California's Largest College of Education Unveils Framework for AI as a Companion to Teaching and Learning

National University's RAISE 5 guidelines give faculty and students a clear, field-tested framework for when and how AI can be used, informing AI integration across academic programs

SAN DIEGO, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sanford College of Education at National University (NU) — California's largest provider of teaching credentials and one of the ten largest education schools in the nation — today unveiled RAISE 5 (Rules for AI Scholastic Engagement), a field-tested framework that establishes clear guardrails for how, when, and to what degree AI technologies can be used as a companion to teaching and learning. Developed and piloted within the college that prepares more teachers than any other university in California, the framework is designed to serve as a model for AI integration across NU's broader portfolio of academic programs and the broader field of K-12 and college instructors and instructional designers.

"As the largest college of education in California and one of the largest in the country, we have an important responsibility to test, observe, and understand the impact of AI on teaching and learning on an unparalleled scale," said Dr. Robert Lee, dean of the Sanford College of Education. "Every future teacher we train will walk into a classroom where students are already using AI. This is about ensuring they understand what it means to learn with and alongside AI responsibly — not just as users of the technology, but as educators who will shape how an entire generation of students engages with it. What we learn here becomes a model for the rest of the university and, we hope, for higher education and K-12 classroom instruction more broadly."

A 2025 global survey by the Digital Education Council found that 86% of students use AI in their studies, with 54% doing so weekly and nearly one in four daily. A 2026 JFF survey found that nearly seven in ten learners report AI is now incorporated into their coursework. Yet only about a quarter of U.S. colleges and universities have formal policies governing its use. Meanwhile, 95% of college faculty fear student overreliance on AI, with 84% saying it reduces critical thinking and deep engagement with course material.

AI is already reshaping the workforce — eliminating jobs and disrupting the entry-level roles that have historically launched college graduates' careers. At the same time, emerging research suggests that the unstructured use of AI can erode key cognitive skills, including critical thinking, judgment, and the ability to synthesize complex information.

RAISE 5 assigns each course assignment one of five levels of AI integration — ranging from actively encouraged use (Level 1) to full prohibition (Level 5) — giving faculty and students a clear, mutually agreed-upon standard before work begins. The framework treats AI as a companion to the learning journey and a tool that can enhance understanding when deployed with intention, and undermine it when used as a substitute for thinking.

"AI isn't just a new tool — it's the latest evolution in a long history of technologies that have expanded our collective intelligence," said Dr. Mark Milliron, President and CEO of National University. "From writing and the printing press to email and web 1.0, each one changed not just how we transmit knowledge but how we create it. AI has the potential to do something more dramatic than any of those shifts. But it also carries an equal capacity to erode learning if we're not intentional. RAISE 5 is our answer to that challenge — a framework that helps students learn about AI, learn with AI, and learn alongside AI with the guardrails that keep human judgment and growth at the center."

National University graduates nearly 6,800 students a year into some of the country's most critical, hard-to-fill professions — nursing, teaching, autism therapy, cybersecurity, and mental health counseling — fields where AI is actively changing how work gets done and what skills employers demand. Because generative AI will continue to evolve, NU will periodically update RAISE 5 to reflect new capabilities while preserving the integrity of the learning process. What the Sanford College of Education learns in piloting the framework will inform how NU scales it across every academic discipline.

As the largest provider of teaching credentials in the state of California, National University's Sanford College of Education offers more than 15 terminal degrees and certificates, bringing to bear a unique combination of faculty expertise, online instruction, school and district partnerships, research opportunities, and holistic student support to meet the diverse needs of the K-12 education workforce.
To learn more, visit www.nu.edu/raise5

About National University: National University, a Veteran-founded nonprofit, has been dedicated to meeting the needs of nontraditional, working, and military students by providing accessible, affordable higher education opportunities since 1971. As San Diego's largest private nonprofit university, NU offers over 150 online and on-campus programs with flexible four-week and eight-week classes and one-to-one graduate education models designed to help students reach their goals while balancing busy lives. Since its founding, the NU community has grown to 130,000 learners served per year — 50,000 degree-seeking students and 80,000 workforce and professional development students — and 255,000 alumni around the globe, many of whom serve in helping industries such as business, education, health care, cybersecurity, and law and criminal justice. To learn more, visit NU.edu.

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