Generative artificial intelligence has the potential to enhance teaching and learning throughout higher education, and 10 new projects announced by the Center for Academic Innovation will explore ways it can improve assessment consistency, tutoring and skill development at the University of Michigan.
The 10 projects will receive financial and in-kind development support from the Academic Innovation Fund and the center. They projects include a range of schools and colleges at U-M and Michigan Medicine, and support units like the Sweetland Writing Center and U-M Library.
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“These projects reflect the ingenuity and dedication of faculty across U-M who are committed to advancing teaching and learning in the AI era,” said James DeVaney, special advisor to the president for academic innovation, founding executive director of the center, and associate vice provost for academic innovation.
“At the Center for Academic Innovation, we are focused on helping faculty translate emerging technologies into meaningful applications, creating impactful learning experiences on campus and beyond. By supporting these pioneering efforts, we are not just exploring AI’s potential; we are shaping the future of higher education and expanding opportunities for learners to reach their full potential.”
In-kind support from the center includes software development, instructional design, behavioral science and software development assistance to guide the projects through development and implementation.
The awarded projects were submitted in response to the center’s call for proposals in 2024. Several projects seek to unlock the power of generative AI to scale up dedicated student support. Others create opportunities for students to practice skills in a safe, virtual setting while allowing for feedback and continuous improvement.
Projects include a team within Michigan Medicine that will develop a tool to mitigate bias in medical training performance evaluation. The Sweetland Writing Center, led by Larissa Sano, lecturer and director of the Writing Fellows Program, will use GraderGPT to improve assessment rubrics for both students and graders, and provide graders feedback before returning assessments to students.
Joseph Decker, assistant professor of dentistry, and Elizabeth Peckham, clinical instructor in pharmacology, are leading a team from the School of Dentistry that will explore generative AI applications for personal tutoring, identifying knowledge gaps for students, and developing AI-generated simulations to practice real-life clinical situations.
