Student Guide to AI adds new resources to help students develop human wisdom

August 13, 2026

NIU has updated its Student Guide to AI to include Human Wisdom for the Age of AI: A Field Guide to Cultivating Essential Skills, the latest edition in the Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence series.

Originally developed by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in partnership with Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center and The Princeton Review, the guide explores the human capabilities that remain essential in an AI-enabled world, including critical thinking, ethical reasoning, creativity, communication, adaptability, curiosity, and judgment.

By incorporating this guide and its companion Human Wisdom Self-Assessment Tool, NIU students now have a centralized resource for exploring both the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence and the uniquely human skills that help individuals use these technologies thoughtfully and responsibly. The self-assessment tool encourages students to reflect on their strengths and growth areas across a range of competencies that support lifelong learning, career success, and responsible AI use.

In addition to resources for students, the guide includes an accompanying faculty guide featuring lesson plans, discussion prompts, classroom activities, reflection exercises and implementation ideas that facultuy can use to integrate AI-related topics into courses across disciplines. The faculty resources are designed to help students engage with important questions about AI, ethics, decision-making, communication and human agency while connecting these topics to existing course objectives.

Together, the student and faculty resources support NIU's broader efforts to promote AI literacy and prepare students to navigate a future in which artificial intelligence increasingly influences how we learn, work, create, and solve problems.

Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to explore the updated resources through the NIU Student Guide to AI, including:

• Human Wisdom for the Age of AI Field Guide
• Human Wisdom Self-Assessment Tool
• Faculty Guide with lesson plans and classroom activities

Access the Guide