Pedagogical Partnership Program (PPP) Projects for Fall 2024

Applications for PPP 2024 are now closed

Project 1
 

Title: Thematic Writing & Communication (GWE) Course  
 

Faculty member: Farhana Shahzad 

 
Project Description: 
 
Ms. Shahzad aims to redesign the Thematic Writing & communication Course - Genesis of World Englishes. Acknowledging that students will employ AI and other technology for the sake of ease, she requires a student partner to redesign in-class activities and assessments that incorporate the use of AI ethically.  

Student Partner Role: 

The student partner’s role will be to:  

1. Re-evaluate and update the course outline based on student feedback. 

2. Attend classes to record student feedback. 

3. Co-design new in-class activities, quizzes and writing assignments while using AI ethically.  

4. Co-design the rubrics of revised quizzes and assignments. 

5. Corroborate with the instructor to teach the ethical use of AI while teaching Writing and Communication under the domain of World Englishes. 

Additional Requirements: 

Since it is a niche course with specific concepts of World Englishes and Applied Linguistics, the project requires a student who has previously studied the course. The student should be a sophomore or higher. 

Project 2

Title: Designing a 300-level course: "Psychology of Intelligence" 
 

Faculty member: Natasha Barlas 

 
Project Description: 

The primary goal of this partnership is to collaboratively design a 300-level course titled "Psychology of Intelligence" for Spring 2025. This course will be crafted to make complex psychological theories and academic knowledge engaging and accessible to undergraduate students. The partnership aims to empower a student to gain valuable research and curriculum design experience, which will be instrumental in their preparation for graduate school. This initiative addresses the common challenge where instructors possess extensive knowledge but struggle to make the content engaging and comprehensible for students. 

Student Partner Role: 

The student partner’s role will be to:  

1. Research Latest Work and Trends: Conduct comprehensive research on the latest developments in the fields of intelligence and psychometrics. 
2. Design and Write Case Studies: Research best practices and write engaging, real-world case studies that illustrate key concepts in the psychology of intelligence. 
3. Develop Assessment Ideas: Brainstorm and develop innovative assessment ideas that effectively measure student understanding and engagement. 
4. Incorporate AI Tools: Utilize ChatGPT and other AI tools to suggest ideas, summarize findings, and find techniques to make the course more efficient and relevant in today's AI-centered educational landscape. 

Additional Requirements: 

The student should be someone who has taken PSY100. More advanced psychology courses are preferred 

Student partner should be available to shadow/attend PSY 321. Class timing is TR, 2:00 - 3:50 pm

Project 3
  

Title: Leveraging Large language Models for preparation and evaluation of lab tasks 

Faculty member: Muhammad Wahid 

 
Project Description: 

The central goal of this project is the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) for the preparation and evaluation of lab tasks. This initiative aims to enhance student engagement, streamline the creation of lab tasks, and provide instant, tailored feedback and grades to improve learning outcomes. 
 

Student Partner Role: 

The student partner’s role will be to:  

1. Explore Relevant Research Papers: Investigate existing literature to understand the current applications and advancements of LLMs in education. 
2. Develop an Application: Integrate LLMs into an application designed for creating and evaluating lab tasks. 
3. Evaluate the Developed Approach: Assess the effectiveness of the LLM-integrated application and refining the approach based on feedback and performance data. 

Additional Requirements: 

- Experience in development ( Python and JS ) 

- Strong Coding Skills 

- LangChain ( plus point ) 

- Strong communication skills 

Project 4
  

Title: Data Science for Decision Making: Theory and Practice 
 

Faculty member: Maheen Syed 

 
Project Description: 

Miss Syed previously designed and taught the course ‘Data Science for Decision Making: Theory and Practice’ for the ACTA Master’s program. She plans to expand this course and create a version for the undergraduate level. This will require the revamping of assignments, redesign of quizzes and co-developing  elaborate and extensive labs. The project also calls for the redesign of take-home assignments to make them less susceptible to AI tools and plagiarism. 
 

Student Partner Role: 

The student partner’s role will be to:  

1. Redesign some grading instruments: quizzes, labs and assignments 
2. Provide and would like input on rubric creation and brainstorming alternate assessment methods. 
3. Update part of the course material by exploring interesting readings, videos, online bootcamps and exploring the possibility of including new topics in the course. 
4. Brainstorm the problems of using AI tools for a predominantly tool based class and also how to leverage AI tools to enhance learning. 

Additional Requirements: 

The student partner should have a solid grasp of coding languages (Python and R) and keen interest in practical application of analytical tools in business settings. 

Project 5
 

Title: Use of AI tools to support Data Analytics and Students' Creativity in the new Product Development Process 
 

Faculty member: Muhammad Asim 

 
Project Description: MKTG 345 is new, and a fairly technical course and Mr. Asim plans on making the course materials accessible and more engaging for the students by incorporating proper use of AI tools in their learning. There are two aspects to AI incorporation. The first is in enhancing the course contents with AI tools and the second, is in designing the course instruments (class activities, assignments and projects) to promote the use of AI tools in a constructive way to learn and use R programming.  
 

Student Partner Role: 

The student partner’s role will be to:  

1. Co-research AI tools that can be used to enhance students' creativity and data analytics capabilities (using R language), particularly in the new product development process. 
2. Co-design class materials and assessments, incorporating guidance on the proper use of AI tools. 
3. Observe, collect and share feedback on students' learning experiences. 

Additional Requirements: 

The student should be well-versed in the use of AI tools, have some programming background and be keen to apply AI in new product development. 

Note:

The following applies for all of the projects mentioned above:

Duration of Partnership: 2^nd September, 2024 till 31^st December, 2024  

Orientation date: 5^th September, 2024

 
Number of hours per week: 20