Publications, Presentations & Grants

Funded by the California State University (CSU) via the Artificial Intelligence Educational Innovations Challenge​ (AIEIC) award program, this project will develop a toolkit containing templates, worksheets, and activity guides to support intentional, faculty-led integration of AI at the curricular level. Designed for updating entire majors or programs, the ACORN Toolkit will help faculty embed AI competencies coherently and proactively — versus reactively or piecemeal, course-by-course. In doing so it will help faculty reduce gaps and redundancies, enhance program relevance for students, and boost workforce readiness. The ACORN Toolkit will be available at campuses across the CSU by Fall 2026.

In 2024, SDSU, UC San Diego, and the San Diego Community College District formed the Equitable AI Alliance to expand access to AI tools, training, and skill-building for students, faculty, and staff. The alliance promotes equitable AI education across institutions and was one of five projects awarded a $1.5 million AI Grand Challenge grant from the California Education Learning Lab under the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.

Through a comprehensive October 2023 survey of SDSU undergraduate and graduate students, the university shed light on the urgent need for data-driven strategies to ensure equitable access, foster responsible use, and empower faculty, staff, and students in navigating the AI landscape.

The launch of ChatGPT initially worried educators due to cheating fears, but attitudes shifted towards using AI challenges as educational opportunities. In other words, higher education must evolve, and the adaptations we create, not ChatGPT, could be the real revolution.