Shayla M. Jackson, Associate Director for the Center for Teaching Excellence at Prairie View A&M University, details experiential leadership in faculty development initiatives designed to advance ethical and effective artificial intelligence (AI) utilization within higher education. Since 2024, Jackson has served as an AI super user, participating in advanced training and summits influenced by the Tennessee State University (TSU) SMART Innovation Technology Center team, under the leadership of Dr. Robbie K. Melton. This collaboration informs Jackson's facilitation of "train-the-trainer" summits and workshops for faculty, professional staff, and community stakeholders. Central to this pedagogical approach is the optimization of workflows to mitigate "monuments to busyness" in favor of genuine productivity, emphasizing the offloading of mundane administrative tasks to AI to reclaim cognitive space for creative and critical inquiry. By leveraging frameworks promoted by the TSU SMART Center, such as the P.A.C. it Up model and the ASCEND-AI scale, Jackson helps faculty integrate sustainable AI instruction, ensuring that both educators and students transition from passive users to critical, creative thinkers prepared for an AI-augmented workforce.
Implementation steps and strategic initiatives
Shayla M. Jackson's work at Prairie View A&M University on AI integration in STEM education calls for a structured action plan that builds AI competency alongside disciplinary knowledge. The first step is to conduct a comprehensive audit of current STEM curricula across the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences to identify courses where AI tools can most naturally enhance learning outcomes. This audit should be conducted by a faculty committee with representation from each STEM department, supported by an instructional design consultant with expertise in AI-integrated STEM pedagogy.
A STEM AI Integration Pilot should be launched in two or three high-enrollment gateway courses — such as introductory calculus, general chemistry, or introductory programming — where AI tools can provide personalized feedback, adaptive practice problems, and real-time tutoring support. The pilot should be designed with clear learning objectives, assessment protocols, and data collection procedures before launch. Faculty leading the pilot should receive intensive preparation including tool training, course redesign support, and a peer coaching partnership with a colleague who has prior AI integration experience.
Research-based learning experiences that leverage AI for data analysis, simulation, and literature review should be developed for upper-division STEM courses. Students in these courses should use AI tools to accelerate the research process while developing critical evaluation skills — learning to identify when AI-generated analyses are accurate, when they are misleading, and when human expertise is irreplaceable. Faculty should design assignments that require students to document their AI use and reflect on its impact on their thinking and learning.
Industry partnerships with technology companies, national laboratories, and engineering firms should be cultivated to provide students with applied AI projects and internship opportunities. Prairie View A&M's location in the Houston metropolitan area offers exceptional access to the energy, aerospace, and technology sectors, all of which are rapidly adopting AI. An annual STEM AI Career Fair, featuring employers who are actively using AI in their operations, would connect students with career opportunities and demonstrate the real-world relevance of their AI competency development.