Anderson University, as part of its strategic focus on the ethical implementation of Artificial Intelligence, has deployed BoodleBox, a campus-wide suite of free-to-use AI tools, soon to be available to all faculty, staff and students.
“In keeping with our culture of innovation, Anderson University determined that our entire campus (all faculty, staff, and students) is best served with a unified approach to using AI tools,” said Anderson University Provost Dr. Ryan Neal. “Our adoption of BoodleBox intentionally equips our campus community to use AI tools appropriately, ethically, and responsibly. In the classroom we are committed to teaching students how AI tools support and supplement learning in their discipline and ways that they will be utilized in their career. Our focus emphasizes wisdom and intentionality, as well as preparation and productivity.”
BoodleBox is a secure, collaborative AI workspace that allows the AU campus community to engage with AI while connecting individuals across campus. It provides access to several premium AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Stable Diffusion, and more) through one easy-to-use platform.
Last year, Professor Nathan Cox, AU Associate Provost and Director of AU’s Center for Learning and Teaching Excellence, was tasked with leading a committee on the evolving ethical use of AI in teaching and learning at Anderson University as they participated in a year-long institute on AI, Pedagogy and the Curriculum. His goal is to keep the focus on of AI at AU on how the campus community learns and, through that learning, how students can use AI tools ethically to create positive changes in their workplaces and communities.
“We’re not just reacting to a trend,” Professor Cox said. “We’re preparing students for the professional world they’re about to enter and the communities they’ll be helping to shape. In many ways, our students are already in that world and influencing those spaces. Expertise with AI tools and gives them yet another set of valuable skills sets to employ.”
Central to Anderson’s efforts is an understanding that AI is not merely a novelty—it is quickly becoming foundational to the future of work and is changing the nature of teaching. Employers are already seeking graduates who are fluent in AI-assisted writing, content creation and data analysis. To meet this demand, AU sees it as a responsibility to equip students with the skills to use AI tools “creatively, productively, and ethically.”
That preparation goes beyond simply learning how to use a chatbot. It involves critical thinking about the role of AI in society, reflection on its ethical implications and engagement with the very human questions of authorship, ownership and originality.
And it starts with a fundamental shift in how AI is perceived in the classroom.
BoodleBox is another item in AU’s toolkit as the University prepares its faculty, staff and students for the ongoing digital transformation AI represents. It will be available for faculty, staff and students this year.
