Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges
Abstract
The dominant narrative about AI in education emphasizes anxiety: jobs lost, skills devalued, futures foreclosed. But survey data reveals a more complex picture. Students and faculty who engage with AI tools see greater possibility and feel less threatened than those who avoid them. Engagement correlates with optimism. This essay argues that community college educators are uniquely positioned to bridge this gap and can play a key role in moving students from anxiety to agency by modeling engaged adaptation themselves. Yet faculty consistently report that lack of institutional support, not resistance, is the primary barrier to integration. Drawing on recent surveys from PwC, the Digital Education Council, and others, this essay examines the opportunities facing Virginia's community colleges - from data centers to healthcare workforce development - and invites VCCS faculty to embrace experimentation rather than waiting for guidance that may never arrive. In transitional moments, individual choices carry disproportionate weight.
Recommended Citation
Foxworthy, W. (2026). Maximum Agency: Educator Engagement in the AI Era. Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges, 29 (1). Retrieved from https://commons.vccs.edu/inquiry/vol29/iss1/5
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