Teaching and Learning with AI Conference

Hello!  I am an instructional specialist with more than 2 decades of experience in higher education.  In the realm of AI, my work focuses on the social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence in higher education. I am interested in helping novice and experienced users understand the many dimensions of AI – how it works, how to prompt it, and how to critically evaluate its output.  My collaboration with Michigan State University’s culturally centered AI project has allowed me to deepen my understanding of how AI intersects with issues of culture, including data sovereignty, language preservation, and whose knowledge systems are reflected (or erased) in AI training data.  This work has increased my awareness of the need for culturally responsive approaches to AI literacy in the classroom. Thanks to the perspectives shared by my fellow project members, I am better prepared to present educators with practical strategies for engaging students in culturally centered AI inquiry while fostering agency, critical awareness, and inclusive participation in an AI‑mediated world.

At the University of Central Florida, I am the Lead Trainer for Staff as part of the AI for All initiative. This position gives me the opportunity to share information with staff, faculty, and administrators across the institution with the express purpose of building foundational and applied AI fluency. The workshops I have designed and delivered have focused on how generative AI works, the assumptions embedded in AI systems, and the practical implications of AI adoption across diverse university contexts. I have partnered with offices including Graduate Studies, Student Success and Wellbeing, the President’s Office, and Legal Affairs to explore responsible, context‑aware uses of AI in academic and administrative tasks.