7 Proposals for AI-Focused Courses Awarded New Grants

New courses that delve into the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in developing assistive technologies and that seek to expand AI literacy in Maryland communities are among seven proposals awarded a total of $85,000 in a new University of Maryland seed-grant program.

The grants are administered by the Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM), a collaborative hub launched last spring to conduct research, offer innovative and experiential learning opportunities for students, and focus on responsible and ethical AI technology to advance the public good. UMD and its philanthropic and industry partners plan to invest more than $100 million in the institute over the next 10 years.

“The number of applications we received reveals a remarkable enthusiasm across our campus for developing new AI-focused courses,” said Neda Atanasoski, AIM associate director of education and professor and chair of the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. “I am excited to see these new classes integrated into curricula across our colleges and schools within the next two years, underscoring our campuswide commitment to interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning about AI.”

The curriculum development awards support courses that are interdisciplinary in their approach to AI, intersect with AIM’s four focus areas and introduce AI-focused courses to existing majors or minors on campus. The courses will be fully developed by the end of 2025 and presented at an AI education symposium at UMD in Spring 2026.

The following proposal was selected for an Experiential Learning and Community-Engaged Course Development Grant ($25,000):

AI Literacy for Community Empowerment

College of Information Professor Mega Subramaniam plans to create a course where students will develop the foundational knowledge and practical skills needed to understand, apply and facilitate AI literacy learning in community settings. Using experiential learning approaches, students will collaborate with libraries, nonprofits and community organizations across Maryland to design programs, lessons, activities, training sessions or workshops that build and promote AI literacy in the communities they serve. By the end of the semester, students will finalize and package the learning experiences for implementation by digital literacy providers.

The following proposals were selected for Course Development Grants ($10,000 each):

Advancing Computational Expertise in Neuroscience and Psychology

Psychology Lecturer Amanda Chicoli and Social Data Science Major Co-Director Brian Kim plan to develop a new 400-level computational neuroscience course for neuroscience, psychology and social data science majors interested in analyzing neuroscience data using Python programming and machine learning tools.

Fundamentals of AI-Powered Assistive Technologies

A new 300-level kinesiology course that will be created by kinesiology Associate Professor Rodolphe Gentili will introduce the use of AI in assistive technologies, from its successes and promises to its challenges, risks and ethical considerations. In particular, the course will cover the use of AI for assistive technologies that can address disabilities in communication, interface with computers, mobility, manipulation, cognitive functioning and educational learning.

AI and Music—History and Practice

College of Information Lecturer Jessica Grimmer plans to develop a course that explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and music, tracing its evolution from historical compositional methodologies to contemporary generative AI systems. Students will critically engage with the philosophical, legal and artistic implications of AI in music while gaining hands-on experience with AI-driven music creation tools.

AI Acts: Chinese Machines, Global Media

In a new course that will be developed by School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Assistant Professor Belinda Qian He, students will engage with a diverse range of films; animations; augmented, virtual and mixed realities; digital ephemera; and artworks that are shaped by AI or envision machines capable of challenging human intelligence. Students will analyze emerging AI infrastructures, AI-generated artworks, AI technologies and workflows in filmmaking and automated media cultural productions that span the Chinese-speaking world, the broader Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

Artificial Intelligence Otherwise

Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Associate Professor Alexis Lothian plans to develop a 300-level course that examines the intersections of technology, culture and social justice through readings in science fiction. Students will gain a broad overview of how AI has been depicted in science fiction, with a focus on lesser-known works that explore the ways real and imagined iterations of AI can reproduce or challenge structural inequality.

AI and the Art of Visual Storytelling

A new course that will be developed by Department of Art Assistant Professor Alireza Vaziri focuses on the potential that AI can provide to enhance creative workflows. The primary goal of the course will be to equip students with the skills to thoughtfully integrate AI tools into their design practice while assessing their limitations, developing effective strategies and creating workflows that merge traditional design principles with emerging technologies.