Please join us for a virtual panel presentation from three UT graduate students that explores innovative approaches to adopting an intentional use of AI in instruction.
Note: This Image Text Code event counts towards the Teaching Preparation Series certificate for graduate students at UT.
Please RSVP here for the event
The Art of Teaching AI: A Hands-on Journey for a New Era
Allen-Jasmin Farcas (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Why is it that students naturally gravitate toward music, theater, and the arts, but when it comes to engineering, especially AI, it’s often seen as intimidating, abstract, or overly technical? In creative fields, engagement is built into the experience, students get to play instruments, paint, act, or compose. In AI and engineering, however, the challenge is different: how to make learning feel just as hands-on, immersive, and exciting?
This presentation will explore the ways in which students in an engineering course at UT-Austin interact with real-world AI applications (live demos, real-world examples and devices shown in class, competition-style collaborative project development) that feel as interactive as creating music or performing on stage. Making the study of engineering feel as engaging as the arts can help develop a whole new generation of AI innovators.
Interactive Guided Bridge Building in the Age of AI
Saket Sripada (Biomedical Engineering)
It has been well documented that AI tools can explain concepts creatively and comprehensively, but they can't detect subtle signs and preemptively intervene when students spiral into confusion. How can we encourage the use of AI tools, aligned with reflective awareness, to help interactively build bridges from confusion to comprehension. This presentation explores a framework that helps students recognize their progress and gain confidence in navigating their own learning journey by guiding the break-down of complex problems, using relatable metaphors for the algorithmic intermediate steps. Guiding students in cautious AI-usage while developing their problem-solving skill can foster an inclusive learning environment (lobby-based OH at popular times) where technology enhances, rather than replaces, human connection. Data will shows this approach works – but more importantly, it prepares students for a future where both technical competence and human insight are essential.
Prompt, Create, Learn: Teaching Information Systems Through Collective Gen-AI Visual Anthologies
John-Patrick Akinyemi (Information, Risk, and Operations Management)
Imagine turning abstract Management Information Systems (MIS) concepts into comic-style visual stories using Generative AI - that's exactly what this innovative teaching project sought to achieve. What made it unique was its structured approach: student teams were each assigned two textbook chapters and paired with two guest speakers (including leaders from Meta and Stack Overflow).
The project emphasized meticulous documentation of the learning process: students-maintained journals tracking their prompt evolution for each AI-generated image. For every visual in their anthology, teams crafted 2-3 sentences explaining how the image represented their assigned concepts, creating a cohesive narrative thread across their pages. This wasn't just about generating images - it was about telling a story through visuals that demonstrated a deep understanding of MIS principles. The impact was profound, as one student reflected: "Breaking down complex ideas into promptable elements required deep understanding - you can't create an effective visual without truly mastering the concept first." Rather than fighting the AI tide, this project embraced it while teaching ethical and effective use. Students emerged with not just theoretical knowledge, but a portfolio demonstrating their ability to communicate complex concepts through visual storytelling - a crucial skill for future business leaders.