Sean Corp, Communications Lead

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. The funded 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.  

“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. 

Dr.Joseph Decker, assistant professor, and Dr. Elizabeth Peckham, clinical instructor, 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. 

Generative AI Projects

An Automated Generative Artificial Intelligence Tool for Bias Mitigation in Medical Trainee Clinical Performance Evaluations

Faculty Lead: Dr. Andrew Wong, clinical instructor and research fellow
Unit: Michigan Medicine

A team at Michigan Medicine aims to build an online application that can be used for evaluation review for fourth-year medical students across the Medical School. The tool would detect bias in student clinical performance evaluations. 

Continuous Academic Improvement Utilizing Methods for Scalable Instructional Solutions

Faculty Lead: Chris Brooks, associate professor of information 
School: School of Information

The goal of this project is to support online students at scale by building AI-powered tools that support the teaching and learning of technical skills in fields like Python and data science.

Enhancing Graduate Learning Through AI Integration in Public Health Courses

Faculty: Sharon Kardia, Millicent W. Higgins Collegiate Professor of Epidemiology, senior associate dean for education
School: School of Public Health

The School of Public Health will incoporate the generative AI education software LearningClues into two foundaitonal online courses. LearningClues is designed to enhance student engagement by indexing course content, enabling efficient search of lecture content, and generating personalized study guides.

Exploring GenAI Music Tools

Faculty Lead: Garrett Schumann, lecturer in curriculum support, intermittent lecturer in comprehensive studies
Schools: LSA, School of Music, Theatre & Dance

The faculty team will incorporate generative AI music tools into three courses, allowing students to get hands-on experience using generative AI in their work, critically analyze the tools, and increase their AI technology literacy. 

From Molecules to Molars: Unleashing Generative AI to Bridge the Gap Between Basic Sciences and Dental Practice

Faculty Leads: Dr. Joseph Decker, assistant professor, and Dr. Elizabeth Peckham, clinical instructor
School: School of Dentistry

This project will use generative AI tools to support dentistry students through personal tutoring, questions and clarifications based on lectures, and identifying knowledge gaps. It will also work to develop AI-generated simulations to practice real-world scenarios in a safe, virtual environment. 

GraderGPT: A Tool to Improve the Quality and Consistency of Student Assessment Across Multiple Graders

Faculty Lead: Larissa Sano, lecturer
Unit: Sweetland Writing Center, LSA

Using generative AI tools to enhance and clarify assignment rubrics for students and grader rubrics to ensure better grading consistency. It will also provide graders feedback and reflection consideration before returning assessments to students.

High-Level Considerations for GenAI Use Within Graduate-Level Teach Curriculum

Faculty Leads: Dr. Michelle Aebersold, academic program director and clinical professor of nursing, and Dr. Barb Medvec, clinical associate professor 
School: School of Nursing

A team from the School of Nursing will pilot the use of generative AI tools in the delivery of nursing education to master’s and doctoral-level students. The goal is to evaluate ease of use, learning outcomes, student adoption, and potential future applications of the approach.   

Implementation and Evaluation of GenAI Tools in Special Topics Classes in Biochemistry

Faculty Leads: Yulia Sevryugina, senior associate librarian, Nils Walter, Francis S. Collins Collegiate Professor of Chemistry, Biophysics, and Biology Chemistry
Units: LSA, School of Information, U-M Library

The team will incorporate U-M Maizey and AI software LearningClues into upper-level biochemistry courses to better understand how students use the tools and their impact on learning. 

Learning Through Technical Interviews: Combining Data Science Mentorship with AI-Powered Practice

Faculty Leads: Kevyn Collins-Thompson, associate professor of information, Mike Ion, research fellow
School: School of Information

This project will develop AI-based simulations that allow students in the Master of Applied Data Science program to receive personalized interview practice. 

The Use of Generative AI Chatbots for Assisting First-Year Medical Students to Develop History-taking, Communication, and Clinical Reasoning Skills in a Doctoring Course

Faculty Lead: Dr. David Belmonte, program director of medical student education and clerkship director, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry 
Unit: Michigan Medicine

The team from Michigan Medicine will work to build a generative AI-powered chatbot to complement classroom study that allows medical students to practice taking medical histories and refine their communication skills and clinical reasoning ability.