About this Event

Generative AI is rapidly transforming the landscape of higher education, reshaping the way faculty teach, students learn and researchers generate new knowledge. As part of a collaborative study with Ithaka S+R, the University of Delaware has been at the forefront of exploring AI’s evolving role in academia. In this workshop, UD’s principal investigators, alongside experts from Ithaka S+R, will present key findings from this ongoing research initiative and discuss the implications for faculty, administrators and scholars at UD and beyond.

The session will begin with an overview of UD’s participation in Ithaka S+R’s multi-institutional study, Making AI Generative for Higher Education, which seeks to understand how generative AI is influencing research and teaching across 18 universities in the United States and Canada. Attendees will gain insights into the first phase of UD’s research, which assessed faculty readiness to integrate AI literacy into curricula and validated an AI literacy framework tailored for UD’s educational environment. The presenters will also share findings from in-depth faculty interviews on the challenges and opportunities generative AI presents in research and instruction.

Additionally, Dylan Ruediger, principal for the research enterprise at Ithaka S+R, will provide a broader perspective on key themes emerging from partner institutions, offering a comparative analysis of AI’s impact across different academic contexts. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with experts, exchange perspectives with peers, and contribute to discussions on the future of AI literacy in higher education.

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Meg Grotti is the associate university librarian for learning, engagement and curriculum support at the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press. In this role, she oversees library teaching collaborations, liaison services to academic units and initiatives supporting open and affordable teaching materials. Grotti has extensive experience helping faculty integrate information literacy concepts into curricula and has led efforts to explore the intersections between information literacy and critical thinking in generative AI use. She is also a co-convener of UD’s AI for Teaching and Learning Working Group.

Erin Sicuranza is the director of IT Academic Technology Services at the University of Delaware, where she leads a team supporting online programs, enterprise lecture capture and the university’s learning management system. Under her leadership, ATS has pioneered UD Study AiDE, an AI-driven knowledge graph innovation positioning UD as a leader in generative AI applications in higher education. Sicuranza is a co-convener of UD’s AI for Teaching and Learning Working Group and serves on the planning committee for the AI Forum at Notre Dame. She has presented widely on generative AI in education and is a proud, lifelong Blue Hen.

Joshua Wilson is an associate professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. As an expert in automated writing evaluation, Wilson’s research explores the integration of AI technologies in assessment and instruction to enhance student learning outcomes. He is the co-editor of the Routledge International Handbook of Automated Essay Evaluation, a seminal work examining AI-driven writing assessment and instruction. His scholarship places him at the forefront of AI applications in education.

Dylan Ruediger is principal for the research enterprise at Ithaka S+R, where he leads projects that help universities, funders, policymakers, and scholars navigate the technological, cultural, and political shifts influencing academic knowledge production and dissemination. Before joining Ithaka S+R, Ruediger coordinated a national initiative for the American Historical Association focused on aligning doctoral education with evolving professional opportunities. He holds a bachelor’s degree in critical theory from Hampshire College and a doctorate in history from Georgia State University.