![\"Leslie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783655289_605_20260709-leslie-cordie-ai.jpg\"\/)
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Leslie Cordie holds her new book, “Navigating the AI Frontier in Adult Education.”<\/p>\n
Ask anyone about artificial intelligence, and chances are\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0hear one of two things:\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0going to save the world or\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0going to steal your job.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leslie Cordie,\u00a0an\u00a0associate professor\u00a0of adult education within the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology,\u00a0says\u00a0both conversations are missing the point.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe real conversation isn\u2019t\u00a0whether\u00a0AI is coming,\u201d Cordie said. \u201cIt\u2019s already here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Cordie, AI\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0something people should fear or avoid; it\u2019s\u00a0something they should learn to understand.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whether\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0leading discussions in workforce development, experiential learning or comparative international education, Cordie encourages students to think beyond memorizing information. Learning,\u00a0according to\u00a0Cordie,\u00a0happens through curiosity,\u00a0conversation\u00a0and experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents bring something to the table,\u201d Cordie said. \u201cI learn from them just as they learn from me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That belief has naturally carried over into how she approaches artificial intelligence.\u00a0Rather than banning AI or treating it as a shortcut, Cordie asks students to experiment with it, question its\u00a0answers\u00a0and think critically about what it produces. She wants them to understand not only what AI can do, but what it\u00a0can\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to use it,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cYou have to educate yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cordie follows that same advice. She\u00a0regularly uses\u00a0AI to brainstorm research ideas, redesign course materials, create grading\u00a0rubrics\u00a0and\u00a0identify\u00a0journals for future publications.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead of replacing her\u00a0expertise, she said, the technology gives her more time to focus on what matters most: meaningful conversations with students,\u00a0collaboration\u00a0and deeper learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s making me a better educator,\u201d Cordie said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That mindset eventually grew into an international research project.\u00a0<\/p>\n