Innovation Hub announces first AI Innovation Fellow, Lindsay Hamm

The Innovation Hub is proud to announce its first Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovation Fellow, Lindsay Hamm.

Hamm, a teaching assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, will be joining the Innovation Hub team this summer to explore and support the integration of AI into classrooms across Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus. 

Pictured: Lindsay Hamm, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Fellow for the Innovation Hub

In this new role, Hamm will be part of the Innovation Hub’s strategic plan to expand the transdisciplinary network of faculty and staff who are engaged with the innovative integration of AI tools into their teaching. Hamm will also assist with designing and implementing strategies aimed at building faculty competency and capacity to effectively leverage AI tools in teaching and learning environments.

“Employers are increasingly using artificial intelligence, and that means they’re expecting employees to understand this technology and use it ethically,” shares Hamm. “That’s why I believe students can benefit from AI being integrated into our curriculum.”

Previously, Hamm piloted various programs and tools in her classroom. To her, AI was a “new shiny tool” that could evolve students’ learning experience.

“That’s how I got connected to the Innovation Hub and the important work they’re doing to integrate this tool into Purdue’s ever-evolving approach to a well-rounded education,” reflects Hamm.

In fact, Hamm’s work with classroom AI was recently highlighted by Educause, a nonprofit whose mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology. In its most recent “Horizons Report,” Educause spotlighted “Charlie,” an AI assistant Hamm and her colleagues developed that provides instant feedback to students submitting essays. 

“Trained on large, instructor-graded corpuses of essays, Charlie provides instant feedback, predicting outcomes according to an assignment’s rubric criteria,” the article reads. “Students can revise and resubmit repeatedly, giving them an opportunity to reflect and get assistance as needed before the assignment deadline. Charlie also points them to helpful resources.”

Supporting this project and others like it is just one way the Innovation Hub is extending the frontiers of teaching and learning at Purdue. The growing team is continuously providing faculty, staff and students with the support, tools and partnerships required to realize large-scale visions for what a residential undergraduate education should be.

“Our goal with creating this opportunity is to leverage Lindsay’s expertise and experience utilizing generative AI in creative ways in her classes as we work to support and encourage more faculty in this space,” says Beth Fines, managing director of the Innovation Hub. “She is a strong and well-respected voice who cares deeply about supporting faculty and students. We are thrilled to have her join the team!

To learn more about the Innovation Hub, visit www.purdue.edu/provost/innovation-hub. 

Last updated: May 23, 2023