Announcing Tech and AI Consulting (and Learning Community)

We at AutomatED are thrilled to kick off our preparations for the next academic year with three exciting announcements tailored to your feedback: a new one-on-consulting service, a learning community, and a referral program!

Over the past few months, we have noticed a growing interest amongst the professors in our readership to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies into their pedagogy. Whether it is leveraging AI to improve grading and assessment, exploring AI-immune assignments, tackling issues of suspected AI plagiarism, or teaching students to use the latest AI tools, there are countless ways for professors to upgrade their teaching.

Instead of viewing technological change as an obstacle, we believe it is an exciting opportunity to transform teaching and learning experiences. Imagine conducting a course where AI helps with the repetitive aspects of grading, leaving you more time to connect with your students on an intellectual level. Picture your assignments invigorated by AI integration, making them not only innovative but also future-proof.

We understand that universities may not always provide specific and useful guidance on these fronts. This has been true in my own case. And it is why we are stepping up to bridge this gap.

Our one-on-one consulting service will offer tailored support to help professors address AI and technology in their courses. How can you participate? Find out more in the first section below.

Likewise, we are starting a learning community where you and other members can share best practices and advice on tech and AI in the university classroom. We also have invited researchers in these domains to contribute helpful content.

Finally, our new referral program enables you to share the benefits of AutomatED with your colleagues. When you refer new subscribers, you get exclusive rewards as a token of our appreciation, including access to the learning community, as we explain at the end of this piece.

💭🗨️ 1-on-1 Consultations with the AutomatED Team

At a conference earlier this month, I had memorable conversations with two professors.

One had surfaced from grading their spring courses just in time to prepare their presentation. They told me that they are worried about the changes that AI is bringing but they do not have the time to address AI’s role in their courses to their satisfaction.

The other was a self-described “tech nerd” who had 50 different ideas on how they can incorporate AI when they teach their favorite course this fall. They said they were having trouble settling on a strategy and specific AI tools.

This may come as a surprise, but after talking with both professors, I found that they were equally close to being ready for the fall — namely, just in need of some key bits of guidance to finalize their approach.

This is the purpose of AutomatED’s 1-on-1 consultations.

Wherever you need help regarding tech and AI integration, we will provide it in a one hour 1-on-1 consulting session on Zoom. Afterwards, we will provide you with a custom and actionable plan so that you are well-equipped to supercharge your fall courses.

Here are some of the possibilities:

• We do a deep dive on the major assessments for your fall course, testing them with the latest AI tools for AI-immunity.

  • The result: future-proof assignments that challenge students in meaningful ways.

• We examine the materials for one of your fall courses — from your syllabus to your assignments to your lesson plans to your final project — with an eye to ways to better reach your pedagogical goals by incorporating more technology, including training students in the use of AI tools.

  • The result: An enriched teaching experience, and students who are more engaged and better prepared for the digital age.

• We help you set up a range of software — project management, voice transcription, and time management — and integrate it with Canvas, Zoom, and your email client.

  • The result: You save valuable time on administrative tasks so that you can focus on what truly matters: teaching (and perhaps your research, too).

• We help you revise your strategy for detecting AI plagiarism or misuse and for addressing cases of suspected AI plagiarism, thereby increasing the credibility and fairness of your assignments.

  • The result: A learning environment that encourages originality and earnest engagement, as well as one that properly holds students accountable.

You can schedule a full session via Calendly by clicking this button:

Or, if you just want to explore your options (or discuss a consultation with a different format — we do group/team consultations, too), you can schedule a free 15 minute discovery Zoom via Calendly by clicking this button:

💡 AutomatED Learning Community

The second new component of AutomatED that we are excited to announce is our all-new learning community, which will go live two weeks from today.

The AutomatED learning community will be a place for you to engage with other professors, learn from how they incorporate technology in their classrooms, and share your own knowledge and experiences. We will also feature the work and voices of many area experts.

The one-way aspect of the AutomatED newsletter/blog is useful to broadcast some information, but we all know the great value of dialogue with peers, especially in pedagogical contexts.

Once the learning community is live (in two weeks), you can join by referring two or more subscribers to AutomatED. We describe the new referral program below…

🔊 Subscriber Referral Program

Surely you have many friends and/or coworkers (note: that 'or' was intentional) who would benefit from subscribing to AutomatED. Whether it's the person who thinks AI is going to make higher education obsolete by 2030 or the hater who thinks it is all hype — or someone, like most of us, who falls in between — you should tell them about AutomatED.

Our first reward comes once you make two referrals, and the reward is access to the AutomatED learning community. We think the learning community will benefit most from engaged users who are familiar with AutomatED.

To refer someone, click the button below or copy and paste the included link in an email to them (if you cannot see the referral section immediately below, you need to subscribe first and/or log in).

More referral rewards will be announced in the future, including discounts on offerings like premium guides and other content (which will be housed in the learning community).