Smarter Campus Podcast

Zach Kinzler

Changing education one conversation at a time. The Smarter Campus Podcast dives into the future of learning, spotlighting how students, educators, and innovators around the world are using AI to reshape education. Hosted by Zach, Head of Academic Sales Strategies at BoodleBox.ai, each episode features real conversations with passionate voices—from student leaders to professors—about what’s working, what’s changing, and what’s next. Whether you're curious about AI in the classroom, how schools are adapting, or what students actually want from their education, this podcast keeps it honest, inspiring, and practical. Tune in weekly for powerful ideas, global perspectives, and a smarter take on the campus experience.

  1. 4 days ago

    AI Should Think With Us, Not For Us: Coty Gonzalez on Human Decision-Making

    In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Dr. Cleotilde “Coty” Gonzalez, Research Professor of Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, founding director of the Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory, and Research Co-Director of the NSF National AI Institute for Societal Decision Making. Drawing on more than two decades of work across cognitive science, decision-making, and artificial intelligence, Coty explores an important distinction between machine AI and Cognitive AI. Rather than simply recognizing patterns across massive datasets, Cognitive AI seeks to model how humans actually learn from experience, adapt to uncertainty, and make decisions in changing environments. The conversation dives into human-AI teaming, automation bias, cognitive offloading, and the idea of complementary intelligence—designing AI to strengthen human judgment rather than replace it. Coty also explains why these questions become especially important when AI is involved in high-stakes decisions ranging from emergency response to public health. For educators and higher education leaders, the conversation raises an essential question: as AI becomes more capable, how do we make sure students continue developing their own ability to think, question, evaluate, and make decisions?

    AI Should Think With Us, Not For Us: Coty Gonzalez on Human Decision-Making

  2. 31 Aug

    Is the Traditional College Paper Broken? Jason Bock on Rethinking Assessment with AI

    In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Dr. Jason Bock, Director of Online Education at the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University, instructional designer, learning engineer, and AI EdTech founder. Jason brings a fascinating perspective to the AI conversation by connecting it to higher education’s previous shift toward online learning. While COVID forced institutions to adapt quickly, generative AI presents a very different challenge: it isn’t going away, and the technology continues to improve. That reality is forcing educators to reconsider not just how students complete assignments, but what those assignments were actually designed to measure in the first place. A major focus of the conversation is higher education’s reliance on writing as the default form of assessment. Jason explores alternatives like AI-assisted oral exams, role-play agents, and even evaluating students’ AI conversations to better understand how they ask questions, iterate, and think through problems. The conversation also tackles transparency around AI grading and why students deserve to know when AI is being used to evaluate their work. For educators and higher education leaders, this episode offers a practical look at moving beyond the question of whether students are using AI and toward a more important one: How do we redesign learning and assessment for a world where AI is here to stay?

    Is the Traditional College Paper Broken? Jason Bock on Rethinking Assessment with AI

  3. 24 Aug

    What AI Should—and Shouldn’t—Do in Education with Matthew Rascoff

    In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Matthew Rascoff, Vice Provost for Digital Education at Stanford University, lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and education advisor to Anthropic. With a rare vantage point spanning both a leading university and one of the world’s frontier AI labs, Matthew brings a uniquely informed perspective on what AI can—and cannot—do for education. The conversation tackles one of the most important questions facing higher education: does using AI actually improve learning? Matthew warns against “cognitive surrender,” where students offload too much of the thinking process, and argues that institutions need more rigorous evidence about which AI-supported practices genuinely strengthen learning. He also challenges the idea that increasingly intelligent AI will automatically become a great teacher. Teaching requires more than knowledge—it requires empathy, pedagogy, context, and an understanding of how people learn. Rather than waiting for frontier labs to build education for them, Matthew believes educators and students should become active builders, creating domain-specific tools that address real academic problems. The episode explores open-source educational AI, new forms of student assessment, and a future where papers may evolve into interactive agents and shareable digital artifacts. For higher education leaders, this is a thoughtful conversation about preserving meaningful cognitive work while taking full advantage of what AI makes possible.

    What AI Should—and Shouldn’t—Do in Education with Matthew Rascoff

  4. 17 Aug

    AI in Law School: Corbin Winward on Learning the Fundamentals Before Using the Shortcut

    In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Corbin Winward, a 3L at Baylor University School of Law and President of the Baylor Plaintiff’s Law Association, to explore how the next generation of lawyers is navigating AI in real time. Corbin offers a student perspective on one of the biggest tensions facing legal education: students need to understand how to use AI, but they also need enough foundational knowledge to recognize when it is wrong. He explains why learning to research cases, analyze precedent, and draft legal arguments manually still matters—even when AI can dramatically accelerate those same tasks. The conversation also explores AI as a force multiplier in plaintiff’s law, where smaller teams often face opponents with far greater resources. Corbin makes the case that responsible AI use can help level that playing field, while also creating a new ethical responsibility for lawyers to balance efficiency with verification and professional judgment. For law professors, students, and legal professionals, this episode offers a grounded look at what AI literacy should actually mean: not outsourcing the work, but understanding the work well enough to use AI intelligently.

    AI in Law School: Corbin Winward on Learning the Fundamentals Before Using the Shortcut

  5. 10 Aug

    AI in the Courtroom: Sarah Lanier on Judgment, Ethics, and the Future of Legal Work

    In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Sarah Lanier, a trial attorney at the Lanier Law Firm, to explore how artificial intelligence is changing legal research, trial preparation, professional judgment, and the skills young lawyers will need moving forward. Sarah shares how she has used AI in surprisingly practical ways—from simulating jury selection to accelerating massive document reviews—and why those use cases work best when AI is treated as an ideation and synthesis partner rather than the final decision-maker. The conversation also digs into the legal risks of hallucinated citations, unverified quotes, and over-reliance on generated content. A central theme throughout the episode is the growing value of original human thought. Sarah explains that AI can generate options, organize evidence, and speed up preparation, but it cannot stand before a judge, exercise real professional judgment, or take responsibility for an argument. For legal educators and institutional leaders, the episode makes a strong case for teaching AI proficiency and ethics together. The conversation ultimately offers a practical framework for responsible adoption: experiment actively, build clear review protocols, preserve independent thinking, and prepare students to use AI without surrendering the human judgment that defines the profession.

    AI in the Courtroom: Sarah Lanier on Judgment, Ethics, and the Future of Legal Work

  6. 27 Jul

    Change on Purpose: John Strong on Failure, Grit, and the Human Side of AI

    In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with John Strong, a full professor in the SUNY system, coordinator of the Personal Training Certificate program, and a nationally recognized expert in health, fitness, and physical education. John challenges the idea that younger generations are automatically better with technology simply because they grew up surrounded by it. Instead, he argues that curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to fail are what allow people of any age to confidently learn new tools—including AI. The conversation explores why education should focus less on grades and final products and more on the processes that create meaningful growth: asking better questions, collaborating, reflecting, and developing a sense of purpose. John also discusses the relationship between grit and intrinsic motivation, why educators should help students recognize their existing power rather than “empower” them, and how intentional language can reshape the way we approach challenges. For educators and leaders navigating rapid technological change, this episode is a powerful reminder that growth begins when we embrace uncertainty, learn from failure, and reconnect our work to a deeper purpose.

    Change on Purpose: John Strong on Failure, Grit, and the Human Side of AI

  7. 20 Jul

    Beyond Efficiency: Paul LeBlanc on Reinventing Higher Education for the AI Era

    In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Dr. Paul LeBlanc, former president of Southern New Hampshire University and current visiting scholar at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, for a conversation about what higher education must become—not just what it must improve—as AI reshapes the future. Drawing on decades of leadership and his work alongside disruptive innovation pioneer Clayton Christensen, Paul argues that most institutions are focused on using AI to do existing work more efficiently, when the greater opportunity is to fundamentally redesign how education is delivered. Through powerful analogies and real-world examples, he challenges colleges and universities to rethink outdated systems, embrace experimentation, and create cultures capable of meaningful transformation. The conversation also explores the growing importance of human-centered skills in an AI-driven world. From ambient AI that frees advisors to focus on relationships, to the ethical questions surrounding increasingly human-like AI agents, Paul makes the case that higher education has a unique responsibility to lead—not follow—the conversation around the future of AI. For educators, institutional leaders, and anyone thinking about the future of learning, this episode is a compelling vision for what it will take to move beyond simply adopting AI and toward truly reinventing education.

    Beyond Efficiency: Paul LeBlanc on Reinventing Higher Education for the AI Era

  8. 6 Jul

    Beyond the Code: Forrest Close on AI, Data Science, and Standing Out in a Changing Job Market

    In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Forrest Close, data scientist and recent University of New Hampshire graduate, to explore what it’s really like entering the workforce in the age of AI. From navigating college during the rise of generative AI to competing in today’s challenging job market, Forrest offers an honest perspective from the student side of this technological shift. The conversation explores how AI has transformed learning, including the growing gap between homework performance and actual understanding. Forrest shares why students should use AI as a guide rather than an answer machine, allowing it to strengthen learning instead of replacing it. The episode also highlights an important lesson for educators and employers alike: as AI makes technical work more accessible, the value of communication, collaboration, and translating complex ideas becomes even greater. Forrest reflects on discovering that his greatest contribution wasn't writing code—it was connecting technical solutions to real human needs. For educators, students, and higher education leaders, this episode offers a thoughtful look at how AI is reshaping learning, hiring, and the skills that will matter most in the future.

    Beyond the Code: Forrest Close on AI, Data Science, and Standing Out in a Changing Job Market
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About

Changing education one conversation at a time. The Smarter Campus Podcast dives into the future of learning, spotlighting how students, educators, and innovators around the world are using AI to reshape education. Hosted by Zach, Head of Academic Sales Strategies at BoodleBox.ai, each episode features real conversations with passionate voices—from student leaders to professors—about what’s working, what’s changing, and what’s next. Whether you're curious about AI in the classroom, how schools are adapting, or what students actually want from their education, this podcast keeps it honest, inspiring, and practical. Tune in weekly for powerful ideas, global perspectives, and a smarter take on the campus experience.

Information

  • Creator
    Zach Kinzler
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Zach Kinzler
  • Show Website
    Smarter Campus Podcast

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