Unfixed: How AI Is Reshaping the University

Zach Justus and Nik Janos
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Unfixed is a podcast for anyone interested in how generative AI is transforming higher education, from teachers and administrators to students and curious learners. Hosted by the faculty behind the blog Melts into Air, it offers candid reflections on a university system in flux, where even the mission of higher ed is up for debate.

Episodes

  1. 5D AGO

    Ep. 9 Bridging the AI Gap: From Kindergarten to College with Stephanie Dinnen and Pete Siner

    AI is reshaping every level of education—but K–12 and higher ed often feel worlds apart. In this episode, we talk with Teach Smarter podcast hosts Stephanie Dinnen and Pete Siner about how generative AI is transforming K–12 schools, the evolving challenges across grade levels, and what higher education needs to understand about the next generation of AI-native students. Stephanie Dinnen is an implementation specialist, supporting districts and schools in building MTSS frameworks for literacy, math and SEL. She is a psychiatric researcher turned K-12 educator and a military spouse advocate. Pete Siner is a former teacher and educational consultant who helps schools use AI to strengthen Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction, support SEL, and build sustainable systems across traditional, CTE, and alternative settings. He hosts the Teach Smarter podcast and will present at ISTE 2025 on how AI can save teachers time without adding complexity. Teach Smarter, teachsmarteredu.com Stephanie Dinnen, @mrsdinnenreads, www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniedinnen Pete Siner, https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-s-75580490/ Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    37 min

  2. JUL 28

    Ep. 8 We Built an AI Advising Bot, Here’s What Happened

    Advising is part mentorship, part logistics—and often a confusing mess. In this episode, we explore how AI might help (or hurt) students and advisors trying to navigate course selection, degree requirements, and policy mazes. We share what happened when we built our own advising bot and tested it in the wild. Could this be the future of student support, or just another edtech fantasy? With special guest Jamie Gunderson. Josh Farris and Chi Chan, Guiding First-Generation Students to Success Lauren Coffey, An AI Boost for Academic Advising Liam Knox, The (AI) Counselor Is in Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    32 min

  3. JUL 14

    Ep. 7 Insecure University

    In this episode of Unfixed, we unpack the mounting pressures that are destabilizing higher education. From the looming enrollment cliff and partisan political attacks to the unresolved trauma of COVID-19 and the disruptive arrival of generative AI, universities are being pulled in multiple, often contradictory, directions. Nik and Zach explore how these forces intersect to create what they call the “insecure university.” What does it mean to learn, teach, and lead in institutions struggling to justify their very existence? Inside Higher Ed, “College-age demographics begin steady projected decline” Rufo in City Journal Venkatesh Rao, “Knowledge Under Siege” (cooked with AI)” Nils Gilman on Theory of Change podcast Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    31 min

  4. JUN 30

    Ep. 6: AI and the Slow University

    Generative AI is upending higher education but can the university keep up? In this episode, we explore why institutional change in academia is so slow, even as AI accelerates disruptions across academic integrity, tenure, curriculum, and writing. From campus bureaucracy to the post-COVID pivot, we ask: what happens if we don’t adapt? And what would it take to respond differently, before the university becomes obsolete? Mark Carrigan, Are Universities Too Slow to Cope With Generative AI? Melts into Air, Thoughts on the First AI-Powered University Seb Murray, Business Schools Ease Their Resistance to AI Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    24 min

  5. JUN 16

    Ep. 5: The Wild West

    In this episode of Unfixed, we unpack Chico State’s recent ChatGPT rollout and what it reveals about the CSU system’s broader AI strategy. Why are universities centralizing AI adoption? What’s at stake for faculty, students, and the future of higher ed? We explore institutional motivations, equity and sustainability concerns, vendor influence, and the disconnect between AI hype and on-the-ground realities. Nik Janos, Thoughts on the First AI-powered University Rob Nelson, What is an AI-empowered University Rob Nelson, Alignment Problem Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    30 min

  6. JUN 5

    Ep. 4 AI is Coming for White-Collar Jobs-Is Higher Ed Ready? Special Episode

    In this special breaking-news episode of Unfixed, Nik and Zach dive into urgent headlines warning that AI could eliminate millions of entry-level white-collar jobs. They unpack what this means for students, the public perception of higher education, and what colleges must do now to stay relevant. Featuring insights from Kevin Roose, Dario Amodei, Hard Fork, and more, the episode explores how universities can reposition themselves in an era of accelerating automation and economic uncertainty. Kevin Roose, For Some Recent Graduates, the A.I. Job Apocalypse May Already Be Here - The New York Times Jim VanderHei and Mike Allen, Behind the Curtain: A white-collar bloodbath Artificial Intelligence coverage from Axios Hard Fork, The A.I. Jobpocalypse, Building at Anthropic with Mike Krieger and Hard Fork Crimes Division - The New York Times Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing a meltsintoair.org

    31 min

  7. JUN 2

    Shock and Awe, AI Assistants

    Melts into Air, Assistant for the Rest of Us Melts into Air, Tenure, Promoton, AI Melts into Air, AI Personality Disorder

    28 min

  8. MAY 18

    Ep. 2: AI Is Devil Magic: How Generative AI Broke Student Assessment

    Inside Higher Ed, Assessment of Student Learning Is Broken Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing a meltsintoair.org

    24 min

  9. MAY 18

    We are Unfixed: How AI Is Reshaping Higher Education

    Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing a meltsintoair.org

    6 min
  • 9 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

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About

Unfixed is a podcast for anyone interested in how generative AI is transforming higher education, from teachers and administrators to students and curious learners. Hosted by the faculty behind the blog Melts into Air, it offers candid reflections on a university system in flux, where even the mission of higher ed is up for debate.

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