Welcome to the IDEAS Seminar Series
This event is part of the IDEAS Seminar Series - a growing and ongoing schedule of seminars which will explore areas such as multimedia creation, online course development, and strategies for fostering student engagement.
About This Seminar
Artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked lively discussion across higher education, bringing both excitement and concerns. Many instructors worry that uncritical use of AI could dull students’ judgement, blur the line between original and machine-generated work, or weaken habits of independent thinking. Others see AI as a helpful assistant that can save time and open new creative possibilities. Both perspectives are understandable and both point to the same need: thoughtful course design and teaching practice that help students engage critically and creatively with AI in their learning.
Join us for a panel discussion to reflect, ask, and explore what AI means for your work. Key discussion topics for this panel will include:
- How can AI be used responsibly to enhance learning without compromising academic integrity?
- What kinds of assignments help students use AI critically—questioning its outputs, reflecting on their choices, and demonstrating independent thinking?
- What are some simple, low-risk ways to begin experimenting with AI in teaching?
Speakers
Michelle Miller, is an internationally recognized expert on attention, memory, technology, and college teaching. She is the author of Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology, Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology: Teaching, Learning, and the Science of Memory in a Wired World, and A Teacher’s Guide to Learning Student Names: Why You Should, Why It’s Hard, How You Can. Through keynotes, workshops, and writing, Dr. Miller helps institutions and educators create learning experiences that are evidence-based, engaging, and ready for the future.
Kirsten led campus-wide efforts on AI in teaching and learning since ChatGPT's release in November 2022. She has created, designs and co-facilitates the ongoing Generative AI Discussion Group with Dan Cannity (IDEAS) and developed many of CTL's key Resources on Generative AI, including guides on redesigning assignments and creating AI policies. During a professional improvement leave in Fall 2024, Kirsten researched critical AI literacy frameworks to help educators engage thoughtfully with AI's evolving role in teaching and learning. Most recently, she co-presented a session on AI literacy grounded in a values-based approach at the AI and the Liberal Arts Symposium at Connecticut College.
Cammy started as a Junior Instructional Designer in 1996 and has since collaborated with hundreds of organizations to design and deliver training. In 2009, she helped start up US operations for Mindtools Kineo, a global provider of learning solutions. She currently leads the US sales team, supports clients through the initial discovery process, and manages a portfolio of client accounts to help organizations meet their strategic business objectives through better learning solutions. She’s the author of The Accidental Instructional Designer: Learning Design for the Digital Age – second edition (ATD Press, 2023). Cammy is mom to three emerging adults, one of whom is a senior at UMass Amherst.
Sean is a faculty member at UMass in the Accounting Department in the Isenberg School of Management. His primary subject matter in the Accounting Department is teaching taxes; Individual Income Taxes to undergraduate students and Partnership Taxation and Tax Research to graduate students. Sean worked in public accounting as a CPA for 17 years before joining UMass. He regularly works with accounting firms to stay on top of current trends in taxation and technology. Sean was an Isenberg Teaching Fellow and is currently an IDEAs Innovation Instruction Fellow where he connects with other faculty to discuss bringing innovation and active learning strategies to the classroom.
Moderator
