Rebundling the Faculty Role: Evolving, Not Eroding

Episode 10In this second episode of our two-part series, Michael and Vernon explore what happens after unbundling: how faculty and other academic professionals are adapting, defending, and rebundling their roles in an AI-powered world. This episode outlines four irreducibly human responsibilities, three common defense strategies of professions under threat, and four emerging faculty archetypes for the AI era. Whether you're a professor, designer, advisor, or leader, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and offer a hopeful path forward. Stick around for a set of reflection questions you can bring back to your team.These are the sources mentioned inside the episode’s dialogue as well as some helpful links.  Smith, V. C. (2008). The Unbundling and Rebundling of the Faculty Role in E-Learning Community College Courses. University of Arizona dissertation. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/194795 Associated Press (2023). “Automated Earnings Stories Multiply.” https://www.ap.org/the-definitive-source/speaker-spotlights/applying-automation-in-the-newsroom/ American Federation of Teachers (2024). “Resolution on Artificial Intelligence.” https://www.aft.org/resolution/artificial-intelligence American Federation of Teachers (2024). “AFT Launches National Academy for AI in Instruction.” https://www.aft.org/press-release/aft-launch-national-academy-ai-instruction-microsoft-openai-anthropic-and-united American Association of University Professors (2023). “Artificial Intelligence, Academic Freedom, and the Evolving Debate over Forgery and Truth in the Twenty-First Century.” Journal of Academic Freedom, 15. https://www.aaup.org/JAF15/artificial-intelligence-academic-freedom-and-evolving-debate-over-forgery-and-truth-twenty Freidson, E. (2001). Professionalism: The Third Logic. University of Chicago Press. https://books.google.com/books/about/Professionalism_the_Third_Logic.html?id=Tgn3sThG8QEC Abbott, A. (1988). The System of Professions. University of Chicago Press. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo5965590.html World Economic Forum. (2023). The Future of Jobs Report 2023.  https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023  Affiliate Links: MACRO Leadership, by Michael Cottam: https://amzn.to/476zHRP  Join us at www.engagedbydesign.com to learn more aboutThe Course Design Accelerator Faculty-in-the-Loop AI in Higher Education