Moving the Needle

Cohosts Mike Mills and Mary Crowley-Farrell talk with Derek Willis from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland about how he teaches students to use AI to evaluate data and question truth claims in the journalistic process. He offers a crucial civic and interdisciplinary perspective, grounded in journalistic ethics and process thinking.

Host Erin Hagar speaks with Dr. Hee Hwan Park, DDS, Clinical Assistant Professor and Ryan Kasraii, a 4th year Dental student at UMB School of Dentistry. Dr. Park and Ryan talk about their mentoring relationship and how it fostered connection and became a powerful motivator for learning.

Amanda Draheim, PhD, Goucher College explains how she is using custom bots and AI tools for case conceptualization and student reflection. Her approach blends creativity, ethics, and wellness, making AI feel humane and pedagogically sound.

Cohosts Mary Crowley-Farrell and Mike Mills speak with Bill Carter, Associate Professor, University of Baltimore Merrick School of Business, about how he is incorporating AI into his assignments to boost engagement and critical thinking skills.

In this week's episode, co-hosts Jennifer Potter and Mary Crowley-Farrell kick off the AI, Unscripted mini-series on MTN with a conversation with Ben Shaw from University of Maryland, College Park. Ben shares how he developed an accessible AI literacy module that faculty across disciplines can implement. His approach focuses on helping students evaluate AI-generated content critically—a foundational skill for any AI-enhanced course. Go to: UMCP AI and Information Literacy Module to access the instructional module Ben refers to in this episode.

 

In this episode, Scott Riley is joined by the team that is behind a new special edition limited series of Moving the Needle, called AI Unscripted. This mini-series features Maryland faculty from across the state sharing their experiences of how they are utilizing AI in the classroom. The team talks about their motive for creating the series, guests that will be featured, ideas that will be explored, and what they are hoping listeners take away.

Host Scott Riley and Dr. Eric Belt discuss building community in a virtual environment, establishing instructor presence and building a framework to maintain rigor.

Hosts Erin Hagar and Scott Riley discuss their favorite episodes from the series and then share some reflections from faculty participants in UMB's Edge program, which stands for Educator Development for Growth and Effectiveness. The hosts discuss the takeaways of the 17 faculty members after their year long faculty fellowship spent digging deep into their practice.

Host Scott Riley interviews Dr. Sahar Alameh, winner of the University of Kentucky's Great Teacher award for her work in supporting K–12 teachers and students in constructing and evaluating scientific explanations and helping them develop informed understandings of science and its nature. 

Host Scott Riley speaks with Dr. Cheri Hendrix, Assistant Dean for Physician Assistant Education at UMB about how she is using Virtual Reality to train the next generation of Physician Assistants.