“The AI Pedagogy Challenge Show and Tell was very exciting,” said Mustafa Akben, assistant professor of management and director of AI Integration. “Almost 80 of our teachers, staff and students came together to share new ideas about using AI in teaching and learning. This event showed how well we work together and how creative we are at Elon. It’s clear that our faculty are learning about AI and leading the way in making it a meaningful and responsible part of education’s future.”

The event was organized by Akben and Sagun Giri, instructional technologist and Elon AI team member, who partnered to create a space for sharing and celebrating innovative AI teaching practices. Students working at the AI Center played a crucial role in the initiative’s execution, supporting presenters, organizing logistics and helping build resources such as the new AI Toolbox. The challenge also benefited greatly from the thoughtful contributions of faculty and staff judges, who volunteered their time to carefully review all submissions and help select the top projects through a blind review process.

“What struck me was the sense of community in the room,” said Giri. “Seeing faculty reflect on the process, adapt their teaching and then share it with colleagues was a reminder that innovation doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be purposeful.”

Highlights from the AI Pedagogy Challenge Winners

Five projects were selected by a blind panel of judges for their outstanding integration of AI into pedagogy.

J. Israel Balderas, assistant professor of journalism

“AI-Facilitated Civil Discourse Companion:”
Developing a chatbot to assist students in navigating difficult class discussions by offering prompts, respectful language suggestions and frameworks for understanding opposing viewpoints, particularly on controversial topics in media law like free speech and ethical dilemmas.

“I’m honored to be recognized alongside so many inspiring colleagues who are exploring how to integrate AI in ways that strengthen – not replace – human learning. The Civil Discourse Companion emerged from my Media Law and Ethics course, where students wrestle with the boundaries of free speech and ethical communication in a polarized world. In an era where so much of our national discourse is reactive, performative or outright toxic, 51±¬ÁÏÍø is doing something different: we’re helping students practice difficult conversations before they graduate; conversations grounded in logic, empathy and moral clarity. This AI Chatbot project is one small step toward that goal and I’m especially proud it came out of the School of Communications, where so many faculty are doing impactful work with AI tools to ensure our students become thoughtful contributors to public life.â€�

Erin Hone, senior lecturer in education and director of the Teaching Tellows program

“AI-Driven Classroom Assessment Design”
An assignment where pre-service teachers use AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, MagicSchool) to generate classroom assessments and rubrics, followed by a critical evaluation of their alignment, effectiveness, and potential biases.

“Participating in this challenge has been a deeply meaningful experience that pushed me to think more intentionally about how AI can enhance core pedagogical practices in teacher education,” said Hone. “Designing an assignment that blends foundational assessment principles with emerging AI tools shifted my perspective from viewing AI as a novelty to recognizing its potential as a catalyst for critical thinking and equity-centered teaching.

Hone says an unexpected outcome of the challenge was seeing how peers across campus use AI in diverse, creative ways.

“This cross-disciplinary exchange sparked new ideas and prompted me to reflect more deeply on how to help my students engage with AI ethically and appropriately. It reinforced the importance of preparing future educators not just to use AI tools, but to do so with discernment, responsibility and a strong pedagogical foundation. I’m excited about the potential ripple effects of this work, from classroom practice to professional development, and hope to continue building on this foundation to help both preservice and in-service teachers navigate the evolving landscape of AI in education.”

Keshia Wall Gee, assistant professor of dance and coordinator of Elon’s African and African-American Studies program

AI-Enhanced West African Dance Learning
Introducing an AI-driven motion capture tool to record and analyze West African dance movements, providing students with a visual aid to break down and understand polyrhythmic and polycentric techniques.

“Participating in the AI Pedagogy Challenge was both energizing and affirming. It connected me with faculty across disciplines who are asking bold, forward-thinking questions about teaching, research, and technology,” said Wall Gee. “The experience sparked new ideas for my own scholarship and opened the door to potential interdisciplinary collaborations that I hadn’t previously imagined. Most of all, it reminded me that innovation thrives in community.”

Anne-Marie Iselin, associate professor of psychology

Using Artificial Intelligence in Psychological Research Course
A new course designed to equip students with skills to integrate AI tools like ChatGPT and Elicit into their research workflows for tasks including writing, idea generation, data analysis (code generation and direct analysis) and meta-analysis.

“This challenge motivated me to design a new course that will help psychology students integrate AI tools into their research while also engaging in critical and ethical reflections on their use of AI,” said Iselin. “The AI Pedagogy Challenge broadened my own thinking, sparked ideas for interdisciplinary collaborations and reinforced how AI can enhance and deepen student learning when used with purpose and curiosity. I’m grateful to be part of the Elon AI community where innovation, critical thinking, and shared learning are so deeply valued.”

Youssef Osman, assistant professor of cinema and television Arts

The Production Survival Challenge (AI-Enhanced)

An interactive, AI-enhanced simulation where film production students manage budgets, logistics, scheduling and AI-generated crises, with AI serving as a real-time assistant for problem-solving recommendations and feedback.

“I’m honored to be part of a community exploring how AI can enhance, not replace, human creativity and learning,” said Osman. “The Production Survival Challenge grew from my desire to help students in film and media navigate uncertainty, make real-time decisions, and collaborate under pressure. By integrating AI into this simulation, we created a space where students could safely fail, rethink, and adapt, much like they will in the professional world. I’m proud this work emerged from Elon’s School of Communications, where storytelling evolves alongside technological innovation.”

From ideas to actions

The AI Pedagogy Challenge did more than just inspire ideas; it helped make real tools.

“I was really impressed by how creative our teachers are,” Akben noted. “The AI Pedagogy Challenge did more than just inspire ideas; it helped us make real tools, like our new AI Toolbox on the Elon AI website. This collection now has over 100 custom chatbots and resources. It shows how our community worked together and proves we’re making AI easy to use and helpful for everyone on campus, including faculty, staff, and students.”

The challenge also demonstrated that AI’s utility spans across all disciplines, not just in STEM or business. Many of the most innovative submissions came from Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, with strong showings from English, psychology, and dance, while the School of Communications celebrated two finalists.

Beyond specific innovative projects, the AI Pedagogy Challenge suggests a strategic, long-term vision for AI literacy at Elon. This involved not just adopting technology but supporting faculty by equipping them with tools like ChatGPT and recognizing their innovative work. More importantly, the AI Pedagogy Challenge initiative demonstrated that AI, when combined with effective teaching pedagogy, can improve student outcomes and critical thinking without replacing teachers or students. It was exactly this event that created an intellectual space for sharing ideas, fostering collaboration and inspiring a university-wide awareness of AI’s potential to reshape education..

The panel, held in Sankey Hall, featured a mix of faculty and students including Ariela Marcus-Sells, professor of religious studies; Ben Hannam, associate professor of communication design; Elizabeth Von Briesen, assistant professor of computer science; and Vladimir Bratic, associate professor at Hollins University; alongside students Anya Bratic and Joshua Franklin. Moderating the panel were two seniors, Ethan Riscovallez and Kennedy Jones. The central question: “What does academic integrity mean for you? What are the biggest challenges and opportunities that come with AI?”

Mustafa Akben, assistant professor of management and director of AI Integration at 51±¬ÁÏÍø, noted that the panel is part of an “emerging and ongoing conversation between faculty and students.” He added that the voices of students who were consistently navigating this murky landscape are integral.

“I believe that academic integrity with the rise of AI is not a top-down process but a dialogue needed among students and professors, openly and transparently,” said Akben.

The faculty members painted a picture familiar to educators everywhere: a mixture of cautious curiosity, deep-seated unease and possibilities for the future of education.

Student panelists Anya Bratic and Joshua Franklin also shared student perspectives on how AI is used in real coursework, the pressures of disclosure and the confusion students face navigating inconsistent expectations across courses. One point that Bratic and Franklin brought up was the idea that students also dislike it when their peers utilize AI to gain unfair advantages on assignments, not following the academic honesty set by the professors.

As the event drew to a close, attendees could take home an “AI Integrity Booklet,” a concrete result of Elon AI initiative’s effort containing guidelines, best practices and collected perspectives from university resources. The dialogue in Sankey Hall didn’t offer definitive answers, but it highlighted a shared acknowledgment of the complex, perhaps fundamentally different, future that awaits ahead of us.

For updates and more AI-related programming, follow @ElonAI on social media and stay tuned to upcoming events at

Apply Now →

With a focus on responsible and ethical AI use, this challenge encourages faculty members to explore innovative ways to use AI for improved classroom outcomes. No prior AI experience is required.

“The application process is very easy, with five to six short-answer questions, maximum 200 words each,” said Mustafa Akben, director of AI Integration and assistant professor of management. “Many can complete it in less than an hour. Our focus in this AI challenge is more on the creative, ethical, and responsible AI teaching ideas. A willingness to explore AI’s potential in your classroom is all that’s needed.”

The challenge welcomes brief proposals demonstrating novel applications of AI in the classroom. The focus is on clear concepts aligned with sound pedagogical principles. 

ChatGPT Plus for Top 50 Participants

The top 50 participants will receive an immediate access to ChatGPT Plus, provided by 51±¬ÁÏÍø. ChatGPT Plus includes advanced reasoning, data analysis, image generation and FERPA-compliant data privacy.

The top five ideas will receive special recognition, gifts and the opportunity to present their ideas at the AI Pedagogy Event in early May 2025.

All participants will join AI faculty network, gaining access to future training, resources, and ongoing support.

Want Learn More?

Faculty interested in participating can find resources, materials and submission guidelines at

For more details and FAQ about the event, please visit the AI Pedagogy Challenge’s website.

Join Elon’s AI Pedagogy Challenge to contribute to the future of higher education with your creative ideas.