National University Sets New Standards for AI in Learning
As a student, should you use AI to brainstorm? Edit your paper? Write the whole thing? Colleges everywhere are trying to decide how to answer these questions.
In a recent announcement from the San Diego‑based National University, the school has officially introduced their standards by way of their RAISE 5 (Rules for AI Scholastic Engagement). This new framework outlines their beliefs on when AI should be part of the learning process and when it shouldn’t.
With AI quickly becoming a part of everyday college life, this is the perfect time to set some ground rules. According to research cited in the announcement, 86% of students already use AI in their studies, and nearly seven in ten students say AI is now built into their coursework.
CLEAR GUIDELINES FOR AI
National University’s RAISE 5 gives instructors a clear way to classify how acceptable AI use is in any assignment. Each task falls into one of five levels, ranging from fully encouraged to completely off‑limits, so students know the expectations before they begin.
“Every future teacher we train will walk into a classroom where students are already using AI,” says Dean Dr. Robert Lee. “This is about ensuring they understand what it means to learn with and alongside AI responsibly – not just as users of the technology, but as educators who will shape how an entire generation of students engages with it.”
The university’s President, Dr. Mark Milliron, says AI marks a turning point on the scale of the printing press or the internet, while also warning that it can work against learning when students become too dependent on it.
The stakes are high here with regulations, because National University graduates nearly 6,800 students each year. That’s a lot of people to educate. A lot of lives they have the chance to touch. Because the technology is ever-evolving, the university says it will regularly update the RAISE 5 framework, using lessons from its Sanford College of Education to eventually expand the model across every academic discipline.
“RAISE 5 is our answer to this challenge – a framework that helps students learn about AI, learn with AI, and learn alongside AI with the guardrails that keep human judgment and growth at the center,” says Milliron.
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