At Norton, we’ve been fielding a lot of questions and seeing a lot of buzz about GenAI in higher education. So, we’re pulling back the curtain on Norton’s approach to meeting the challenges and opportunities of AI through this interview with Karl Bakeman (Chief Product Officer), Betsy Twitchell (Editor in Chief for Science), and Meg Leary (Digital Learning Research Manager).
How is Norton responding differently than other companies to the challenges and opportunities of AI in the classroom?
Karl: We’ve taken a deliberately different path than many other companies racing to bolt AI onto their products. Rather than rushing out a chatbot for the sake of having one, we spent time listening to instructors. We heard a wide range of reactions: some are eager to embrace AI, others are deeply skeptical or overwhelmed, and most are somewhere in the middle, just trying to find practical ways to teach effectively in this new environment.
Betsy: Our response is a “both/and” strategy. We’re combining content by our incredible authors that supports teaching in the age of AI; AI-enabled tools that support, not replace, pedagogical goals; and instructor communities where ideas and practices can evolve together. We call this strategy “Norton Solutions for the AI-Aware Classroom” because we know that awareness—not panic, not hype—is the mindset that will serve educators best right now.
We’re not pretending to have all the answers. But we are confident that thoughtful, discipline-grounded, human-centered design is a better long-term bet than rushing AI tools to market and seeing what sticks.
What type of research did you execute to inform Norton’s AI approach?
Meg: From the very beginning, it was important to everyone at Norton to move thoughtfully so we could provide classroom solutions that directly addressed student and instructor needs, while also staying true to our values as a publisher. In summer and fall 2024, Karl and I solicited feedback from more than 1,200 instructors to understand how the rise of generative AI had affected their teaching and to learn what kinds of publisher support were most needed. At the same time, our UX team also heard from more than 8,000 students about how they currently utilize AI and how, in their own words, it impacts their learning.
This summer, we worked closely with editors to get feedback from 200 instructors on NortonAI, a new Norton Illumine Ebook feature that boosts student engagement and understanding with personalized, self-directed practice and reading support. These dedicated instructors, scholars, and Norton authors provided in-depth analyses of and responses to NortonAI through a combination of extensive surveys and interviews. This was a vital part of the research process on this feature, and we’re so grateful to those instructors for contributing their close attention and classroom experience to the project.
We’ve also consistently engaged in research efforts on AI-aware teaching by meeting instructors, attending AI sessions at academic conferences, and monitoring emerging research and literature from scholars in the field.
What principles have shaped Norton’s approach to publishing in the age of generative AI?
Karl: Norton’s approach to generative AI is grounded in our belief that expert voices, thoughtful pedagogy, and academic integrity should remain at the heart of the learning experiences Norton provides. AI can be a powerful tool, but only if it supports that foundation, not replaces it.
We focus on building tools that solve course challenges for instructors and students. That means exploring applications of AI to help students engage more deeply with learning materials and navigate complex ideas with confidence. Just as importantly, we prioritize trust. We’re transparent about how our tools work, we don’t experiment on our users, and we take data privacy seriously.
Betsy: The other guiding principle we are applying specifically to our AI initiatives is “AI-awareness.” Using time-tested instructional design best practices as its foundation, this powerful concept puts instructors in the driver’s seat to decide whether and how to use AI in their teaching. Annettee Vee (University of Pittsburgh), author of the Norton Substack “AI and How We Teach,” writes of AI-awareness:
You can choose the path that works best for you and your students. The goal is to retain agency and responsibility despite the challenges of AI, or by harnessing the possibilities. While not every course needs to integrate AI, its influence on our educational environment means we all must take it into account.
What AI tools and resources are available for students?
Karl: For students in fall 2026 classes, we will be offering NortonAI, a feature in select Norton llumine Ebooks, which provides personalized, self-directed practice and on-the-spot reading support to help students stay focused and engaged and ensure that they understand the course material.
Betsy: Our composition team were first movers at Norton and in the industry in creating content that supports students as they adapt to learning the skill of writing in the age of AI. All of our major composition titles now have dedicated chapters to using AI, such as They Say / I Say‘s “HELP ME UNDERSTAND . . . When Your ‘They Say’ Is a Bot” and Let’s Talk‘s “Let’s Chat: Using AI Carefully and Ethically.” Many new editions across disciplines are now published with chapters, boxes, or pedagogy tied to understanding AI technology, AI’s impact on our culture and societies, and AI literacy. Examples include new “Tech Talk” feature boxes in Contemporary Public Speaking, a chapter section on the power and limitations of artificial neural networks in Cognitive Neuroscience, coverage of how AI impacts the micro and macro economies in Principles of Economics, and many more.
What AI tools and resources are available for instructors?
Betsy: We are so excited to announce the publication in summer 2026 of The Norton Guide to AI Aware Teaching by Annette Vee (University of Pittsburgh), Marc Watkins (University of Mississippi), and Derek Bruff (University of Virginia). The guide will equip instructors with strategies for teaching effectively in the age of AI through a practical organization, flexible guidance, a focus on learning outcomes, and abundant useful applications across disciplines.
The authors are well known for their writing and speaking about topics related to AI-aware teaching. In addition to Annette Vee’s Substack mentioned above, Marc Watkins has a popular Substack called Rhetorica and Derek Bruff has a blog and podcast called Intentional Teaching. We are thrilled to be working with this stellar author team and to offer the Guide as a free ebook for all W. W. Norton adopters.
Meg: Anyone looking for professional development in this area and to hear from authors, scholars, and dedicated classroom instructors might be interested in Norton’s AI Workshop Series. Over the next year, we will host several events, led by the authors of The Norton Guide to AI-Aware Teaching and other thought leaders. You can sign up for future workshops and watch recordings of past events on this page.
How can instructors learn more about Norton’s efforts to support AI-aware teaching?
Meg: The best place to stay informed about Norton’s efforts is on Norton’s AI-Aware Teaching landing page. That’s where instructors can learn more about Norton’s AI-aware approach, take a tour of the NortonAI feature, and sign up to receive updates about the forthcoming Norton Guide to AI-Aware Teaching. We also have teaching resources there, like an ongoing AI Workshop Series, posts from authors and instructors on the Norton Learning Blog, and other resources to support teaching in the age of AI.
Learn more about Norton’s AI approach and student and instructor resources here.
MEET THE TEAM
Karl Bakeman is Norton’s Chief Product Officer, leading the digital product team. He founded Norton’s AI Strategy group and AI Lab to foster experimentation and identify innovative opportunities to apply generative AI to book publishing.
Betsy Twitchell is the Editor in Chief for Science, overseeing Norton’s STEM publishing program. Over the last several years, she has become focused on the challenges and opportunities AI technology poses for learning across disciplines and the impact it is making on teachers. Betsy leads Norton’s College Editorial AI Strategy initiative, which is creating content and support resources for AI-aware instruction.
Meg Leary is Norton’s Digital Learning Research Manager, spearheading broad research projects on the higher education landscape to inform the College Department’s editorial and product strategy. She joined the AI initiative in 2024 to provide Norton colleagues with data about how students and instructors were responding to the rise in generative AI and then, more specifically, to inform the development, rollout, and implementation of the NortonAI feature across the College list.