Make Students Think Harder, Not Less: Dave McCool on AI and Experiential Learning
In this episode of The Smarter Campus Podcast, Zach sits down with Dave McCool, President & CEO of Muzzy Lane, to explore how AI can help higher education move beyond traditional assignments and create more experiential, authentic learning.
Dave argues that some of the most promising uses of AI aren’t about inventing entirely new approaches to education. Instead, AI can make proven methods—simulations, role-playing, authentic problem-solving, and skills-based assessment—dramatically easier for faculty and instructional designers to build and scale. He shares how Muzzy Lane has used AI to reduce the creation time for simulation-based assessments from weeks to minutes while keeping humans in the loop.
The conversation also tackles AI detection, the return to blue books, “experience inflation” in the job market, and why students often cheat when coursework feels disconnected from their lives. Dave shares examples of virtual internships and scenario-based assessments that allow students to demonstrate durable skills like critical thinking while gaining experiences they can actually talk about with employers.
For educators and higher education leaders, the episode raises an important challenge: AI shouldn’t make learning easier by removing the thinking—it should help us design experiences that make students think harder.
