Biography

Dr. Szymon Machajewski is a higher education AI strategist who bridges technical implementation with institutional governance. As Associate Director of Academic Technology and Learning Innovation at the University of Illinois Chicago, he leads the Digital Learning Infrastructure group and drives AI integration strategy across a 34,000-student R1 institution. He also serves as Faculty Fellow for Teaching with AI Technology at Lansing Community College, giving him cross-sector perspective spanning research universities and open-access institutions.

At the national level, his influence on AI policy includes serving on the EDSAFE AI Alliance Council and the SAFE AI Companions Task Force, contributing to the 2026 S.A.F.E. by Design policy recommendations for AI in education. He was selected for two EDUCAUSE Horizon Report expert panels, the 2023 Generative AI Action Plan and the 2025 Data Analytics Edition, and contributed to the 2025 Higher Education Generative AI Readiness Assessment. He chairs the EDUCAUSE Student Success Analytics Community Group Steering Committee, where he directs the group’s focus on AI-driven analytics and ethical data use.

A published author on AI in education, Dr. Machajewski wrote the Routledge book chapter AI-Powered Student Support and Advising in Online Higher Education (2026) and authored The Learn-It-All Educator: A Guidebook for Training Brains, Not Replacing Them (2026). His opinion essay in Inside Higher Ed on AI and academic rigor and his EDUCAUSE Review article “English 2.0: AI-Driven Language Transformation” have contributed to the national conversation on AI’s role in higher education. His perspectives on AI in academic publishing were featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education and on the Microsoft Education Blog.

Underpinning his strategic leadership is a deep technical fluency evidenced by AI deployments prior to the 2022 generative AI debut. In 2017, his team won an AI hackathon with the Course Sentiment project using AWS Amazon Comprehend for natural language processing. He has developed open-source edtech tools recognized with a 2011 Catalyst Award for Innovative Development, holds a U.S. patent in e-learning technology, and created the AI Instructional Framework adopted by educators for designing AI-integrated learning experiences.

His AI work is grounded in more than 20 years of college teaching and educational technology leadership. Earlier research in gamification and learning analytics, which earned him recognition as a gamification leader, laid the foundation for his current focus on AI-driven student engagement and success. Awards include a 2015 national award for Optimizing Student Experience, a 2021 Leading Change award, and UIC’s 2022 Award of Merit.

Dr. Machajewski holds an AI for Leaders certification from Harvard University and is a recognized Google Generative AI Leader. He is a member of the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR) and is certified in Mental Health First Aid. He presents regularly in leadership communities on AI strategy, agentic AI, accessibility, and responsible AI adoption. His TEDxGVSU talk on immersive feedback environments reflects his long-standing commitment to rethinking how technology supports learning.

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Books & Book Chapters

2026  The Learn-It-All Educator: A Guidebook for Training Brains, Not Replacing Them with AI
Machajewski, S. (2026). The Learn-It-All Educator: A Guidebook for Training Brains, Not Replacing Them with AI (Complete ed.). ISBN: 9798249845469

Print & OER versions available.  Companion site with AI Literacy worksheets, videos, and other resources: https://bit.ly/aigymedu
Also available in the Polish language.

2026  AI-Powered Student Support and Advising in Online Higher Education

Machajewski, S. (2026). AI-powered student support and advising in online higher education. In K. S. Ives, M. Cini, & R. Schroeder (Eds.), AI applications in online higher education administration: Strategies for maximizing returns and improving outcomes (Chapter 8). Routledge.

2017 The Well-Played Class: A Case Study on How Gaming the System Motivates Students and Restores the Joy of Teaching

Machajewski, S. (2017). The Well-Played Class: A Case Study on How Gaming the System Motivates Students and Restores the Joy of Teaching. Data II Press. ISBN: 979-8197300003

A case study on gamification, gameful design, and intrinsic motivation in STEM and computing education within an institutional framework. Companion site and resource details pending.

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Journal Articles & Essays

2026  How AI Is Exploding Our Illusions of Rigor

Inside Higher Ed — Opinion essay arguing that generative AI is exposing “illusions of rigor” in common academic practices and prompting a rethink of what rigor should mean in the AI era.

Machajewski, S. (2026, January 15). How AI is exploding our illusions of rigor. Inside Higher Ed.

2026 From Know-It-All Expert to Learn-MOR Leader. MOR Associates. 

Where in your own leadership are you most trying to be the person who already knows, when your organization most needs you to be the person who is visibly learning?

2026. AI Augments, Never Replaces: What the Hybrid Advising Co-Op Teaches Us About Building an Equitable Future for Student Support. UPCEA.

In Chapter 8 of AI Applications in Online Higher Education Administration, I trace the evolution of AI student support technologies from rule-based chatbots to context-aware AI assistants to autonomous AI agents. The question is not what AI can do, but what we choose to let it do and for whom.

2026 Red light, yellow light, green light: What 1,187 faculty decided about AI in their classrooms

Faculty set clear, enforceable boundaries on GenAI use that balance academic integrity with student suppor.

Machajewski, S. (2026). Red light, yellow light, green light: What 1,187 faculty decided about AI in their classrooms. Community College Journal, 96(4), February/March 2026. 

2025  AI in the Classroom: From Complex Texts to Engaging Learning Experiences, NotebookLM

Teaching-focused article on using Google NotebookLM to support learning from complex sources.

Machajewski, S. (2025). AI in the classroom: From complex texts to engaging learning experiences, NotebookLM. LearnTech Digest (University of Illinois Chicago).

2025 Contributor to Guidelines for the responsible use of AI in STEM education research. Institute for Advancing Computing Education.

Smith, J. M., & McGill, M. M. (2026). Guidelines for the responsible use of AI in STEM education research: Protecting our participant communities and research integrity. Institute for Advancing Computing Education. https://iacomputinged.org/graiser

2024  The AI Revolution in Chess and Its Impact on Education

EdTech Digest — Essay using the transformation of chess through AI as a lens for learning design and implications for education and learning integrity.

Machajewski, S. (2024, November 15). The AI revolution in chess and its impact on education. EdTech Digest.

2024  English 2.0: AI-Driven Language Transformation

EDUCAUSE Review — Article exploring how AI may influence the position of English as a programming language for knowledge, and the downstream implications for education and communication.

Machajewski, S. (2024). English 2.0: AI-driven language transformation. EDUCAUSE Review.

2024  AI Instructional Framework: A Comprehensive Approach to Learning with AI

Machajewski, S. (2024). AI Instructional Framework: A Comprehensive Approach to Learning with AI. University of Illinois Chicago. https://doi.org/10.25417/uic.26181374

 2022  A Framework for Student Success Analytics

EDUCAUSE — Institutional framework describing core elements of student success analytics initiatives and a shared vocabulary for implementation.

Almond-Dannenbring, T., Easter, M., Feng, L., Guarcello, M., Ham, M., Machajewski, S., Maness, H., Miller, A., Mooney, S., & Moore, A. (2022). A framework for student success analytics. EDUCAUSE.

2021  Discrimination in a Sea of Data: Exploring the Ethical Implications of Student Success Analytics

EDUCAUSE Review — Co-authored analysis of equity and bias risks in student success analytics, with implications for responsible data and AI use.

Guarcello, M., Feng, L., Panahi, S., Machajewski, S., & Ham, M. (2021). Discrimination in a sea of data: Exploring the ethical implications of student success analytics. EDUCAUSE Review.

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Reports & Expert Panels

2026  S.A.F.E. by Design: Policy, Research, and Practice Recommendations for AI Companions in Education

EDSAFE AI Alliance. (2026, February 2). S.A.F.E. by Design: Policy, research, and practice recommendations for AI companions in education.

2025  2025 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report, Data Analytics Edition

Robert, J., Muscanell, N., Arnold, K., Machajewski, S., et al. (2025). 2025 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report: Data Analytics Edition. EDUCAUSE. Expert panelist/contributor.

 2025  Higher Education Generative AI Readiness Assessment

EDUCAUSE. (2025, March 10). Higher education generative AI readiness assessment. Contributor.

2023  2023 EDUCAUSE Horizon Action Plan: Generative AI

Robert, J., Machajewski, S., et al. (2023). 2023 EDUCAUSE Horizon Action Plan: Generative AI. EDUCAUSE. Expert panelist/contributor.

2023  Envisioning How Data-Informed Colleges Will Redefine the Student Experience

White paper on how data-informed institutions can reshape the student experience.

Machajewski, S., Carpenter, R., Hermann, K., & Heiser, C. (2023). Envisioning how data-informed colleges will redefine the student experience. Anthology Education & Research Center.

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Featured Media

2024  Lessons Learned with Dr. Szymon Machajewski

OpenStax. (2024). Lessons learned with Dr. Szymon Machajewski. https://openstax.org/blog/learn-with-us-voices-part-ii

2024  “We’re All Using It”: Publishing Decisions Are Increasingly Aided by AI

Chronicle of Higher Education — Media coverage discussing AI’s role in academic publishing decisions. Role: Featured/expert voice.

The Chronicle of Higher Education. (2024). “We’re all using it”: Publishing decisions are increasingly aided by AI. Featured/expert voice.

2023  Advancing Opportunities for AI in Higher Education

Microsoft Education Blog — Microsoft piece highlighting work to advance AI opportunities in higher education, including collaboration with Anthology. Role: Featured collaborator.

Microsoft Education. (2023, October). Advancing opportunities for AI in higher education.

2023  The Role of AI in Higher Education: Interview with Dr. Szymon Machajewski

University of Illinois Chicago. (2023). The role of AI in higher education: Interview with Dr. Szymon Machajewski.

2017  Move Over, Mario: Professor Invents Game to Engage Students in Learning

Grand Valley State University. (2017). Move over, Mario: Professor invents game to engage students in learning. Grand Valley Magazine.

2012  How the Hybrid Classroom Found a Home at Grand Rapids

EdTech Magazine. (2012, November). How the hybrid classroom found a home at Grand Rapids. EdTech Magazine: Focus on Higher Education. Featured faculty pedagogical and technical innovator.

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Presentations & Talks

2025  The Next Frontier in Education: Agentic AI and the Future of Student Support

EDUCAUSE. (2025, October 28). The next frontier in education: Agentic AI and the future of student support [Conference session].

2024  Bicycle for the Mind: AI for Accessibility

Machajewski, S. (2024, March 14). Bicycle for the mind: AI for accessibility [Conference presentation video]. YouTube.

2024  Challenges and Opportunities of Generative AI in Teaching and Learning

Machajewski, S. (2024, December 18). Challenges and opportunities of generative AI in teaching and learning [Video]. YouTube.

2024  AI Automation for Academic Projects: No-Code Options — Perplexity.ai

Machajewski, S. (2024, September 11). AI automation for academic projects: No-code options (Perplexity.ai) [Video]. YouTube.

2024  Harnessing the Power of AI in Education

Anthology. (2024, April 3). Harnessing the power of AI in education [Webinar].

2023  Generative AI and Its Future @ UIC

UIC Leadership Retreat (Aug 20, 2023) — Expert panel on generative AI applications and implications for higher education.

Machajewski, S., et al. (2023, August 20). Generative AI and its future @ UIC [Panel video]. YouTube.

2023  Learn Ultra AI Design Assistant: Let Complexity Work For You from CLI to GUI

Machajewski, S. (2023, December 18). Learn Ultra AI design assistant: Let complexity work for you from CLI to GUI [Video]. YouTube.

2021  Digital Literacy & AI: Artificial Intelligence and Disruptive Innovation in Education

Machajewski, S. (2021, December 16). Digital literacy & AI: Artificial intelligence and disruptive innovation in education [Webinar video]. YouTube.

2020  Perspectives on AI Strategy: Columbia, Wharton Online, University of Illinois at Chicago

Machajewski, S. (2020, July 16). Perspectives on AI strategy: Columbia, Wharton Online, University of Illinois at Chicago [Panel video]. YouTube.

2016  Immersive Feedback Environments for Learning and Growth

Machajewski, S. (2016). Immersive feedback environments for learning and growth [TEDx talk]. TED.

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Additional Resources

Google Scholar Profile:
scholar.google.com/citations?user=a-FePHAAAAAJ