PSU Faculty Explore Student-Centered AI Tools at InnovAIte Symposium

by Maddee Garcia May 8th 2026 Share

Back in November, Portland State University (PSU) hosted its second InnovAIte Symposium, bringing together faculty, staff, and community partners to explore how artificial intelligence is shaping higher education. The day featured project showcases from the latest InnovAIte Academy cohort, with poster sessions, lightning talks, and hands-on demonstrations that highlighted emerging AI practices at PSU. Participants shared work across three InnovAIte Circle Tracks: Research, Teaching, or Operations, with the Teaching Circle highlighting how faculty are integrating AI tools to deepen learning and create more supportive, student-centered classrooms.

Teaching Circle Presentations

Amanda Singer – Omni-Ombuds Gem

Omni-Ombuds Gem is a Gem designed to help students, staff, and faculty navigate conflict in ways similar to a university Ombuds office. Grounded in PSU culture and best practices, it guides users towards constructive solutions for conflicts while maintaining a human approach to ensure care and accuracy.

Melissa Appleyard – Econ Ally

Econ Ally is an AI study companion for undergraduate and MBA students to help them build confidence in fundamental microeconomics concepts before their first course. The tool aims to reduce barriers for students with no prior background, and support a smoother transition into economics at PSU.

Dilys Vela Diaz – “Gem Instructor and Project Manager”

This Gem is made to support McNair students throughout the research process. Acting as both a research instructor and project manager, it prompts students to engage critically with sources, identify gaps in their arguments, and stay on track with structured pacing support.

Rather than providing answers, the Gem guides students through questioning, reflection, and drafting, to help them develop stronger research proposals. It will also provide Pace Tracking to help students determine how much time to allocate for completing a full draft of their project.

Harry York – “AI and Kenya Study Abroad”

In a small group demonstration, Harry York showcased how AI can support learning during a study abroad experience.

Using tools like NotebookLM and Gems, he is currently developing podcast-style content to make course materials accessible during travel, along with interactive tools to help guide students in connecting their experiences in Kenya. It emphasizes building cultural competency and helping students meaningfully reflect on their experiences.

Carlos Mena – “Project S-AI (Syllabus-AI)”

Project S-AI is a Gem designed to analyze course syllabi and show how AI is being integrated across the curriculum. By transforming unstructured documents into a clear visual dashboard, it highlights AI policies, tools, and teaching applications, helping to identify both innovations and gaps.

It ensures that the School of Business will not just discuss the AI revolution, but actively manage it. While the pilot focused on graduate business courses, it will eventually offer a scalable approach for university-wide use.

Nadeeshani Jayasena – “Beyond the Black Box”

This project invites students to become “statistical auditors” of AI, using generative tools to create synthetic datasets and then test their accuracy. Students learn to identify where AI outputs fall short, and the essential role of human oversight in automated systems.

Stéphanie Roulon – “AI Conversation Tutor for First-Year French”

This Gem tutor gives beginning French students more opportunities to practice speaking. It serves as a low-pressure partner, guiding realistic dialogue and building confidence at their own pace. It shows how AI can support language learning by increasing practice time, reducing anxiety, and more.

Ami Sommariva – “An AI Gem to Guide Students through Humanities Research Design”

Ami Sommariva created a Gem to support students in building research plans for a video essay assignment in her Examining Popular Culture course. It guides students through refining research questions and choosing primary sources.

Lisa Weasel – “Who Codes it Better?”

An assignment for Environmental Studies majors uses AI as a reflective partner in qualitative research. Students compare their own coding with AI-generated results, prompting critical thinking about interpretation, bias, and methodology while strengthening research skills and evaluation of AI outputs.

About the InnovAIte Academy at PSU

Launched in July 2025, the InnovAIte Academy has brought together faculty and staff from across different departments to explore how generative AI can be meaningfully integrated into their work. Those who complete the program earn a “PSU InnovAIte Foundations” microcredential along with an AI competencies credential through Coursera.

Registration is Open for Cohort 3 of InnovAIte Academy

The InnovAIte Academy is now accepting applications for a third cohort. This program empowers faculty and staff across all departments, regardless of their previous experience with generative AI, to harness its potential in research, teaching, and operations. No computer science, technology, or programming background is required – our focus is on practical applications accessible to all.

Please complete the program application to join the third cohort, including a brief statement of interest in the program. The application should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

With only 100 spots available across all three tracks, early submission is encouraged. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we anticipate high demand in this transformative initiative. Please submit your application by June 8, 2026.

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