By Scout Nelson
South Dakota State University is expanding its artificial intelligence education efforts after receiving a three-year, $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, with support from Sen. Mike Rounds.
The funding is designed to improve artificial intelligence awareness, literacy, and skills among students, faculty, and staff. Much of the work will take place through SDSU’s Center for AI Innovation and Emergent Technologies.
“Largely, what we’ll do is support artificial intelligence awareness, literacy and competency across the SDSU campus. And that includes first and foremost students, but also faculty and staff,” said Taylor, principal investigator on the grant, co-executive director of the center and vice provost for graduate education and extended studies.
The grant supports AI products that can make learning more interactive. SDSU plans to focus on hands-on activities rather than traditional workshops.
“We’ll focus on hands-on, engaged learning, There won’t be any dry workshops,” Taylor said.
One planned tool helps faculty create oral exams and quizzes with the support of an AI agent. Faculty members remain responsible for grading the work.
“There’s some concern about student writing and AI. This is a tool where faculty members can actually create an AI interactive oral exams or oral quizzes for students, but the professor is always the one who grades it,” Taylor said.
SDSU is also planning short AI learning programs for faculty and students. A 30-day program for faculty uses daily lessons that take about 10 to 20 minutes. The lessons help faculty learn how AI can support classroom activities and assignment design.
Students will have a similar 15-day program focused on AI literacy and responsible use.
The grant also supports SDSU’s second annual AI symposium, planned for Sioux Falls in April 2027. Additional AI learning activities will be supported through the center during the three-year grant period.
SDSU is also working to establish basic AI learning outcomes for all students. Dennis Hedge, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the university wants graduates to understand how to use AI responsibly.
The university plans to teach students about both the benefits and limits of AI. The goal is to help students understand the technology well enough to take part in discussions about how it is used in their fields.
Hedge also encourages students and faculty to view AI as a support tool rather than a replacement for people. The university is paying attention to concerns about students relying on AI to complete work or think for them.
“I don’t think the technology inherently detracts from student learning,” Taylor said. “Students and faculty can use AI to help with research and analysis. It could help with critical thinking and refine an argument through feedback. Generative AI is a powerful tool, but the human always needs to be in the loop and be the author of the work.”
The program encourages students to work with AI as a form of support while remaining responsible for their own projects and decisions.
The $750,000 grant gives SDSU resources to expand AI learning across academic programs and help students and employees build skills for a changing technology environment.
“The grant becomes the fuel that helps us feed all kinds of efforts that will help us build integration throughout our academic programs and develop the right types of competencies at all layers of the university to help us succeed in the current AI landscape,” Hedge said.
Taylor said the funding creates new opportunities for SDSU and its students.
“It’s a game changer for us and for students, and I appreciate receiving the funding. No other university in the Regental system and very few in the country have the kinds of resources today to do what we’re doing,” Taylor said. “SDSU is certainly a regional leader, and I would go so far as to say national leader in AI pedagogy development. We wouldn’t have that without the grant dollars to fund this programming.”
Photo Credit: south-dakota-state-university
Categories: South Dakota, Education