Beth McMurtrie

Washington, D.C.

Reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education

I write about teaching innovation and the future of learning for The Chronicle of Higher Education. Contact me at beth.mcmurtrie(at)https://t.co/fzlffj780k

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Articles

What professors want to know about AI and teaching

2 weeks ago | chronicle.com | Beth McMurtrie

This week, I:Share insights from a conference on teaching with AIDescribe my latest story on the ongoing reading challengeTeaching with AII just returned from the third annual Teaching and Learning with AI conference, hosted by the University of Central Florida. And, as I did last year, I wanted to share some of what I heard and observed. This year’s conference drew nearly 1,000 attendees and included more than 250 presentations. So there’s plenty to talk about.
The Reading Struggle Meets AI

3 weeks ago | chronicle.com | Beth McMurtrie

Over nearly three decades of teaching, Mary Beth Leibham has developed a good rapport with her students. They speak frankly about their struggles in and outside of the classroom. And her courses in educational and child psychology lead naturally to discussions about learning, memory, and teaching. Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.
Is Your Online Student a Bot?

1 month ago | chronicle.com | Beth McMurtrie

In her 35 years of teaching, Julie Brown has never seen anything like it. Fake students — bots, as she calls them — have been enrolling in her courses at an alarming rate. Last fall, the marketing professor at Santa Barbara City College dropped 30 of her 140 students from an online Business 101 course. She also removed eight potential bots from an in-person introductory management course. This spring, she estimates about 10 of her 45 students across five courses may have been fraudulent.
April 11, 2025

2 months ago | chronicle.com | Beth McMurtrie |Eric Kelderman |Evan Goldstein |Len Gutkin

More institutions are saying yes. Persuading professors is only the first barrier they face.
Should College Graduates Be AI Literate?

2 months ago | chronicle.com | Beth McMurtrie

Last fall one of Jacqueline Fajardo’s students came to her office, eager to tell her about an AI tool that was helping him learn general chemistry. Had she heard of Google NotebookLM? He had been using it for half a semester in her honors course. He confidently showed her how he could type in the learning outcomes she posted for each class and the tool would produce explanations and study guides. It even created a podcast based on an academic paper he had uploaded.
Are you doing your students a disservice if you ignore AI?

Mar 13, 2025 | chronicle.com | Beth McMurtrie

This week, I:Share some ideas about AI literacy. Ask whether current events have entered your classroom. Adjusting to AILast summer, when Julie Bauer Morrison’s son was interning at a Fortune 500 company, he was asked to produce a summary of a long document for his team. After he turned it in, his boss sent him an email: “Did you do this all yourself or did you utilize GPT? CoPilot?” She wanted to make sure he used AI, she wrote, because he had better things to do with his time.
What Keeps Stressed-Out Faculty Members Going? Their Students.

Feb 10, 2025 | chronicle.com | Beth McMurtrie

Daniel Charlton carries a heavy workload. Each semester, he teaches four to six courses because his department is short-staffed. He sits on five committees: two in the College of Education at Montana State University at Billings, where he is an assistant professor, plus another three at the university level. He is also finishing up his dissertation, conducting research, and mentoring future teachers. Grading gets done in the evening and on weekends.
College Leaders Are Divided on the Risks and Benefits of Generative AI

Jan 23, 2025 | chronicle.com | Beth McMurtrie

A new survey of college leaders shows deep concerns and some stark divisions about how well they believe their institutions are preparing students and faculty members to use generative AI. Senior administrators are also divided as to whether the impact of the technology on their colleges will be more positive than negative. The vast majority believe it could enhance learning, but virtually all are worried about its impact on academic integrity.
Can colleges attract Latino students with colorblind strategies?

Jan 7, 2025 | chroni.cl | Erin Gretzinger |Maggie Hicks |Christa Dutton |Beth McMurtrie

Can a college attract Latino students with colorblind strategies? If a new Utah state law bans public colleges from various diversity, equity, and inclusion work, how do colleges recruit and retain Latino students? That’s the central tension at Weber State University, in Utah, where the Latino population is booming, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. To be compliant with the new state law, Weber State’s president shut down the institution’s existing cultural center.
Why Generation Z Gives These Professors Hope

Dec 19, 2024 | chronicle.com | Beth McMurtrie

Gen Z is a puzzle to many professors. Over the last year, The Chronicle has published a series of stories on attitudes and behaviors among young people that makes teaching them a challenge. For a host of reasons they may seem indifferent to learning yet desperate to find meaning and purpose. They don’t do much reading outside of class and may freeze in the face of difficulty. Many are hyper focused on grades and are blasé about cheating.