Teaching and Learning with AI Conference

Higher education plays a key societal role in preparing those who attend our institutions for what awaits them after graduation. Part of that work requires that faculty innovate their practice to best serve the learning needs of our students. Drawing from the second edition of Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2025), Dr. C. Edward Watson will detail trends in the world of work as well as trends in AI and higher education and share why he believes AI Literacy has become essential learning for college students, and why AI is an increasingly important practice for college faculty. He will also offer visions of the future of the professoriate that hold promise for a new era of engagement for students and faculty.

We built a custom chatbot for an Introduction to News Editing course that's intentionally bad at its job. Students answer a few questions about story type and length, and the bot generates a flawed article, complete with grammar mistakes, structural problems, and questionable sources. Each student gets a unique story — no two experiences are the same. Students edit the mess and submit it back for instant, rubric-based feedback. After two semesters, we learned that AI makes a surprisingly effective practice partner, as long as humans stay in the loop. We'll share how we built it and what students actually thought.

This 10-min talk explores best practices for the balanced integration of artificial intelligence in student learning. It highlights strategies that support ethical, transparent, and skill-building uses of AI while preserving authentic, real-world learning experiences. Emphasis is placed on teaching students how to use AI as a supportive tool for inquiry, feedback, and creativity—rather than a replacement for critical thinking. Practical classroom examples demonstrate how AI can complement hands-on activities, collaboration, and real-life problem solving to foster deeper understanding and learner agency. Example activities to encourage real-world, “hands-on” learning in conjunction with AI will also be provided.

I started asking AI a simple question: “Can you make this slide less boring and maybe even slightly funnier?” I’d like to share my journey and what happened when I started doing this more often. I’ll show a few examples of how I used generative AI to add light humor and fun analogies to my slides. Coming from me, the goal definitely isn’t stand-up comedy but just small tweaks here and there that might help students smile once in a while, stay awake, and hopefully stay more engaged in class. #humor-in-teaching #making-learning-fun

Conference ProposalTeaching and Learning with AI Conference 2026Proposed Session TitleKeeping Up Without Burning Out: Using AI to Move from Evidence to AssessmentPreferred FormatPrimary: 10-Minute TAI Talk  |  Secondary: Poster SessionSession TrackAI Fluency and Faculty DevelopmentAbstractIn evidence-based fields, the research never stops moving. New guidelines drop, recommendations change, and suddenly last semester's lecture needs an overhaul. Most faculty don't have time to keep up, let alone redesign their courses every time the evidence shifts.This session presents a practical, five-step workflow for using AI to move from new evidence to polished assessments without burning out in the process. The workflow includes: synthesizing new research and guidelines, designing effective presentations, creating engaging learning activities, developing student study guides, and transforming assessment questions from memorization-based to application-focused.Drawing from two years of studying AI in education and one semester of intensive implementation in a graduate nursing program, this session offers concrete strategies any faculty member can adapt, regardless of discipline. Participants will leave with a repeatable framework for keeping courses current while protecting their time and sanity.Learning Objectives / TakeawaysParticipants will be able to:1. Apply AI tools to efficiently synthesize new research, guidelines, or other source material for course content2. Use AI to design visually effective presentations without graphic design expertise3. Generate engaging learning activities such as case studies, discussion prompts, and interactive exercises4. Create student study guides that align with course objectives5. Transform existing assessment questions from recall-based to application-based using AI assistanceCross-Disciplinary AppealWhile examples will be drawn from health sciences education, the five-step workflow applies to any discipline where content evolves, including sciences, policy, law, business, and technology fields. The framework focuses on process rather than discipline-specific tools, making it immediately adaptable for diverse faculty audiences.Presenter BioJ'Laine Proctor, DNP, FNP, PMHNP-BCJ'Laine Proctor is a Clinical Professor at the University of Wyoming's Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing, where she co-developed the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) curriculum, course work, taught across both didactic and clinical courses in the program. She also maintains clinical practice as a dual-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and PMHNP at Albany Community Health Clinic, where she advocates for integrated behavioral health and primary care. A self-described practitioner of "cowgirl medicine," J'Laine has spent the past two years studying AI applications in higher education; attending every talk she can find, reading widely, and experimenting in her own courses. She's particularly interested in how AI can help faculty keep pace with rapidly changing evidence while still having time for what matters: teaching students to think like providers.Contact InformationJ'Laine Proctor DNP, FNP, PMHNPClinical ProfessorFay W. Whitney School of Nursing (Dept. 3065)Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse PractitionerUniversity of Wyoming436 Health Sciences Center Laramie, WY 82071-2000 Main Office 307-766-4312 Direct 307-766-6571Fax 307-766-4294 [email protected] ● https://www.uwyo.edu/nursing

Reflection-heavy courses ask students to examine how they think, decide, and act, yet these processes are hard to make visible. This TAI Talk presents a framework for embedding session-specific AI assistants to support metacognition, rather than producing student work. Using a first-year course as an example, I demonstrate three tools: an Evolution of Point of View reflection with layered 'Why' questions, an in-class design thinking support tool that transitions ideas from abstract to feasible, and a rubric-aligned feedback tool for pre-submission checks. Transferable across disciplines, the framework supports student agency and academic integrity.#metacognition #assessment #aipedagogy

The leadership terrain has changed. This fast-paced, 10-minute talk adapts the "Canoeing the Mountains" metaphor for k-12 and higher ed leaders navigating the uncharted territory of AI. Learn to move beyond seeing AI as a threat and embrace it as a "Strategic Collaborator." We'll introduce a 3-step model (Reframe–Redesign–Recommit) to help you amplify human judgment and lead with purpose.Keywords: #AILeadership #AdaptiveLeadership #StrategicCollaborator

Generative AI now allows for the creation of imaginary environments for virtual tours and virtual field trips. While these fictional environments do not replace the value of real settings, they offer unique cognitive, emotional, and pedagogical values. Real places come with students’ preconceived ideas, stereotypes, and/or partial knowledge, while a fictional environment, allows students approach the content with cognitive openness, rather than relying on existing biases, knowledge, or attempting to recall memorized facts. This session will cover the use of AI immersive learning experiences as effective tools for enhancing student engagement, understanding, and skill development.

Key: (V) = Vegan; (Veg) = Vegetarian; (GF) = Gluten Friendly (note: the kitchen is not rated for “Gluten Free”)

• Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice (V)
• Chilled Cranberry and Grapefruit Juices (V)
• Freshly Ripened Cubed Fruit of the Season (V)
• Apple Turnovers (Veg)
• French Toast With Mango Mascarpone and Warm Maple Syrup (Veg)
• Orange-Infused Macerated Berries (GF)
• Cage-Free Scrambled Eggs, Pico de Gallo, and Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (GF)
• Fingerling Potato Hash (V) (GF)
• Hickory Smoked Bacon (GF)
• Freshly Brewed Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee & Specialty Hot Teas

For colleges where AI is synonymous with ChatGPT alone, how can you introduce different types of AI to faculty in a fun, inexpensive way? AI Playground was designed as a drop-in PD option that gave faculty a chance to try out AI for lesson-building, administrative tasks, and media creation while offering high value with minimal setup. See how you can build your own PD session with some tips and tricks learned from one such session held in Fall 2025. #facultydevelopment

AI is able to generate art pieces, essays, and research papers quickly, but does it truly create - or simply imitate? In this TAI Talk, we'll explore the flaws behind algorithmic creations and why critique is essential for creativity and humanity. We’ll reveal common weaknesses in AI-generated pieces and demonstrate how human intervention transforms machine-made projects into authentic works. We will try to answer the impossible question: What makes learning human? #AI-Generation #Human-Centered-Creativity

Generative AI doesn't have to undermine critical thinking and information literacy—it can enhance it. This presentation demonstrates how a redesigned first-year composition curriculum uses GenAI as a "research guide" to teach students misinformation detection, source verification, and lateral reading techniques. Through scaffolded assignments requiring documented AI interactions and independent fact-checking, students learn when AI assistance crosses into academic dishonesty. Attendees receive practical curriculum design strategies, assignment prompts, rubrics, and student examples for integrating AI into composition and information literacy instruction while maintaining academic integrity. Essential for faculty navigating AI's impact on writing and research pedagogy.#artificial-intelligence #information-literacy #composition-pedagogy

It started with a simple goal: let programming students use AI assistance grounded in their textbook. What began as a basic code editor with a chat panel evolved over 15 months into StudySite.ai—a comprehensive platform with AI tutoring, learning artifacts, and virtual classroom management. This TAI Talk shares the organic journey of building with AI-assisted development, using multiple LLM vendors to grow features iteratively. Learn what worked and failed in the Spring 2025 pilot across three programming courses, and practical lessons for educators considering their own AI-powered solutions. Honest insights from someone still building and learning.

Faculty and students increasingly use AI for research, but most cannot preserve or search their AI conversations. This creates problems for research documentation and building on previous work. This talk demonstrates what AI conversation preservation looks like using visual examples, shows how to export conversations from platforms that provide this capability, and provides resources attendees can use. Attendees will see what searchable AI archives look like and receive practical guides for preserving their own AI research conversations. (#research-documentation #data-portability #AI-tools)

In this 10-minute TAI Talk, I will demo a fast, repeatable workflow for turning course materials into high-quality exam prep resources. Using NotebookLM, I generate study guides, podcasts, and practice questions grounded in assigned readings and slide decks. Next, I build a low-prep, high-engagement Jeopardy-style review game in Claude. Finally, I share how a course-specific custom GPT can act be designed as an academic tutor. Participants will leave with a mini playbook they can use immediately. #NotebookLM #Claude #ChatGPT

AI places the answers to our assessments directly into students’ hands. We try to police it, or even ban it, and yet none of those paths lead anywhere new. What makes this moment feel so unsettling is not the technology itself, but what it threatens to invalidate: our hard-won knowledge and our identity as educators. This talk invites you into a deeper examination of that discomfort and toward a reframe that changes how we understand learning, assessment, and what it means to begin with an answer. If we are willing to see it, a new path forward is already waiting.

Discover a practical framework for integrating AI into research-intensive writing assignments. This session shares concrete strategies from a capstone course where students produce 20-25 page papers. Learn how to scaffold AI use across the research and writing process—from topic selection and source discovery to bibliography formatting, outlining, and editing. Attendees will leave with sample prompts, classroom activities, and clear guidance on AI's strengths and limitations that you can adapt for any discipline requiring deep research and analytical writing. #AI-pedagogy #scaffolding-AI-use #practical-AI

Traditional examinations, especially in a remote format, are susceptible to cheating. Instructors are increasingly returning to classical methods of assessment in response. The Alternative Examiner leverages AI to conduct individualized Socratic dialogues that can assess student reasoning, adaptability, and ethical judgment. Students are engaged in authentic, deep assessment while academic integrity is maintained via graduated consequence systems. This presentation explores the pedagogical design, ethical guardrails, and practical implementation of AI-mediated assessment that transforms evaluation from standardized testing into personalized learning pathways – at scale – preparing students for a world where human-AI collaboration is essential.

This presentation examines how artificial intelligence can transform remediation into a more targeted, equitable, and data-driven process. Using graduate exam results, AI tools were applied to identify learning gaps, generate individualized study plans, and monitor progress. Student outcomes improved significantly, with an average 38 percent increase overall and a 50 percent increase from baseline (pre-predictor) to the second attempt. Faculty experience greater efficiency and consistency in developing plans. Attendees will learn practical and ethical ways to integrate AI into assessment and curriculum design to strengthen student success and streamline academic support across disciplines.#artificial-intelligence #student-success #data-driven-education

Students arrive with wildly different levels of AI confidence, and faculty often feel pressure to bridge that gap alone. In this 10‑minute talk, we’ll explore how partnering with academic librarians can transform student research. Librarians coach learners through AI‑enhanced databases, complex search strategies, literature‑gap discovery, and research‑question development. This session highlights quick, high‑impact ways faculty can integrate librarian expertise to boost student outcomes, reduce inequities in AI literacy, and strengthen research instruction across disciplines. Attendees leave with practical, scalable ideas they can implement immediately.Keywords: AI literacy, librarian collaboration, AI research skills

This session shares the design and outcomes of a one-day Generative AI-Assisted Course Design Studio embedded within a Spring Pedagogical Institute. Faculty participants from diverse disciplines used backward design principles and structured AI prompting to build a complete or near-complete course in a single day. Rather than treating AI as a shortcut, this model positions generative AI as a pedagogical partner. Participants will leave with a replicable framework, sample prompts, and lessons learned for implementing AI-supported course design at their own institutions.#AIinPedagogy #FacultyDevelopment #CourseDesign

In higher education, our goal is to foster resilience and critical thinking, yet we often soften our feedback to avoid discouraging students. This talk explores a counter-intuitive application of Generative AI: using it not as a tutor, but as a "ruthless critic." The psychological distance that makes students more receptive to AI feedback than human critique will be examined. By implementing a systematic "Critique-Response" assignment protocol, educators can teach students to separate their ego from their ideas, turning the AI into a sparring partner that exposes flaws in logic, research, and argumentation before a human ever sees the work.

In Spring 2025, Duke University Libraries and the Center for Teaching & Learning launched a project to integrate AI ethics into instruction and student learning. Our team co-created an openly accessible AI Ethics Learning Toolkit that helps instructors spark critical, student-centered conversations across disciplines. Organized around urgent questions, such as trust, bias, and mis/disinformation, the toolkit introduces ten key topics with practical learning activities. In this talk, participants will get ideas for conversation starters and hands-on activities (with “no-AI” alternatives). Participants will also consider ways in which AI ethics content can be introduced into upper-level, discipline-specific courses.

Faculty spend hours writing the same feedback on student work often with little impact on learning. This  talk demonstrates how to design a course-specific AI feedback agent that delivers consistent, rubric-aligned, pedagogically grounded feedback while preserving academic judgment. The session shows how teaching intent, assessment criteria, and tone are translated into agent behavior in real time, without coding. Participants see a live walkthrough of the agent’s structure and leave with a reusable pattern they can adapt for writing, projects, problem-solving, or reflective assignments across disciplines.

Key: (V) = Vegan; (Veg) = Vegetarian; (GF) = Gluten Friendly (note: the kitchen is not rated for “Gluten Free”)

• Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice (V)
• Chilled Cranberry Juice and Grapefruit Juices (V)
• Freshly Baked Breakfast Pastries (Veg)
• Freshly Ripened Cubed Fruit of the Season (V)
• Oatmeal and Yogurt Parfait Bar: Seasonal Berry Compote, Honey, Walnuts, Cinnamon, Brown Sugar, Raisins and House-crafted Granola (GF), (Veg)
• Cage-free Scrambled Eggs, Cheddar Cheese and Tomato Salsa (GF)
• Pork Sausage Links (GF)
• Vegan Sausage Patty (V) (GF)
• Home Fries, House Seasoning, Herbs (V) (GF)
• Freshly Brewed Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee & Specialty Hot Teas

Navigating GenAI use in online Master’s programs requires a common language to create clarity around student and instructor expectations. This session explores the practical implementation of the AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) to bridge this communication gap between faculty and students. We will share data-driven lessons on how the AIAS enhances transparency, clarifies task-specific expectations, and serves as a vital force for academic integrity. Attendees will gain actionable strategies for deploying the scale to foster honest, productive AI-human collaboration in digital learning environments. Keywords: AI Assessment Scale, Academic Integrity, Online Graduate Education

How might the AI revolution transform universities? In this presentation we begin by situating academia's response in the macro contexts of AI and economics, geopolitics, psychology, exploring how those disruptions impact higher education. Next we tease out major trends of how faculty, students, and staff respond to and sometimes use the technology, projecting them forwards to glimpse future campuses.  We conclude with several scenarios, possible post-AI academic institutions.