Testimonials
FSU Round One Project Highlights
Algebra Question Banks and Resources
“I believe wholeheartedly in the benefits of OER and I love designing course materials in general!”
– Christopher Staniszewski, Assistant Professor, Mathematics Department
– Santosha Adhibhatta, Assistant Professor, Environment, Society, & Sustainability
Framingham State University
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Christopher and Santosha redesigned MATH 123 Introduction to Functions using OER materials and integrated AI to generate problems and lesson plans. AI tools were used to create a range of multiple choice and applied problems. Also included is a lesson plan that involves students exploring the uses and pitfalls of using AI as study tools. This course reinforces AI literacy and applied problem-solving across diverse career fields.
Introducing RStudio: Hands-On Learning and Career Readiness
“I believe that students will understand statistics as more than just formulas, and they’ll understand its relevance to real-world problems that impact their daily activities.”
– Njesa Totty
Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Framingham State University
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Njesa developed a full lab manual for Introduction to Statistics STAT 117, using AI for drafting, formatting, coding, and building a course website. Career readiness elements were integrated directly through NACE-linked reflection questions.
Case Studies for Principles of Financial Literacy
“Using AI in my class is a powerful and unavoidable tool. These projects will make the course more diversified and dynamic.”
– Rongbing Liu
Associate Professor, Accounting, Economics & Finance
Framingham State University
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Rongbing used AI to generate multiple case studies for Principles of Financial Literacy FINA 100 and integrated a dedicated career-planning chapter requiring students to research future careers and prepare résumés and cover letters. These projects will make the course more diversified and dynamic.
Introduction to Sociology
“I see a growing need to prepare students for a rapidly changing job market shaped by artificial intelligence. Integrating AI and career readiness allows students to build both technical literacy and adaptable, future-oriented skills. I wanted to design a course that empowers sociology graduates to use AI not just as a simple tool to answer basic questions, but as a partner in lifelong learning and professional growth.”
– Kaan Agartan
Professor, Sociology & Criminology
Framingham State University
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Kaan utilized AI to produce two different types of course material for SOCI 101 – Introduction to Sociology: (1) Take-Home Paper questions for each unit covered in the course; (2) “supplementary OER readings” to supplement the main textbook which is also an existing OER textbook. This project will enhance the student experience by giving Introduction to Sociology students hands-on ways to see how AI relates to society and social issues.
Analytical Techniques for Business Open Assignments
“I was motivated by a desire to make data analytics learning more engaging, accessible, and affordable. Through this project, I aimed to reduce students’ textbook costs while integrating AI-enhanced and real-world business applications to help them develop stronger analytical and decision-making skills.”
– Cuibing Wu
Assistant Professor, Business Management
Framingham State University
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Cuibing redesigned Analytical Techniques for Business BUAN 204 to incorporate applied analytics scenarios, using AI for data interpretation, visualization explanation, and Excel formula generation. Students compare AI-generated analyses with their own work to evaluate accuracy and ethical use. The ancillaries demonstrate how AI supports decision-making in analytics by showcasing business cases that leverage machine learning and predictive models.
Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Career Readiness into the Curriculum: Managerial Finance Resources
“Artificial intelligence is transforming the world around us. Rather than resisting this change, I sought to embrace it responsibly—adopting best practices to harness its potential for enhancing my students’ learning experiences.”
– Luis Rosero
Professor, Accounting, Economics & Finance
Framingham State University
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Luis incorporated individualized, AI-enhanced case studies into Managerial Finance FINA 248, along with deep career exploration assignments requiring professional memos and employment research.
NECC Round One Project Highlights
Brewing Success in English Composition 1
“The integration of OER, AI tools, and career readiness components has resulted in a comprehensive curriculum that supports student learning and prepares them for future challenges.”
–Kelly Boylan
Associate Professor, English
Northern Essex Community College
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Kelly transformed English Composition I using the Composition Café curriculum, a menu-based framework where students “sample” writing strategies through workshops, peer review, and reflective practice that emphasizes choice, creativity, and community. The curriculum integrates career competency development by aligning coursework with NACE-identified skills (communication, critical thinking, teamwork, professionalism) and includes a “My Mentor” strand focused on narrative writing through personal storytelling. Kelly collaborated with AI expert Devan Walton to create the Paragraph Composition Café, a gamified web-based application using a restaurant metaphor where students “serve” paragraph “burgers” with AI-driven feedback in Build Mode and Reorder Mode. Resources: Brewing Success in English 101 | Chapter Four – Paragraph Composition CafeOpen Massachusetts: A Public Higher Education Repository. The Publishing Support Team will assist grantees to publish, no need to have prior experience.
Philosophy Course Modules
“I improved my slideshows considerably. My assignments and discussion prompts are more interesting, engaging, and current. My students will learn about AI literacy and how to work together with generative AI in an ethical manner.”
–Lizzie Linn Casanave
Professor, Philosophy
Northern Essex Community College
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Lizzie created three modules for Introduction to Philosophy that guide students through fundamental questions: what philosophy is and why it matters (Module 1), philosophical ideas about love and happiness (Module 2), and perspectives on the nature of reality (Module 3). All modules emphasize critical thinking, peer dialogue, and deep engagement while thoughtfully integrating AI through an AI literacy slideshow and assignments asking students to use generative AI to identify transferable philosophy skills relevant to their career fields. Through this project, students develop philosophical understanding, AI literacy, and learn to work ethically with generative AI tools in academic and professional contexts.
Assignments Using AI – Child Care Administration Course
“Introducing students to AI can help enhance their academic experience by assisting with research, organizing study notes, and preparing for exams.”
– Nancy Pynchon
Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education
Northern Essex Community College
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Nancy developed resources for Child Care Administration courses that integrate AI tools throughout, including supplemental materials, activities, assignments, lesson plans, and detailed guidance for creating Google Notebook LM. The curriculum features innovative assignments where students critically evaluate AI-generated content by comparing it with real-world professional experience, including discussion boards where students verify AI accuracy and career-focused assignments comparing AI interview responses against actual childcare directors’ answers. Nancy created a model Google Notebook LM that students replicate for research, study notes, and exam preparation, developing both technical skills and critical judgment needed for modern educational leadership.
Incarceration & Alternatives
“I have participated in previous ROTEL projects and use OER materials in all of my courses coupled with my regular usage of AI.”
– Scott Joubert
Professor, Criminal Justice
Northern Essex Community College
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Scott developed an OER curriculum exploring the American correctional system from historical foundations through modern institutional practices while preparing students for corrections careers. The course integrates AI throughout with AI-generated images for visual learning, HTML scripting for interactive content, deep-fake debates simulating real-world policy discussions, and ethical AI prompts embedded in all learning activities. Scott continues developing weekly textbook chapters, collecting student feedback from Fall 2024 implementations at QCC and NECC, and has received “fantastic” student responses to the AI-enhanced materials.
Companion Materials for OpenStax: Introduction to Python Programming
“I am committed to OER as a way to reduce barriers for education. This is my 3rd or 4th time working on an OER grant.”
– Mike Penta
Assistant Professor, Computer Science
Northern Essex Community College
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Mike developed ancillary materials for the OpenStax Introduction to Python Programming textbook, creating the “Python Adventure” project—a chapter-by-chapter, narrative-based series that makes beginner Python concepts engaging through interactive storytelling. The materials model responsible AI use by guiding students to use tools like CS50.ai for understanding errors and planning ideas while clearly instructing them not to use AI to generate code, ensuring problem-solving is still student driven. Mike integrated career readiness activities focusing on transferable IT skills (troubleshooting, communication, structured procedures, responsible technology use) and published the materials with a Creative Commons license.
Marketing in Action: Interactive Learning Companion
“The course materials are easily accessible from wherever they are. The materials are written with plain English and easy to understand. The materials bring in case students and real-world experiential projects so that if they are interested in this field, they are more prepared to enter it.”
– Juilie Pierce
Associate Professor, Business
Northern Essex Community College
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Scott developed an OER curriculum exploring the American correctional system from historical foundations through modern institutional practices while preparing students for corrections careers. The course integrates AI throughout with AI-generated images for visual learning, HTML scripting for interactive content, deep-fake debates simulating real-world policy discussions, and ethical AI prompts embedded in all learning activities. Scott continues developing weekly textbook chapters, collecting student feedback from Fall 2024 implementations at QCC and NECC, and has received “fantastic” student responses to the AI-enhanced materials.
UML Round One Project Highlights
From Spark to Startup: Your Guide to Building a Business Model and Running It
“I wanted to create materials to make learning easier for students, to avoid confusion and to connect them with real cases that exist in our community.”
– Cintya Gajardo Vejar
Adjunct Faculty, Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Innovation
UMass Lowell
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Cintya integrated AI into the course by using it to support grammar and organization in course materials and to produce the instructional videos included in their OER. Career readiness is incorporated through activities that prompt students to reflect on how the course content connects to their professional goals and by encouraging them to share their achievements on LinkedIn. Additional ancillary materials include a fully developed OER published as a PDF, accompanying module videos created in collaboration with the CA-Rotel team, and supporting slides, worksheets, and Canvas-based learning resources.
Introducing Philosophy with The Matrix
“This project will provide a new means of extending in-class lecture material covering major philosophers with activities that break the mold of standard assessment formats (e.g., essays, presentations) while allowing them to explore novel applications of AI technologies.”
–James Garrison
Assistant Professor, Philosophy
UMass Lowell
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The course builds to an assignment aimed at developing the kind of conversational skills described in the NACE Career Readiness Competency areas of “Critical Thinking” and “Technology” through student-friendly AI-integration. In this assignment, students use an AI text generator tool like ChatGPT to conduct three distinct “conversations” with the goal of answering the question “Should we believe that what we experience is real and why?”
First-Year Seminar in Honors, Course Materials & Portfolio
“Students will benefit in two major ways: First, students will move through a newly designed assignment trajectory that gives them ethical guidance and experience with AI. Second, students will work to develop career competencies in clear and targeted ways. ”
– Thomas Hersey
Senior Adjunct Faculty, English
UMass Lowell
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Thomas created materials for the First Year Honors Seminar (FYSH/ HONR 1100), using a blend of OER resources and self-developed content. AI is integrated through ethically focused activities that support student brainstorming for research and podcast projects, as well as literature review organization. Career readiness is embedded by aligning all assignments with NACE competencies and making these connections explicit throughout the course.
Additional ancillary materials include OER-based resources that support rhetorical mode development and grant-writing instruction, which are tied to AI-enhanced assignments. These materials will also be shared with other faculty for future FYSH courses, with Rae Mansfield coordinating the dissemination of grant-related instructional resources among Honors College instructors.
First-Year Seminar in Honors, Course Materials, Mindful Pathways to Honors and Career Readiness
“As a professor, I am always looking to learn more about how I can best serve my students and to share my experience with others within the field. It is so important for all of us to continue to learn from each other each semester. It is incredibly rare to be able to take on a project that allows this learning with financial support. It was a great opportunity, one I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on.”
– Kyrie Kowalik
Senior Adjunct Faculty, Honors Specialist
UMass Lowell
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Kyrie integrated AI into the course by creating video overviews generated with AI to help students better understand the material. Students also added an AI-use disclosure requirement to all assignments, encouraging students to engage openly with AI as a learning tool rather than avoiding it.
To support career readiness, Kyrie designed an assignment centered on the NACE competencies, prompting students to connect these skills to their coursework and recognize their relevance to future job roles.
Additionally, Kyrie developed ancillary materials focused on mindfulness, specifically addressing procrastination, time management, and strategies for overcoming these academic challenges.
Professional Communications Course
“The curriculum is informed, realistic and advanced with a recognition of AI and a focus on career readiness. A stronger and more dynamic course delivered with a more knowing confidence, and with no cost for any textbooks or materials. An all around more successful higher educational endeavor.”
– Linda Mallen
Senior Adjunct Faculty, Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Innovation
UMass Lowell
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Linda integrated AI into the course by incorporating a Generative AI policy, an application-based AI exercise, and activities focused on reviewing academic citations. Career readiness is embedded throughout the Professional Communications course, which centers on workplace-aligned writing and speaking tasks that mirror real professional communication scenarios. Additional ancillary materials include class modules, assignment prompts, an AI-based sample exercise, and several accompanying PowerPoint slides.
College Writing II Assignments
“Students will understand that I know that AI is not “taboo.” Instead of treating AI as a “cheating tool,” I want to be transparent with students that AI can offer many positives. Yes, there are negatives, but I hope to be able to discuss the negative features as well.”
– Marialana Salamone
Adjunct faculty, English
UMass Lowell
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Marialana integrated AI into the course by developing discussion posts, activities, assignments, and reflection tasks that engage students in using AI tools. Career readiness is supported through additional discussion postings that help students connect course concepts to professional expectations. The instructor also created a set of 10 ancillary assignments focused on research skill development—guiding students through topic selection, forming research questions and thesis statements, and reflecting on how AI can support and refine the thesis-development process.
