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Last week I emphasized how trust within the coaching conversation can promote careful consideration, and shrewd use, of AI in the context of learning. I emphatically believe that coaches are uniquely positioned to make a substantive difference in this area. However, as the saying goes, it’s complicated. Layers of conditions may need to be satisfied to capitalize on the opportunity.
To reveal these layers, consider a hypothetical college student:
- Do they have access to coaching – and if so, do they use coaching regularly enough to allow a relationship to grow?
- Has their coach transparently established an equal-power environment, and if so, do they reinforce it?
- Has AI been brought into the conversation in a realistic way?
- Does the student feel comfortable disclosing how they’ve used AI tools – and if they do, are they willing to admit any confusion about whether their actions have undermined learning or violated academic integrity?
Even though students report having concerns about AI, recent Lumina Foundation-Gallup research notes that 57% of surveyed college students use AI at least weekly, with 1 in 5 citing daily use. Some of this use is likely unauthorized, undermining of learning, or both. However, coaching’s equal-power, no-judgment context may invite learners to unpack their interactions with AI tools and develop productive approaches.
How might you increase the opportunity for thoughtful dialogue?
- Establish a no-judgment space and equal-power relationship transparently, and reinforce it periodically (or situationally, in response to any sense that it is doubted or has been forgotten).
- Encourage students to investigate boundaries set by the institution – for example: “What do you know about the official AI policy here?” – and if they lack awareness, point them in the direction of information and clarity.
- Invite them to look at syllabi and LMS course sites to search for course-specific AI use guidelines set by instructors (many institutions have a general umbrella guidance but permit instructors to specify their own rules within those restrictions).
- When you ask questions about AI use, remain as curious and objective as possible, working to set aside your own judgments and emotions around AI.
- Promote student agency on this topic as much as you can. Ask them to analyze what an AI tool does, and how using it has affected their learning. Challenge them to evaluate whether an AI tool follows or violates academic integrity.
- Emphasize what learning science demonstrates: repeated, targeted effort over time builds the neural pathways that create understanding and facilitate application.
Our work is not easy, and although the presence of AI has made it tougher, I believe it has also made it more important. Join other coaches in a LifeBound training to share and learn more about how to meet this challenge.
Explore which course is right for you at www.lifebound.com.
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