The Vanilla Cupcake Problem: Personal Branding and AI in Education with Dr. Karen Freberg

We were skeptical too: Social Work faculty on making AI work without losing your voice

Dr. Shawnise Miller, Dr. Emi Ramirez, and Dr. Jennifer Bobo from the Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work and Family Science share how they moved from initial AI apprehension to intentional, practical classroom use. They offer concrete examples, including Blackboard's built-in AI for rubrics, ChatGPT for instructional support, and their own AI teaching assistant, "Smarty Bird." This candid conversation highlights both benefits and limitations of these tools in the classroom. Rather than centering AI as a solution, the conversation reframes it as a teaching assistant that helps guide students back to faculty judgment, feedback, and expertise. What does it mean to stay current with technology without losing what makes teaching human?

What Still Belongs?: Rethinking the Writing Class in the Age of AI

Dr. Andrea Olinger and Cecilia Durbin return to the scene of the crime in this episode of "AI Ate My Homework." Previously, AI took on their research assignment, and the results revealed how students' approach to classroom work is shifting. The conversation broadens to look at what that shift means for teachers. They talk through process, reading, metacognition, and grading. They ask the question of what still belongs in a writing class and what might change. The result is a candid look at teaching in transition and the tough decisions educators face.

The Case of the Missing Detective: When AI Skips to the End

Dr. Andrea Olinger, Director of Composition, and instructor Cecilia Durbin walk us through a multi-part "detective story" research assignment sequence. These assignments, designed to slow students down and think critically, emphasize process over product. Listen as we discuss how the AI tool mimics student voice, (sometimes) cites real world sources, and even exceeds some of the expectations for these assignments. What is lost when students use an AI tool to skip past the messy process of thinking, writing, and learning?

Future Teachers: AI and Music Education

Dr. Jason Cumberledge, professor of Performance Studies, describes how GenAI tools can complete major writing assignments, even anecdotal, personal stories, in a marching band methods course. Listen as we discuss how creative disciplines are adapting to the advent of AI and consider what the work of music educators may be as these tools become more ubiquitous.

The Vanilla Cupcake Problem: Personal Branding and AI in Education with Dr. Karen Freberg

In our third episode of "AI Ate My Homework," strategic communications professor Dr. Karen Freberg shares valuable insights on AI's role in education through her personal branding assignment. Using a memorable "vanilla cupcake" metaphor, she explains how AI creates technically competent but ultimately soulless content lacking the authentic reflection that makes student work meaningful. Listen as we discuss how to leverage AI as a tool rather than a replacement for human creativity—teaching students to use AI-generated images to visualize their personal brand while critically reflecting on its accuracy. As industry increasingly expects AI literacy, Dr. Freberg advocates for teaching prompt engineering as a crucial skill and encourages faculty to experiment alongside students rather than fear these new technologies.