Artificial intelligence has become part of how students choose colleges, and most institutions haven’t caught up. That shift is forcing higher education marketers to rethink not only what they publish, but how their digital experiences earn trust once a student finally arrives.
Those questions will take center stage at the 2026 Digital Collegium Content Marketing Summit, an online conference on Tuesday, September 15, bringing together higher education professionals to explore the future of content, digital strategy, and student engagement.
Paskill Principal Strategist, Data & Digital Experience Kelly Kautz will contribute to that conversation with her 45-minute session, “AI Changed How Students Choose Colleges. Has Your Digital Experience Kept Up?”
Drawing on current research and practical examples, Kautz will explore how AI is reshaping student expectations and what institutions can do to create digital experiences that build trust, identify where prospective students lose confidence, and improve enrollment outcomes. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to strengthen the student journey, measure the digital interactions that matter most in an AI-influenced enrollment process, and prioritize improvements that help more students move from interest to enrollment.
The Digital Collegium Content Marketing Summit is designed for higher education professionals in communications, marketing, content strategy, and digital experience who want to strengthen the impact of their institution’s digital presence. Register by August 14 to take advantage of early-bird pricing and join keynote speaker Jaime Hunt, Kelly Kautz, and other higher education leaders for a day of practical ideas you can put to work right away.
Kelly Kautz is a nationally recognized higher education strategist whose work focuses on digital experience, AI, and student belonging. Her research explores how prospective students engage with institutions online and where a sense of belonging begins in the enrollment journey. She has shared her insights on Enrollify’s The Application podcast, served as a track expert at the eduWeb Summit, presented at CUPRAP, and contributed to industry publications. Her work helps institutions create digital experiences that connect institutional strengths with student needs through thoughtful content, intuitive navigation, and user experience strategy.
