Authors and Contributors

Fang Yi; Jess Taggart; Bethany Mickel

Authors and Contributors

SoTL Project Overview

The Virginia MegaSoTL-AI Research Project investigating the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) tools on teaching and learning was established in Fall 2023. This collaborative research initiative, funded by a $93,000 Fund for Excellence and Innovation Grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, brings together faculty, graduate students, and staff from institutions across Virginia to explore various AI-related sub-topics in higher education.

“OER for Teaching with AI” Team

Our team, “OER for Teaching with AI,” emerged from the MegaSoTL project with the goal of designing, developing, and evaluating an adaptable Open Educational Resource (OER) to help faculty and instructors develop AI literacy for themselves and their students.

Our team consists of faculty, instructional designers and technologists, media specialists, educational developers, and librarians from University of Virginia, James Madison University, and Bridgewater College.

Project Leads:

Fang Yi – Overall Project Lead

Bethany Mickel – OER Content Lead

Sevinj Iskandarova – Research Lead

Jess Taggart – Principal Investigator, MegaSoTL Project

Project Teams:

OER Research Team
Sevinj Iskandarova, Fang Yi, Jess Taggart, Bisi Velayudhan, Katya Koubek, and Jess Marquardt

This team is responsible for: research and design implementation, participant recruitment, data collection and analysis, and evaluation and reporting.

OER Content Team
Content Authors and Editors: Fang Yi, Jess Taggart, and Bethany Mickel
Content Reviewers: Tim Ball
The OER Content Team is responsible for: literature and resource review, content curation, drafting and development, and content evaluation and revision.

Previous Contributors

Josh Thorud – OER Content Lead (Fall 2023 – Fall 2024)

Jaira Ferreira de Vasconcellos – Content review (Fall 2023 – Jan 2025)

About the Contributors

Fang Yi

Fang (she/her) is the Assistant Director and Senior Instructional Designer for Learning Design and Technology at the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia. In her role, she leads faculty development initiatives and provides both technical and pedagogical support for integrating instructional and learning technologies to achieve course objectives. Her work also includes exploring the application of AI tools, evaluating their effectiveness, and facilitating their integration across disciplines, with a special focus on language teaching. Her current research interests include AI literacy, effective and ethical AI integration, equitable and inclusive course design, and alternative assignments and assessments design. Fang holds a MA in Instructional Technology and Media from Teachers College, Columbia University, a MS in Communication and Information Systems from Peking University and a BE in Communication Engineering from Jilin University in China.

Bethany Mickel
Bethany (she/her) is the Instructional Design & OER Librarian at the University of Virginia. Her work involves facilitating open education initiatives and collaborating with faculty, staff, and students on open projects. Her work also includes the development of online resources to support library instruction. With a background in instruction design, her research interests include Open Pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning, the intersectionality of information and media literacy, as well as project-based learning as a means of assessment. She is a passionate practitioner of inclusive design and pedagogy and seeks ways to make learning accessible and welcoming for all. She holds an MLIS from Kent State University, an MS in Instructional Technology from Bloomsburg University, and an BS in Secondary English Education from Lock Haven University.

Jessica Taggart

Jess (she/her) is an Assistant Director in the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Virginia, where she supports instructors in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and curriculum (re)design. Her work also includes supporting instructors in navigating whether and how to integrate generative AI in the classroom, and she is committed to including student voices and perspectives in these conversations. Her current research explores the thoughtful integration of generative AI into teaching and learning. She is co-principal investigator of a cross-institutional SoTL project on this topic, bringing together seven teams of faculty, graduate students, and staff across higher education institutions in Virginia. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Virginia and a BA in Psychology and English from Johns Hopkins University.

Sevinj Iskandarova

Sevinj Iskandarova, Ph.D. (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at the Nolen School of Business and Professional Studies at Bridgewater College. Her research interests encompass Leadership, System Leadership, Experiential Learning, Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education, and Artificial Intelligence Regulations and Policies. Dr. Iskandarova dedicated a decade to the higher education sector, where she held various management and leadership positions. Her roles focused on youth programs, international higher education, credit transfer systems, collaboration with both national and international higher education leaders. Throughout her career, she has been committed to advancing educational opportunities, nurturing leadership within youth programs, and shaping the next generation of leaders. Dr. Iskandarova’s contributions have been recognized with several accolades, including the 2017 Women of Distinction Award from the Office of Access and Inclusion, and the Gold Medal for the 2024 Women Changing the World Americas Awards in the category of Women in Higher Education. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Khazar University in Azerbaijan, a master’s degree in Adult Education and Human Resource Development from the College of Education, and a doctorate in Postsecondary Analysis & Leadership from the School of Strategic Leadership Studies at James Madison University in Virginia, USA.

Tim Ball

Tim (he/him) is a Professor in the School of Communication Studies at James Madison University where he teaches course in human communication, pedagogy, and organizational communication. His research and scholarship interests include the theory and practice of teaching and how they influence student learning, the assessment of cognitive, behavioral, and affective measures on communication competence, and the ways in which civic engagement is central to effective communication. He has worked with colleagues from other institutions to develop an OER for a human communication course. He holds a BA degree in Journalism from Iowa State University, an MS in Communication from Eastern Washington University, and a Ph.D. from Washington State University.

Bisi Velayudhan

Dr. Bisi Velayudhan is an Associate Professor of Biology in James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. She completed her BS in Veterinary Science and MS in Veterinary Pathology from Kerala Agricultural University in India. Dr. Velayudhan earned another MS in Animal Science from University of Connecticut and a PhD in Mammary biology from Virginia Tech. Dr. Velayudhan is passionate about teaching and interacting with her students. She practices inclusive pedagogies in and outside of classroom. Her current research focuses on understanding the long-term effects of food preservatives on gut health. She is also invested in scholarship of teaching and learning to understand and improve students’ learning experiences. Apart from teaching, Dr. Velayudhan is actively involved in mentoring undergraduate students in research and conduct STEM outreach events for K-12 students.

Katya Koubek

Katya Koubek earned her Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition/Foreign Language Education from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a professor and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) coordinator in the College of Education at James Madison University. She teachers both graduate and undergraduate courses in TESOL. Currently, she is a Communication Chair for Virginia Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (VATESOL). Her research interests include the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by pre- and in-service teachers, teacher attitudes and beliefs, action research in teacher education, high-impact practices, and culturally responsive and sustaining practices.

Jess Marquardt

Jess Marquardt (she/they) is a Lecturer of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. They teach animal and human physiology, practicing inclusive pedagogies both in and out of the classroom. Jess is passionate about the scholarship of teaching and learning to improve students’ sense of belonging and success in the classroom. They are currently a science education doctoral student at the Mallinson Institute for Science Education at Western Michigan University, focusing on inclusive teaching practices and equity in the classroom for all learners. Jess did their doctoral work in animal physiology at the University of Idaho (ABD), earned a M.S. in animal science from Texas A&M University, and a B.S. in animal science from Iowa State University. Along with teaching and studying, they are involved in STEM outreach for K-12 students.

Jaira Ferreira de Vasconcellos

Dr. Jaira Ferreira de Vasconcellos (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biology, James Madison University. Dr. Ferreira de Vasconcellos is a cellular and molecular biologist passionate about discovering novel biomarkers and targeted treatment strategies. Her main research interests are the molecular mechanisms underlying post-traumatic fibrosis and angiogenesis, impaired wound healing, and ectopic bone formation in humans. Dr. Ferreira de Vasconcellos is also passionate about teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in her research laboratory. She holds a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the University of Campinas, an M.S. in Genetics from the Federal University of Pernambuco, a Specialization degree in Clinical Analysis from Recife’s Frassinetti College, and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Pernambuco.

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Fostering AI Literacy: A Guide for Educators in Higher Education Copyright © by Fang Yi; Jess Taggart; and Bethany Mickel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.