{"id":78266,"date":"2026-07-06T10:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=78266"},"modified":"2026-07-06T10:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:49:14","slug":"trail-grants-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/trail-grants-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten ways NAU professors are bringing AI into the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How do you help students get over their\u00a0reticence of AI?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The answer, according to one\u00a0psychology professor, is simple: You\u00a0don\u2019t. You teach students how to use AI ethically,\u00a0in a way that enhances their learning and enables\u00a0them\u00a0to think critically about AI-produced material.\u00a0In the process, you\u00a0give\u00a0them\u00a0the tools to\u00a0either\u00a0use AI\u00a0responsibly\u00a0or\u00a0decide\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not for them.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Funded by a TRAIL grant,\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Viktoria\u00a0Tidikis<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a teaching professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences,\u00a0is implementing a project that\u00a0will allow students to use\u00a0generative\u00a0AI to\u00a0brainstorm research questions, conduct literature searches, organize\u00a0information\u00a0and\u00a0evaluate AI-generated content.\u00a0They\u2019ll\u00a0be taught to question and fact-check\u00a0information,\u00a0consider the ethical implications of using and\u00a0disclosing\u00a0the use of AI and\u00a0use it in academia without cheating.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cStudents are being exposed to powerful technologies without sufficient guidance or training in how to critically evaluate and appropriately use them,\u201d\u00a0Tidikis\u00a0said. \u201cMy project approaches this resistance as something understandable rather than something students simply need to \u2018get over.\u2019 The goal is to help students develop informed,\u00a0critical\u00a0and ethical engagement with AI by increasing literacy,\u00a0transparency\u00a0and confidence in how these tools can be used responsibly.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Tidikis\u00a0received\u00a0one of 10 Transformation through Artificial Intelligence in Learning (TRAIL)\u202finstructional grants\u00a0NAU gave this year. TRAIL, which is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, offers small grants to faculty\u00a0members\u00a0so they\u00a0can\u00a0develop innovative ways to use\u00a0gen\u00a0AIto\u00a0increase student learning.\u00a0Another four research grants were given.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The instructional grants went to:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Alana Marta Kuhlman<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, College of\u00a0Arts\u00a0and Letters: Advancing Ethical AI Literacy Through Writing Center Innovation<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Allana Zuckerman<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, College of Health and Human Services: Teaching Students to Question the Machine: Integrating AI Feedback Auditing and AI-Human Faculty Workflow for\u00a0Ungrading\u00a0in a Health Sciences Course<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Benjamin Lucas<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Dana Ernst<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ian Williams<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences: The Pillars of Intelligence: A Foundational Mathematical Sequence for the AI Era<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Carla Nikol Wilson<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences: Queer Archives in the Age of Artificial Intelligence<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Catharyn\u00a0Shelton<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, College of Education: Redesigning an Educational Technology Course to Expand Future Teachers\u2019 Critically Conscious, Career-Ready GAI Literacies<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"6\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Marco Gerosa<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, Steve Sanghi College of Engineering: AI-Powered Interview Training for Requirements Elicitation in Software Engineering<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"7\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Misha Baltushkin<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Dana Ernst<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Monika Keindl<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nandor Sieben<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences: Developing an AI Mathematics Grading Agent for Enhanced Student Feedback and Instructional Efficiency<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"8\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Susan K. Williams<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, The W. A. Franke College of Business: Create and Manage a GenAI Intern: Exploratory Data Analysis with a Human-in-the-Loop<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"9\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Viktoria\u00a0Tidikis<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences: Reducing Student Resistance to AI Through Structured Literacy, Transparency, and Ethical Integration<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"10\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Xin Yi Bao<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences: More Human Than Ever: Filmmaking with AI<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The many uses of AI in developing software<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Gerosa\u2019s project will introduce AI into the software engineering process, but\u00a0maybe\u00a0not in the way\u00a0you\u2019d\u00a0expect. The students will do all the coding; the AI chatbots will be the \u201cclients\u201d whom they interview to figure out the parameters of the software. The interviews require soft skills that students often\u00a0haven\u2019t\u00a0developed yet.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThese skills are hard to practice in class because they require close attention from the instructor and practice with real clients who are difficult to recruit,\u201d Gerosa said. \u201cWe want to build a chatbot that would simulate the client of a project and reproduce common issues that real clients do, like providing incomplete, inconsistent and conflicting information.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How do you compare to an AI student?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Yi, an associate professor of practice in creative media and film, will have AI writing scripts, making a shot\u00a0list\u00a0and preparing to make a film. But the students\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0be using it. Instead, the AI will\u00a0essentially be\u00a0a student in class and will do the same assignments, then the students will compare their work to the AI product.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In her screenwriting class, AI will do projects, including personal journal entries, that\u00a0students will\u00a0then\u00a0read\u00a0and\u00a0critique. In filmmaking, AI will produce a short film, and again,\u00a0the students will compare that product\u2014which\u00a0likely will\u00a0be technically sound but, Yi\u00a0anticipates, lacking in soul\u2014to their own imperfect but authentic productions.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Her goal is\u00a0to show\u00a0students\u00a0the value of their own life experiences\u00a0in producing creative work\u2014something AI\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0do.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThe whole point is to get students to stop treating their own lived experience\u2014their messy histories, trauma, complicated families\u2014as baggage and start seeing it as their greatest creative advantage,\u201d\u00a0Yi\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cIn creative fields,\u00a0our wounds\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0a liability;\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0the only thing that separates our work from the A-student who has no soul. AI is a useful mirror for\u00a0that, because\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0the perfection of \u2018correct and polished\u2019 with nothing underneath.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0essentially using\u00a0AI\u2019s limitation as a teaching tool to help students stop running from their own lives and start trusting them.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>The top image was generated in MS Copilot. The initial prompt was: Can you create an image that shows people using AI in the classroom? Please do not focus on any individuals; I want it to show a classroom with lots of different people working. Show them using technology to create a writing project. It provided me with what looked like a photo; I wanted something that was obviously not real people. So I added this: Please make it more graphic-like&#8211;I don&#8217;t want it to be confused with a real photo. And add &#8220;made by Copilot&#8221; at the bottom. It then gave me a few style options, including the hand-drawn sketch style.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\"><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2019\/06\/NAU_primary-281_3514.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft  wp-image-56007\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2019\/06\/NAU_primary-281_3514-300x213.png\" alt=\"Northern Arizona University Logo\" width=\"123\" height=\"88\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2019\/06\/NAU_primary-281_3514-300x213.png 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2019\/06\/NAU_primary-281_3514-768x546.png 768w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2019\/06\/NAU_primary-281_3514-600x426.png 600w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2019\/06\/NAU_primary-281_3514.png 905w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 123px) 100vw, 123px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">Heidi Toth | NAU Communications<br \/>\n(928) 523-8737 | <a href=\"mailto:heidi.toth@nau.edu\">heidi.toth@nau.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"search-results-excerpt-link\" href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/trail-grants-2026\/\">How do you help students get over their\u00a0reticence of AI?\u00a0 The answer, according to one\u00a0psychology professor, is simple: You\u00a0don\u2019t. You teach students how to use AI ethically,\u00a0in a way that enhances their learning and enables\u00a0them\u00a0to think critically about AI-produced material.\u00a0In the process, you\u00a0give\u00a0them\u00a0the tools to\u00a0either\u00a0use AI\u00a0responsibly\u00a0or\u00a0decide\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not for them.\u00a0 Funded by a TRAIL grant,\u00a0Viktoria\u00a0Tidikis, a teaching&hellip;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2797,"featured_media":78267,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-academics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2797"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78266"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78268,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78266\/revisions\/78268"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}