Preparing Teachers for the Age of AI with Jamie Gunderson
4w ago00:27:15Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Unfixed, Nik and Zach are joined by our producer and special education scholar Jamie Gunderson to explore how AI is reshaping teacher education and K-12 classrooms. Drawing from her work preparing future teachers and her expertise in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Jamie discusses the major gaps in AI training for educators, the challenges facing teachers already in the classroom, and the opportunities AI creates for accessibility and inclusion. The conversation examines what teacher preparation programs must rethink as AI becomes a permanent part of education. From critical AI literacy to equitable classroom design, this episode explores what it means to prepare teachers for an AI-shaped future.Jamie GundersonAniya Greene-Santos, Does AI Have a Bias Problem?Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.orgYou can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.orgSubscribe to the Unfixed Newsletter—The AI Higher Ed Breakdown our bi-weekly newsletter unpacking the top news stories at the intersection of AI and higher education.
Transcribe →Ep. 29 What Higher Ed Gets Wrong About AI and Critical Thinking with Inara Scott
May 1800:36:04Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Unfixed, Nik and Zach sit down with Inara Scott, a leading expert on AI strategy and innovation in higher education, to examine why the conversation around AI may be moving backward instead of forward. They explore faculty resistance, the limits of AI bans and opt-out policies, and the widespread concern that generative AI is eroding students’ critical thinking. Inara introduces her “AI Cognitive Pyramid” as a new framework for understanding where meaningful thinking actually happens in AI-integrated learning. The discussion reframes what it means to take AI seriously in teaching, learning, and institutional strategy.Inara Scott on LinkedInInara Scott at Oregon State UniversityThe AI Cognitive Pyramid: A Conceptual Framework for Generative AI Use, Critical Thinking, and Learning Design in Higher Education by Inara Scott :: SSRNNik Janos, AI Is Not Antithetical to Human Intelligence: What The Guardian gets wrongUnfixed Ep. 26 From Grief to ActionThoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.orgYou can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.orgSubscribe to the Unfixed Newsletter—The AI Higher Ed Breakdown our bi-weekly newsletter unpacking the top news stories at the intersection of AI and higher education.
Transcribe →Ep. 28 AI Retrofit Workshops: Redesigning Teaching for the Age of AI
May 400:26:00Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Unfixed, we unpack what it actually means to run AI retrofit workshops—where faculty redesign assignments and learning outcomes for a world shaped by generative AI. Rather than hype or quick fixes, this work starts from disruption: courses no longer behave as intended, and instructors are left to figure out what still holds. We explore the emotional and intellectual reality faculty face, and why time, structure, and trust—not tools—are the real interventions. Retrofit emerges not as innovation, but as necessary maintenance for teaching that still has to function.Different Approaches to AI and Faculty LearningIntens(ive) ReflectionsProblem with AI LiteracyAI Is Not Antithetical to Human Intelligence: What The Guardian gets wrongBook usThoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.orgYou can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.orgSubscribe to the Unfixed Newsletter—The AI Higher Ed Breakdown our bi-weekly newsletter unpacking the top news stories at the intersection of AI and higher education.
Transcribe →Ep. 27 The Future of Higher Education with Nick Dirks
Apr 2000:39:01Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Unfixed, we talk with Nicholas (Nick) Dirks, President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences and former Chancellor of UC Berkeley, about what AI really means for the future of higher education. Rather than treating generative AI as just another technological shift, Dirks helps us unpack where institutions may be misreading the moment—and what a serious response could look like. We explore the growing pressures on universities, from legitimacy and funding to enrollment and disruption, and what role they should play in a rapidly changing world. The conversation ultimately asks a bigger question: what is the university actually for in the decades ahead?Nicholas DirksNick @ The New York Academy of SciencesThe New York Academy of SciencesJustus and Janos, No, the Pre-AI Era Was Not That Great, IHEJanos, Builders: Designing the Post-AI UniversityJustus, Elites Are Distorting the AI DiscourseThoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.orgYou can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.orgSubscribe to the Unfixed Newsletter—The AI Higher Ed Breakdown our bi-weekly newsletter unpacking the top news stories at the intersection of AI and higher education.
Transcribe →Ep. 26 From Grief to Action: How Instructional Designers Are Leading AI Change
Apr 600:41:05Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Unfixed, we sit down with William Hardaway and Jason McGensy from CSU Fresno to explore how institutions are actually implementing AI in higher education. The conversation moves from the practical—faculty training, instructional design, and scaling AI initiatives—to the emotional, including the idea of “grief” as faculty confront rapid technological change. We also examine how this work connects to broader efforts around equity and institutional transformation. The episode closes by interrogating the limits of using therapeutic metaphors to understand AI adoption in academia.Jason on LinkedInFeedback literacyAI Institute video recapReport on our Academic Affairs Staff AI Community of PracticeThoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.orgYou can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.orgSubscribe to the Unfixed Newsletter—The AI Higher Ed Breakdown our bi-weekly newsletter unpacking the top news stories at the intersection of AI and higher education.
Transcribe →Ep. 25 Are Asynchronous Online Classes Broken?
Mar 2300:28:03Tap to summarizeAsynchronous online courses have become a cornerstone—and a cash engine—of modern higher education, but in the age of AI, the model is starting to crack. In this episode, we unpack how large-scale, low-touch online classes create fragile conditions for trust, especially as generative AI makes it easier than ever for students to outsource their thinking. We explore the growing tension between institutional incentives to scale enrollment and the reality of eroding learning quality, faculty burnout, and widespread uncertainty about what student work actually represents. Drawing on firsthand teaching experience, we examine how instructors are adapting and where those efforts fall short. The result is a stark question: can asynchronous education be rebuilt for the AI era, or are we sustaining a system we no longer fully believe in?Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.orgYou can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.orgSubscribe to the Unfixed Newsletter—The AI Higher Ed Breakdown our bi-weekly newsletter unpacking the top news stories at the intersection of AI and higher education.
Transcribe →Ep. 24 Teaching Writing in the Age of AI With Stephanie Tran and Tamara Tate
Mar 900:36:34Tap to summarizeGenerative AI is transforming how students write and how professors teach writing. In this episode of Unfixed, we’re joined by Stephanie Tran (Cypress College) and Tamara Tate (UC Irvine Digital Learning Lab) to explore what AI means for composition, academic writing, and digital literacy in higher education. Together, we examine the scale of the challenge facing writing instructors as AI models become increasingly proficient at generating polished text. What does “writing” mean across disciplines? And how can educators integrate AI into writing instruction without offloading the essential cognitive work that writing is meant to develop? Stephanie shares her work leading district-wide faculty development on equitable and human-centered AI practices. Tamara discusses her leadership at UC Irvine’s Digital Learning Lab and her experience developing AI-based writing tools designed to support — not replace — student skill building.Tamara TateUC Irvine Digital Learning LabPapyrusAI Resources, “Starting to use PapyrusAI or generative AI for writing?”Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.orgYou can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.orgSubscribe to the Unfixed Newsletter—The AI Higher Ed Breakdown our bi-weekly newsletter unpacking the top news stories at the intersection of AI and higher education.
Transcribe →Ep. 23 Under Pressure: AI, Earnings Tests, and the New Squeeze on Higher Ed
Feb 2300:27:04Tap to summarizeHigher education is facing two converging pressures: generative AI disrupting early-career labor markets and new federal “earnings test” accountability rules tying program viability to graduate income. In this episode of Unfixed, we examine how AI is thinning entry-level work, why mid-tier public universities may be especially exposed, and how federal accountability metrics could amplify wage suppression caused by automation. Drawing on reporting from Jeffrey Selingo, PBS NewsHour, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and U.S. Department of Education materials, we explore why GenAI and federal regulation are no longer separate stories. We close by asking what university leaders, faculty, and systems—especially in California—should do before signaling effects and enrollment shocks reshape the sector.Jeffrey Selingo, New York Magazine / Intelligencer, What Is College For in the Age of AI?PBS NewsHour, How AI may be robbing new college graduates of traditional entry-level jobsU.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education Reaches Consensus on Historic New Accountability FrameworkBrian O’Leary, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Colleges Face a New Test on Their Grads’ Earnings. These Programs Fail It. (Note: Paywalled)California State University, Strategic Planning for the CSU (CSU Forward)Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.orgYou can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org
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