College of Education (COE)

The project focuses on working alongside teachers to examine how AI can be used to support seniors’ experiential learning projects in ways that address real classroom challenges and strengthen instruction.

The UofM faculty team includes Dr. Andrew Tawfik from  COE, Dr. Shelbi Kuhlmann from the College of Psychology, and Dr. Scott Vann from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics. Doctoral student Joshua Czupryk also served as a graduate assistant on the project. The project was conducted in partnership with educators at University High School, including Lauren Beaupre and Jennifer McConnell, along with Dallas Allen, a teacher at University High School and current doctoral student in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership.

“There is a lot of discussion around AI in education, including ethical considerations and concerns about misuse,” Tawfik said. “This project looks at how AI can be used as a tool to help overcome challenges in K–12 settings and meaningfully support teachers and students.”

Tawfik said the work grew directly from conversations with teachers about the realities of experiential learning in classrooms.

“Experiential learning sounds great in theory, but there are real gaps between theory and practice,” he said. “Teachers face challenges related to scaffolding, assessment and how open-ended problems work for students who are still learning the content. This project created an opportunity to collaborate with teachers and ask what they would want to see.

“University High School is a lab school that applies innovative teaching approaches to meet student needs,” Tawfik said. “Their teachers and students are committed to finding practical ways to make experiential and project-based learning work in a K–12 setting, which made them strong collaborators for this work.”

Lauren Beaupre, an educator at University High School, said the collaboration has strengthened both classroom instruction and student learning. At University High, the AI for TN initiative has allowed us to thoughtfully leverage AI as a tool to encourage deeper-level thinking among students, particularly within our Senior Capstone experience. Capstone is a year-long student-driven project in which seniors pursue an internship, research project, or creative endeavor aligned to their postsecondary goals. Using AI to support structured reflection helps students move beyond surface-level summaries to more meaningful analysis of their experiences, clarify how their learning connects to future academic and career pathways, and articulate growth in a more intentional way. From the classroom side, the collaboration with our UofM partners has strengthened both instructional practice and our ability to coach students toward purpose-driven decision-making.

 

AI for Tennessee is a statewide initiative coordinated through the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, that connects universities and K–12 schools across the state to explore responsible and effective uses of artificial intelligence. The initiative also supports participation in the national Presidential AI Challenge, which encourages students and educators to develop AI-based solutions to real community needs.

Looking ahead, Tawfik emphasized that the project is focused on grounding AI use in teacher experience rather than quick solutions.

“There is still a great deal of research to be done on AI in the classroom,” he said. “Rather than treating AI as a silver bullet, this work helps identify design strategies and appropriate uses of AI that come directly from teachers and their classroom experiences.”