Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary

Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, or handouts.

AI: Fully automatable - AI can generate syllabi, assignments, handouts, and rubrics tailored to course objectives and learning outcomes, enabling full automation of material preparation.

Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.

AI: Fully automatable - Maintaining attendance, gradebooks, and administrative records is already routinely automated in LMSs and can be fully handled by AI and integrated systems with appropriate access and safeguards.

Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.

AI: Fully automatable - AI tools in 2025 can search literature, curate specialized readings, and format accurate bibliographies end-to-end.

Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.

AI: Partial - AI can initiate prompts and moderate online discussions effectively, yet facilitation of live classroom dynamics and nuanced social-emotional responses still requires human instructors.

Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.

AI: Partial - AI can accelerate literature review, data analysis, and manuscript drafting, but cannot fully conduct empirical fieldwork, ethical oversight, or independent original research leadership without humans.

Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as family behavior, child and adolescent mental health, or social intervention evaluation.

AI: Partial - AI can prepare comprehensive lecture materials and even deliver prerecorded or virtual lectures, but adaptive live teaching, classroom responsiveness, and mentorship remain human responsibilities.

Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.

AI: Partial - AI can continuously scan, summarize, and surface relevant literature and virtual conference content but cannot fully replicate the interpersonal conversations and professional networking gained from colleague interactions and in‑person conferences.

Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.

AI: Partial - AI can accurately grade objective items and provide rubric‑based scoring and feedback on many written assignments, but nuanced judgments about complex arguments, originality, ethics, and professional readiness still require human oversight.

Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.

AI: Partial - AI can generate, evaluate, and suggest course materials and pedagogical changes using learning data and best practices, but final curricular design must account for accreditation, institutional context, and instructor judgment.

Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.

AI: Partial - AI chatbots and scheduling systems can provide 24/7 informational advising and triage, yet regular office hours that include nuanced mentorship, emotional support, and professional judgment remain primarily human responsibilities.

Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.

AI: Partial - AI can assist supervision by monitoring progress, giving feedback, and suggesting interventions, but comprehensive mentorship, ethical oversight, and evaluative authority over teaching, internships, and research require humans.

Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.

AI: Partial - AI can compile exam items, administer assessments (including proctoring), and auto‑grade many formats, but high‑stakes essay grading, item validity, and secure administration need human design and oversight.

Collaborate with colleagues and community agencies to address teaching and research issues.

AI: Partial - AI can facilitate collaboration through communication drafts, meeting summaries, and data analysis, but building and sustaining relationships with colleagues and community agencies involves human negotiation and trust work.

Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.

AI: Partial - AI can provide evidence‑based academic and career advice, pathway modeling, and resources, but individualized vocational counseling and professional mentoring depend on human expertise and context awareness.

Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.

AI: Partial - AI can draft grant proposals, perform literature synthesis, and create budget templates, yet competitive proposal strategy, institutional compliance, and PI credibility require substantial human leadership and revision.

Supervise students' laboratory and field work.

AI: Partial - AI can monitor field/lab data, provide instruction and flag safety issues, but on-site supervision, hands-on intervention, and complex safety decisions still need humans.

Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks or laboratory equipment.

AI: Partial - AI can recommend appropriate textbooks and supplies and automate ordering workflows, but final selection and procurement approvals often require human judgment and institutional processes.

Act as advisers to student organizations.

AI: Partial - AI can provide advice, resources, and coordination support to student organizations, but it cannot fully replace human mentorship, relationship-building, and official advisor responsibilities.

Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.

AI: Partial - AI can generate analyses, recommendations, and reports used in consulting, but client-facing trust, accountability, and some domain expertise/liaison work still require human consultants.

Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.

AI: Partial - Many recruitment, registration, and placement tasks (screening, scheduling, communications) can be automated, but high-stakes interviewing, onboarding, and contextual judgment remain human-led.

Participate in campus and community events.

AI: Partial - AI can help plan, promote, and virtually participate in events, but physical presence, community relationship building, and representational roles typically require humans.

Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.

AI: Not automatable - Performing duties as a department head requires leadership, personnel decisions, institutional authority, and accountability that cannot be fully automated.

Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.

AI: Not automatable - Serving on academic or administrative committees involves legal/ethical membership, deliberation, and institutional accountability that cannot be delegated to AI.