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USF College of Education faculty present AI research at 2026 AI+X Symposium
USF College of Education faculty presented seven AI research projects at the April 2026 AI+X Symposium. Topics covered teacher training, AI literacy, math instruction support, and combining AI with virtual reality for student learning.
USF Education faculty present AI research at 2026 symposium
Faculty from the USF College of Education presented seven research projects on AI in teaching and learning at the annual AI+X Symposium, hosted by the USF Institute for Artificial Intelligence + X in April 2026.
Professor Michael Berson served on the symposium's program committee, helping organize the event that brings together researchers, industry leaders and policymakers.
Research presentations
The college's presentations focused on how AI can improve instruction, support different types of learners and ensure responsible classroom use. Topics ranged from teacher training programs to AI literacy for students.
Graduate Certificate in AI for Teaching & Learning. Assistant Professor Stephanie Arthur and Associate Dean Zafer Unal presented work on moving educators from basic AI awareness to active use of AI tools in their practice.
Custom GPTs for early childhood. Professors Ilene and Michael Berson examined ethical and pedagogical questions when designing customized AI systems for young learners.
AI and math instruction. Graduate Researcher Sandra Jane DeWitt, Professor David Allsopp and Associate Professor Sarah Van Ingen developed a framework to help teachers use AI to identify and address math difficulties in students.
Critical AI literacy. Assistant Professor Stephanie Arthur and Assistant Professor Christine Picot presented a program for both preservice and practicing teachers to engage critically with generative AI in their professional learning.
How students interact with AI. Doctoral Candidate Leah Burger, Interim Dean Jenifer Jasinski Schneider and Professor James King studied the linguistic strategies youths use when communicating with generative AI systems.
AI and virtual reality for learning. Generative AI research assistant Karthikeya Moturi and Assistant Professor Bo Pei combined conversational AI with immersive virtual environments to help students understand sorting algorithms through dialogue.
Workforce development platform. Assistant Professor Noemi Nagy and Dr. William Scott Burgin presented an AI-supported system designed to connect innovation and workforce ecosystems.
Learn more about AI for Education and Generative AI and LLM applications in professional settings.