Unofficial Office Hours

In this solo episode of the Unofficial Office Hours podcast, host Dr. Justin Hodgson takes a critical look at the recent Grok controversy and what it reveals about the risks of unregulated AI systems. Using the incident as a case study, the episode explores how failures in ethical oversight—ranging from the inappropriate generation of content to culturally and religiously harmful outputs—highlight deeper structural problems in how some AI tools are being developed and deployed.

Beyond the specifics of Grok, this episode asks larger, urgent questions for higher education: What happens when institutions partner with or adopt AI systems that lack clear ethical standards? How should universities think about responsibility, governance, and values when integrating emerging technologies into teaching, research, and operations? And what guardrails must be in place to ensure that innovation does not come at the expense of dignity, safety, and trust? A timely reflection on AI, accountability, and the future of ethical decision-making in higher education.

In this episode of the Unofficial Office Hours podcast, host Justin Hodgson is joined by Dr. Sarah Fisher, Assistant Professor of Writing Studies at the University of Miami, and returning guest Remi Kalir as co-host, for a rich conversation about vlogging, visibility, and public-facing scholarship in higher education.

We explore Sarah’s work as a YouTuber and scholar of rhetoric and writing, feminist rhetorics, embodiment, and multimodal composition—examining how academic vlogging functions as a disruptive practice that challenges traditional norms of scholarly work. Sarah reflects on her life vlogging approach, how building content and community through YouTube shaped her research, and what it means to think, write, and teach with a public facing orientation to her work.

The conversation also turns to academic identity and transition, unpacking Sarah’s move from graduate student to tenure-track faculty and the opportunities and tensions that come with navigating both traditional and non-traditional academic spaces. Together, we consider what vlogging reveals about power, labor, care, and culture in academia—and how digital media can open new pathways for connection, creativity, and scholarly belonging.

Check out Sarah's work here:

web - professorsarahfischer.com

YouTube - @SarahFischerVlogs

In this episode of the Unofficial Office Hours podcast, host Dr. Justin Hodgson is joined by Dr. Sheneese Thompson for a wide-ranging and timely conversation about where higher education is headed with AI—and whether institutions are moving too quickly, not quickly enough, or in all the wrong ways. Drawing on headlines, classroom practices, and student perspectives, the conversation explores resistance to AI in education, student perspective (and faculty assumptions) about AI, and whether the college essay as we know it is due for reinvention.

We also dig into Dr. Thompson’s designing of engaging, student-centered learning experiences that use low-lift AI tools—like Adobe Podcast—to empower students with agency, creativity, and ownership over their work. This episode closes by looking ahead: What do we hope for higher education in 2026?

In this episode of The Unofficial Office Hours podcast, host Dr. Justin Hodgson is joined by Dr. Miranda Rodak, Senior Lecturer and Associate Director of the Communication and Professional Skills Department at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. With extensive cross-disciplinary teaching experience—spanning writing, rhetoric, communication, and business—Dr. Rodak brings an incredible blend of pedagogical depth, innovation, and leadership to the conversation.

Together, we explore her highly successful and widely discussed Hire AI assignment and how it reframes student writing by positioning AI as a consultant rather than a shortcut. We also trace Dr. Rodak’s journey across disciplines—transitioning from the Kelley School of Business to English and then back again—and unpack what those shifts reveal about the differing epistemologies, expectations, and cultures within higher education. Along the way, we talk about the unique ways business education responds to disruption, the growing tension between task-based instruction and deeper learning objectives, and how students thrive when we emphasize growth, agility, and multimodal digital literacy.

Fueled by Dr. Rodak's expertise in faculty development, generative AI, and active learning design, this episode offers not only fun conversation amongst friends, but rich insights into what it means to teach, create, and lead in an AI-enabled world.

A thoughtful and energizing conversation for anyone invested in the future of learning and classroom innovation.

In this episode of the Unofficial Office Hours podcast, host Dr. Justin Hodgson is joined by Dr. Kevin Jones, AI Strategist, Associate Professor of Management, and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at IU Columbus. Recorded while Dr. Jones was on location at the World Summit AI in Doha, Qatar, this conversation brings a uniquely global lens to the rapidly evolving relationship between AI, higher education, industry, and organizational change.

We take a quick-hitting approach to some of the big questions shaping innovation in higher ed today before delving more deeply into specific areas: How is AI accelerating—not just disrupting—traditional models of teaching and learning? What does the backlash to AI actually reveal about faculty identity and institutional culture? And how do campus leaders and instructors prepare students for a professional world that’s adopting AI far faster than universities?

Dr. Jones shares insights from both his change-management scholarship and his conversations at the Summit, arguing that we’re not living in the age of AI so much as the age of accelerated transformation. Together, we situate these rapid shifts in the broader landscape of higher education and explore what they mean for students, faculty, and the future of institutional leadership.

A fast, thoughtful, globally informed conversation about the road ahead for teaching, learning, and innovation.

In this episode of the Unofficial Office Hours podcast, host Justin Hodgson is joined by Dr. Remi Kalir, Associate Director of Faculty Development and Applied Research at Duke University’s Learning Innovation and Lifetime Education.

Dr. Kalir is an accomplished author whose two books on annotation explore both how annotation supports learning and how the act of annotating can meaningfully shape public discourse, agency, and power.

The conversation ranges widely—in the best ways—touching on dignity in higher education, the evolving landscape of AI, whether higher education is facing a true digital fluency crisis among faculty, emerging approaches to professional development, and the critical pedagogical and cultural importance of annotation.

It’s a rich, layered discussion about what it means to teach, learn, and lead in a moment of profound digital transformation.

Unofficial Office Hours is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

The Unofficial Office Hours podcast is where higher education drops the formalities and gets real about teaching, technology, and transforming a campus culture.

Each week, host Dr. Justin Hodgson brings together a rotating crew of campus insiders, technologists, and educators to talk about what’s actually happening in higher education—candidly exploring the intersections of teaching and learning, technology, student success, and digital innovation.

From AI in the curriculum to higher education and industry partnerships, Unofficial Office Hours is equal parts conversation, critique, and community.

Regular co-hosts bring their own “beats” to the conversation — teaching and learning, digital strategy, student experience, leadership, change management — while special guests join to spark honest, sometimes provocative dialogue about what’s working, what’s broken, and what’s next for higher ed.

No jargon. No PR spin. Just smart people having real (fun) conversations about how universities are (or should be) adapting, experimenting, and learning their way into the future.