May 6, 2025
New Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence provides expanded resources for navigating college in the AI age
Elon University and the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) have released the second publication in the Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence series. Like the widely adopted first publication, this resource is provided to students and institutions free of charge and is available for download on the Guide’s website: www.studentguidetoai.org or via the AAC&U website at aacu.org/publications.
The new publication includes guidance for students using AI in their college studies and offers practical advice about preparing for careers that require AI knowledge and skills. The content was developed with input from consulting scholars and students in 14 countries.
Students, faculty and staff at 1,900 colleges and universities around the world accessed the first Student Guide to AI when it was released in August 2024. Since then, the guide’s website has provided information to more than 36,000 users in 139 countries. The second publication supplements the first, and both are useful resources for students, faculty and staff who want to learn about AI.
“By providing a free resource written in a way all students can access, we hope to increase AI literacy and support students as they adapt to these rapidly changing technologies,” says Elon University President Connie Book. “From the outset, we knew that a second publication would be necessary, with rapid advances in AI changing the learning landscape. This current version will be especially useful as colleges and universities prepare for the upcoming academic year.”
The new Guide helps students prepare for the use of AI in their studies, with sections dedicated to five dimensions of AI skills:
- Research, information gathering and summarization
- Writing
- Creative work
- Data and numerical analysis
- Study and learning assistance
There are also chapters focused on academic integrity, AI ethics, career planning and building a portfolio of AI-assisted projects.
“AAC&U is proud to partner with Elon University on this expanded resource that helps students navigate the complexities of AI in their academic journey,” says C. Edward Watson, vice president for digital innovation at AAC&U. “This second publication directly addresses how students can develop critical AI literacy skills while preparing for a job market that increasingly demands AI competency. It represents our commitment to equipping students with the tools they need to succeed in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.”
The second publication’s content was developed using input from adopters of the first edition, student reviewers and guidance from prominent AI experts and faculty members at universities in the United States, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela.
The new Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence is endorsed by:
- The American Library Association
- NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
- EDUCAUSE
- Online Learning Consortium
- AMICAL Consortium – American international liberal arts institutions
The guide is authored by Daniel J. Anderson, special assistant to the president, Elon University; C. Edward Watson, vice president for digital innovation, AAC&U; Lee Rainie, director of the Imagining the Digital Future Center at Elon University; and Janna Anderson, professor of communications at Elon University and senior researcher for the Imagining the Digital Future Center.
As with the first publication, colleges and universities may request a version of the Student Guide to AI incorporating their institution’s logo on the cover, providing a custom edition for distribution within their campus community (example). For details on obtaining a customized PDF of the publication, send a request along with a logo file to: imagine@elon.edu.
The Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence is an initiative of Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center, in partnership with the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). It is a continuation of a 2023 global collaboration that established a statement of principles to guide development of AI policies and practices in higher education.
About the publishers of the Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence
Elon University is a mid-sized private university in Elon, North Carolina, with a national reputation for experiential learning, teaching excellence and close relationships between students and their faculty and staff mentors. Elon enrolls more than 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 48 U.S. states and 54 countries. Elon was founded in 1889 and includes a law school campus in Greensboro, NC, and national campus locations in Los Angeles, Charlotte, New York City and Washington, D.C.
Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center is an interdisciplinary research center focused on the impact of accelerating digital change and the challenges that lie ahead. The center’s mission is to discover and broadly share a diverse range of opinions, ideas and original research about the likely evolution of digital change, informing important conversations and policy formation. The center was established in 2000 as Imagining the Internet and renamed Imagining the Digital Future with an expanded research agenda in 2024.
The American Association of Colleges and Universitiesis a global membership organization dedicated to advancing the democratic purposes of higher education by promoting equity, innovation, and excellence in liberal education. AAC&U serves as a catalyst and facilitator for innovations that improve educational quality and equity and that support the success of all students. Our membership includes degree-granting higher education institutions around the world as well as other organizations and individuals.