A team at Stony Brook University has been awarded a $55,000 grant from the State University of New York’s Innovative Instruction Technology Grants (IITG) program. The funding will support the creation of an online community for faculty to discuss and address issues related to artificial intelligence (AI) and academic integrity.
The group includes staff from the Division of Undergraduate Education and the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT). Their goal is to provide a forum where faculty can share ideas, learn from each other, and stay informed about developments concerning AI use in education.
“Artificial intelligence has broken out of computer science research labs and begun to have an impact on all facets of life, including of course education,” said Rachelle Germana, senior associate provost for undergraduate education. “Stony Brook is leading the way, at SUNY and nationally, in developing thoughtful, impactful best practices for generative AI in curriculum and pedagogy, while ensuring that our students continue to develop the skills and understanding that will help them become responsible lifelong learners and live fulfilling lives after graduation.”
Jenny Zhang, a senior instructional designer at CELT, leads the initiative. Initially available to Stony Brook faculty members, there are plans to expand access to faculty and staff across all 64 SUNY campuses. The project aims to facilitate collaboration on best practices regarding AI tools in teaching while upholding academic standards.
Other team members include Yiren Kong (educational research and grant development specialist), Lei Song (instructional designer), Wanda Moore (academic judiciary officer), Richard Tomczak (director of faculty engagement), and Deepa Deshpande (associate director at SUNY Alfred).
“In almost every corner of every university, including here at Stony Brook, you hear conversations about how to ensure academic integrity and use generative AI responsibly as a tool for teaching, learning, and research,” said Rose Tirotta-Esposito, assistant provost for educational transformation and CELT director. “We’re finding answers to those questions here, and we’re eager to collaborate with colleagues across SUNY and share what we find more broadly.
“The cross-campus collaborations SUNY’s IITG program creates are a critical part of this work, and I look forward to seeing what the team develops.”
Since its launch in 2012, SUNY’s IITG program has distributed over $5.5 million in grants supporting projects that explore new technologies’ role in academic achievement across its system. More information about past recipients can be found on the SUNY IITG website.
Instructional designers from CELT are also participating as co-principal investigators on other IITG-funded projects. Jenny Zhang will work with Luis Colón alongside a team led by SUNY Oneonta focusing on using AI for assignment design, assessment strategies, chatbots development, among other applications. Lei Song joins another group led by Empire State College exploring how generative AI might enhance inclusive learning environments through improved literacy around AI tools.
At Stony Brook alone, more than twelve initiatives have received support from IITG grants. Recent recipients include Robert Kukta (senior associate dean for education & innovation), Gary Halada (associate professor), Hana Fukuto (clinical associate professor), Hants Williams (faculty member in applied health informatics), and Lawrence Hurst (director at University Hand Center).