This month, we break down the Creative Divide in AI, celebrate UCLA Med’s 52 engineering days reclaimed, and map the blueprint for campus-wide Wi-Fi success. Plus, dive into our Tech Spotlight on game-changing platforms and save your seat for exclusive webinars on VE/COIL, AI-driven student success, and more.

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The Creative Divide: Why We Embrace AI in Coding but Resist It in Writing by Jeff Dillon

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into higher education hasn't just changed how we teach and learn, it's fundamentally reshaped what skills we value and how we define expertise. 

Since late 2022, with the public release of ChatGPT followed by more sophisticated models like GPT-4, Google's Gemini, and Claude 3, we've witnessed a seismic shift in how academic work gets done.

UCLA Medical School Reclaims 52 Engineering Days Annually After Web Platform Migration

The Digital Technology team at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA transformed their web operations by migrating 170+ websites to Pantheon. Their previous Drupal platform created frustrating bottlenecks: three-hour deployment downtimes, limited development environments, slow support responses, and manual security management.

Using Pantheon's Terminus tool, they created 174 sites in just 36 minutes. The migration delivered impressive improvements:



• 85% reduction in deployment downtime (from 3 hours to 10-15 minutes)
• 92% faster issue resolution (from weeks to same-day)
• 86% faster site response times
• 52 engineering days saved annually

The team now benefits from enhanced tooling, integrated analytics, and simplified security management. Individual site logs are accessible without complex SQL queries, and data-driven reporting is automated.

Web Systems Manager Paul Babin summarized the transformation: "By migrating to Pantheon, I got my life back" and "Now, when we push to production, it's unicorns and rainbows!"

Building Powerful Campus Wi-Fi: Strategies for Higher Ed Success

In today’s higher education landscape, reliable wireless connectivity is more critical than ever. Students expect a seamless connectivity experience across campuses, researchers run data-heavy applications, and IoT devices power everything from smart classrooms to campus security.

Universities must deliver high-performing Wi-Fi across complex environments, spanning historic buildings and cutting-edge learning centers, while supporting tens of thousands of devices.

Creating seamless, campus-wide coverage can be complex. With varying building materials, unpredictable user density, and growing digital demands, network teams face significant design and management challenges. That’s why thoughtful planning, specialized tools, and a deep understanding of each space are essential to success.

In Ekahau’s latest article, you’ll discover the key considerations for deploying fast, reliable Wi-Fi in higher education settings. From navigating architectural obstacles to future-proofing for new technologies, this guide offers practical strategies to help you deliver exceptional wireless experiences everywhere on campus.

Latest Episodes



5/9: Cracking Higher Ed Content and AI Discovery with Brian Piper

Discover how to leverage AI for personalized content, audience targeting, overcoming adoption barriers, and scaling content creation in higher education marketing strategies.

5/2: Revolutionizing Higher Education Through Performance TV with Jennifer Lonchar Explore how streaming TV is revolutionizing higher education marketing through targeted ads, emotional storytelling, and measurable impact.

4/25: Mapping the Course: Data, Discovery, and Innovation with Lee Rainie Uncover how AI is transforming higher education, impacting teaching, learning, academic integrity, and prompting shifts in educational practices and governance.

4/18: From Google to Doowii: Making EdTech Data Actually Useful with Jeff Rubenstein Discover how AI-driven data analytics in edtech can break down silos, improve student outcomes, and align education with workforce skills and pathways.

Your Students Need an AI-Aware Professor

Professors need to understand and integrate AI into their teaching to help students navigate a world where AI plays an increasing role. Educators should engage with AI tools, build awareness, and empower students to use AI effectively in their academic and professional lives. Source: Chronicle.com

Overcoming the Enrollment Cliff

As student enrollment continues to decline, institutions must embrace digital strategies to adapt. This article explores key digital marketing tactics and enrollment strategies that can help colleges stay competitive in a changing landscape.

Source: MackeyStrategies.com

End of Life Announcements and the Inevitable Move to the Cloud

As legacy educational technologies reach their end of life, the shift to cloud-based solutions becomes inevitable. This post discusses the impact of these transitions and how institutions can effectively manage the migration to the cloud.

Source: ListEdTech.com

Meta Launches Stand-Alone AI App Meta has launched “Meta AI,” a standalone app built on its Llama 4 model that offers personalized conversational AI—with features like a social-infused Discover feed and voice chat—positioning it to compete directly with ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. Source: Campus Technology

Highlighting the latest and most innovative apps and technology platforms transforming higher education on EdTech Connect.

Pantheon provides higher education institutions with tools to build, manage, and optimize accessible, high-performance websites. Their platform ensures ADA/WCAG compliance, scalability during traffic spikes, and seamless user engagement analytics.

Infoready offers comprehensive research administration and workflow automation solutions for higher education institutions, streamlining proposal management, compliance, and award tracking.

Pathify provides a unified student experience platform, offering personalized communication, engagement tools, and integrated campus services for improved student outcomes.

Pictory is a powerful video creation platform that helps institutions transform long-form content into engaging short videos for marketing and communication.



Is Technology Shaping Society or Is Society Shaping Technology?

May 14, 2025 at 3:30–4:30 PM ET

Hosted by the University of Tennessee's College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies, this webinar series addresses emerging challenges and opportunities in higher education.

Leveraging VE/COIL for Career Readiness and Workforce Development

May 21, 2025 at 2:00 – 3:15 PM ET

Preparing students for today’s global workforce requires scalable, inclusive, and relevant learning experiences. This webinar will explore how Virtual Exchange (VE) and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) can build essential twenty-first-century skills like communication, adaptability, and digital fluency while aligning with career readiness and strategic institutional goals.

Designing Systems to Support and Drive Student Success in the Age of AI

May 22, 2025 AT 1:00 PM EDT

This webinar brings together academic and industry experts, including one of Chegg’s student advisors, to explore how AI is reshaping the student experience. Through expert insights, we’ll discuss the challenges and opportunities of integrating AI into education responsibly, while ensuring accessibility and supporting student success.

The EdTech Connect newsletter is the go-to resource for higher ed professionals seeking to discover and evaluate education technology solutions and news.

Higher Ed Solution Providers and Professional Serbvices, would you like more information about what we do? Reach out to us to start the conversation.

Thanks for reading!

Until next month --

Jeff Dillon

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