{"id":5230,"date":"2026-01-05T10:31:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T16:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/scholars\/?page_id=5230"},"modified":"2026-01-05T10:35:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T16:35:26","slug":"innovative-partnerships-with-ai","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/scholars\/faculty-ai-literacy-hub\/innovative-partnerships-with-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovative Partnerships with AI"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Innovative Partnerships with AI<\/span><\/h3>\n

A Framework for Curious Instructors<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Starting Where You Are<\/span><\/h4>\n

You might be intrigued by AI, skeptical of it, overwhelmed by the hype\u2014or all three at once. That’s a reasonable place to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

This isn’t about whether you should<\/em> use AI in your teaching. It’s about a different question: If I did partner with AI, what could my teaching look like that wasn’t possible before?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Think of AI as a bounded partner. It can propose, generate, and support. But interpretation, judgment, and values? Those stay with you. The innovation comes from what you do with the partnership.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

What Becomes Possible<\/span><\/h4>\n

AI doesn’t just help you do what you already do a little faster. It opens doors that were previously closed:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • What if students could get feedback on a draft at 2am\u2014without waiting for you?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • What if you could see patterns across 75 student reflections in minutes instead of days?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • What if students could practice a difficult conversation, a clinical interaction, or a client pitch ten times before doing it for real?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • What if every student got a slightly different practice problem matched to where they’re struggling?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    These aren’t distant possibilities. They’re available now. The question is which ones matter for your teaching.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Three Ways to Partner with AI<\/span><\/h4>\n

    These aren’t stages or requirements\u2014they’re starting points. See if one sparks something.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n

    AI as a Thinking Partner<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Use AI to generate multiple explanations of a difficult concept, model disciplinary reasoning, or surface counterarguments your students can wrestle with.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Your role:<\/strong> Curate, contextualize, and critique. You’re making expert thinking visible\u2014AI gives you more material to work with.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Try this:<\/em><\/strong> Prompt AI to explain a threshold concept in your field three different ways. See which framing might unlock understanding for students who’ve been stuck.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n

    AI as a Practice Generator<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Use AI to create low-stakes practice problems, simulate realistic scenarios, or build spaces where students can rehearse with immediate feedback.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Your role:<\/strong> Design the learning arc. Decide what mastery looks like and where productive struggle matters.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Try this:<\/em><\/strong> Ask AI to generate five variations of a problem type your students find difficult. Use them as optional practice before a high-stakes assignment.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n

    AI as a Reflective Mirror<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Use AI to spot patterns in student work\u2014common misconceptions, recurring gaps, emerging themes\u2014so you can adjust in real time rather than after the semester ends.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Your role:<\/strong> Interpret what you find, ethically and responsibly. Use insights to teach better, not to shortcut evaluation.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Try this:<\/em><\/strong> Paste ten anonymized student responses into AI and ask what themes or misunderstandings appear. See if it surfaces something you hadn’t noticed.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Boundaries Are Part of the Partnership<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Innovation without intention isn’t innovation\u2014it’s just novelty. Effective AI partnerships depend on knowing your limits:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • AI shouldn’t replace your evaluation or mentoring<\/span><\/li>\n
    • AI shouldn’t make final grading decisions<\/span><\/li>\n
    • AI use should be transparent and discussable with students<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      These aren’t restrictions. They’re what make the partnership trustworthy\u2014for you and your students.<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n

      \n

      If You Want to Go Deeper: AI and SoTL<\/span><\/h4>\n

      Experimenting with AI can become more than innovation\u2014it can become inquiry. If you’re drawn to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, AI partnerships raise compelling questions:<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • What changed when I introduced this?<\/span><\/li>\n
      • For whom?<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Under what conditions?<\/span><\/li>\n
      • What’s my evidence?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        You don’t have to formalize it. But if something surprises you\u2014write it down. That’s where research begins.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

        <\/p>\n

        Two Places to Start<\/span><\/h4>\n

        <\/p>\n

        \n

        The Practical Entry<\/span><\/h4>\n

        Think of one teaching task you already do\u2014explaining a concept, designing practice, giving feedback. Ask yourself: Could AI handle part of this without undermining learning?<\/em> Try it once and see what happens.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

        <\/p>\n

        \n

        The Ambitious Stretch<\/span><\/h4>\n

        Think of something you’ve always wanted to do in your teaching but couldn’t\u2014because of time, scale, or logistics. Now ask: Does AI change that equation?<\/em> Maybe the thing that felt impossible is now just an experiment away.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Innovative Partnerships with AI A Framework for Curious Instructors Starting Where You Are You might be intrigued by AI, skeptical of it, overwhelmed by the hype\u2014or all three at once. That’s a reasonable place to be. This isn’t about whether you should use AI in your teaching. It’s about a different question: If I did […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"parent":4752,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/scholars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5230"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/scholars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/scholars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/scholars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/scholars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5230"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/scholars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5233,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/scholars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5230\/revisions\/5233"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/scholars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/scholars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}