Artificial intelligence tools have become ubiquitous in many facets of our daily lives, including in our institutions of higher education. Recent national data from the 2025 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and the 2025 Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (CCFSSE) illustrate both the promise and the pitfalls when it comes to AI integration in community college teaching and learning. Drawing from over 70,000 student responses and around 3,000 faculty responses, the findings indicate that while most students and faculty are aware of AI tools, gaps exist in usage and understanding.
More than seven in ten student respondents (72%) said they are familiar with AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Grammarly, Microsoft Copilot, etc. Among faculty, the number is even higher at 80%. Faculty also reported being more likely to use AI in their work, although only by a bit: Fifty-six percent of faculty reported using AI to assist with their teaching, compared to 53% of students who said they use the tools to help them with their coursework. For instructors, the most common use of AI is for creating assignments and lesson plans.
Faculty might be more likely to use AI to assist with more varied aspects of their teaching if they felt better prepared to do so. When asked if their college provides training on how AI could support their teaching, 61% of full-time faculty said that it did, while only 45% of part-time responded in the same way. Even more striking is that 43% of part-time faculty said they did not know if such training exists at their college, compared to just 21% of full-timers.
Participation rates in AI training reveal an even wider gap. Among those who were aware of AI-related professional development opportunities, 63% of full-time faculty reported participating, compared to just 38% of their part-time counterparts. Given that part-time faculty teach more than half of all community college courses, ensuring their access to and engagement with this type of training is essential.
A lack of training and institutional guidance may also be a reason many faculty members are unaware of their institution’s AI policies—that is, if their institutions have established policies in place. A faculty member participant in a focus group made this clear: “If we don’t know how to use it ourselves, it’s going to be hard to set policies.” Twenty-nine percent of full-time faculty answered “I don’t know” when asked if their college has a policy on student use of AI. Among part-time faculty, this figure is even higher. Less than half of both full-time and part-time faculty said they explained in their syllabus how AI tools could be used in their courses. Students corroborate this: Nearly one-third reported that none of their instructors explained how AI tools should be used, and only 28% said that all their instructors did this.
While 38% of student respondents reported that their instructors taught them the most about evaluating AI-generated content, nearly half said they learned this skill from someone outside their college. This highlights a critical missed opportunity for institutions to lead in developing students’ responsible and informed use of AI. Essentially, many students are using AI tools for their coursework, but they are doing so with no guardrails in place. If instructors are unsure whether the college has a policy on student use of AI and they have not received training on appropriate and effective use of these tools, it is unlikely that they will have communicated clear expectations to their students.
Seven in ten community college faculty think that AI can improve student learning. Yet when students were asked to respond to a statement about whether AI tools had enhanced their learning, 54% disagreed. A clear disconnect exists between the potential faculty see in the value of AI tools for increasing student learning and what students report is happening. Could this be because students who want to use AI to enhance their learning are confused about how to use the tools responsibly and are anxious about compromising rules of academic integrity? Could it be that they have not been shown the value of AI tools and the potential for using them in their future careers?
AI is already reshaping the world of work. In the very near future, many employers will expect to hire “AI-native” employees— those who can use AI tools confidently, critically, and ethically. While most community college students and faculty are familiar with AI tools, familiarity alone does not equal fluency. Achieving true fluency requires thoughtful policies and intentional practices that ensure that every student and every instructor is prepared to engage with AI in meaningful and empowering ways.
Dr. Courtney Adkins serves as Director at the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE)
Dr. Linda L. García serves as Executive Director at the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE)
The Roueche Center Forum is co-edited by Drs. John E. Roueche and Margaretta B. Mathis of the John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership, Department of Educational Leadership, College of Education, Kansas State University.
This article originally appeared in March 5, 2026 edition of The EDU Ledger.
