CAA Academic Alliance Releases Co-Branded Publication: Human Wisdom For The Age Of AI
Elle Peterson
Richmond, VA (May 12, 2026) – The CAA Academic Alliance announces the release of a co-branded publication in support of its core initiative: the
AI TECHNOLOGIES CHAMPION Network.
The
2026 Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence is published by Elon University and the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), in partnership with The Princeton Review. The CAA Academic Alliance is one of seven endorsing organizations and a branded version of the publication is available for distribution to all CAA Member institutions via the Alliance’s web site:
www.caa-academics.org
The publication’s lead author, Daniel J. Anderson, special assistant to the President at Elon University, is a member of the inaugural class of the Alliance’s
AI TECHNOLOGIES CHAMPION Network and an Academic Year 2025/26 AI Network Awardee. Two members of the
AI TECHNOLOGIES CHAMPION Network’s leadership team also contributed to the publication:
Mustafa Akben, Director of AI Integration/Assistant Professor of Management at Elon University and
Mitchell Kase, Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, and Assessment, at Hofstra University.
The publication, entitled
“Human Wisdom for the Age of AI: A Field Guide to Cultivating Essential Skills,” helps students cultivate the human skills they need to thrive in a digital world, whether working with AI technologies or learning independently of those tools. The guide includes exercises on curiosity, critical and deep thinking, creativity, ethical perspectives, communication and relational skills, among others.
The 2026 Student Guide to AI is available for free download at: studentguidetoai.org.
The publication includes:
- A set of downloadable teacher’s guide learning modules with group exercises, worksheets and discussion questions
- An online self-assessment tool that allows students to reflect on how they are using AI in their studies and their level of reliance on AI tools.
In addition to the CAA Academic Alliance,
“Human Wisdom for the Age of AI” is endorsed by:
- American Library Association
- Gardner Institute
- NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
- Online Learning Consortium
- RTI International
All materials in the guide are provided free of charge and licensed under a Creative Commons License Attribution that allows educators to use and adapt the work for noncommercial applications.
In alignment with the Alliance’s recently adopted Strategic Roadmap, the CAA Academic Alliance launched its signature
AI TECHNOLOGIES CHAMPION Network in October, 2025 as a bold leadership initiative focusing on the impact of AI Technologies in higher education, tied to student success/holistic well-being, innovative curricula, faculty leadership development, interdisciplinary research, and operational effectiveness. As an important strategic initiative emerging from these priorities, the
AI TECHNOLOGIES CHAMPION Network signals collective intent to shape the future of ethical and responsible use of AI technologies in higher education. Through this initiative, the Alliance seeks to drive collaboration, innovation, and inclusion across all thirteen campuses. By combining expertise and working together, Alliance institutions will accomplish more, and much more rapidly, than any single institution could achieve individually, driving synergistic transformation, and resulting in findings that can be disseminated widely, supporting success beyond CAA higher education institutions.
As the use of AI technologies becomes more pervasive, structured and collaborative approaches which are cohesive, consistent and ethical are essential for implementation/integration in higher education. The
AI TECHNOLOGIES CHAMPION Network initiative addresses this transformational challenge by recognizing leaders across the Alliance, building a community of AI technology champions and preparing inter-institutional teams for near-future extramural funding efforts and cross-institutional dissemination.
The inaugural class of the AI Technologies Champion Network for the Academic Year 2025/26 includes the following faculty/staff:
- Sarah Cansler Campbell University
- Scott Kelly Campbell University
- Becka Rich Drexel University
- Michael Wagner Drexel University
- Daniel J. Anderson Elon University
- Michele Lashley Elon University
- Yohannes Bekele Hampton University
- Mariel Friberg Hampton University
- Ethna Lay Hofstra University
- Grace Valdez Hofstra University
- Stephanie Lynch Monmouth University
- Weihao Qu Monmouth University
- Chyi-lyi Liang North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
- Yimesker Yihun North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
- Daisyane Bareto University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Julian Keith University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Samita Heslin Stony Brook University
- Margaret Schedel Stony Brook University
- Miranda Donnelly Towson University
- Lei Zhang Towson University
- Dawn Edmiston William & Mary
- Daniel Miller Runfola William & Mary
The CAA Academic Alliance provides leadership development and inter-institutional collaborative opportunities for the
AI TECHNOLOGIES CHAMPION Network and
AI TECHNOLOGIES Network Awardees, culminating in a scheduled in-person convening set for June, 2026.
About The CAA Academic Alliance
As a higher education academic consortium that facilitates collaboration and communication across its 13 member institutions, the CAA Academic Alliance was formed in 2002 to academically link the higher education institutions of the CAA (Coastal Athletic Association) conference. The Alliance serves a diverse audience across its member institutions: engaging faculty, staff, and students in meaningful initiatives that enrich the academic environment, advance student success, and drive innovation and best practices in higher education.
www.caa-academics.org