Mollie Dollinger on the HE Decay Narrative — and Why It's Wrong

Professor Mollie Dollinger, Director of Assessment 2030 at Curtin University, joins Dale and Nick to push back on the story dominating coverage of higher education — that universities are in decay, students are cheating en masse, and no one inside the sector knows what to do about AI. The conversation covers TEQSA's voluntary action plans, why 65% of students worry about their own cognitive development, what shadow IT says about overworked staff, why society no longer trusts graduates, burnout research, the Einstein agent thought experiment, and the argument that the academy has centuries of expertise the tech industry is currently ignoring.[00:00] — The decay narrative pushback [05:00] — Brookings student cognitive concerns [07:30] — Why the bad story sticks [09:50] — What's actually happening inside [13:30] — Shadow IT and unapproved tools [16:00] — Chatbots and AI tutors [19:55] — Student success beyond jobs [28:46] — Burnout and admin burden [33:35] — Redesigning learning around AI [41:12] — Who counts as expert🎙️ Adjunct Intelligence is the weekly briefing for higher-ed professionals who want AI as a cheat code—not a headache.Every episode:• Real tests of AI tools in education and professional workflows• Fast, Monday-morning actions you can actually try• Clear signal through the noise (no hype, no jargon)👉 Subscribe on [YouTube] | [Apple Podcasts] | [Spotify]👉 Share this with a colleague who still says “I’ll figure AI out later”👉 Join the conversation on LinkedIn with #AdjunctIntelligenceStay curious. Stay intelligent. Stay the human in the loop.