Fifteen new courses that will prepare University of Maryland students to lead in a society increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI) were awarded $230,000 from the Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM) 2026-27 course development grant program. Three of the courses, funded by a total of $70,000, will be offered through the College of Education.
AIM’s mission is to shape the future of AI—ensuring it serves all of humanity and society—through interdisciplinary research, education and community engagement. UMD and its philanthropic and industry partners plan to invest more than $100 million in the institute over the next decade.
“The strong response in this second year of applications demonstrates remarkable enthusiasm across 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. “We are thrilled to be developing new pathways into AI through courses that meet general education requirements, enabling students from across the university to explore big questions such as AI and the built environment.”
This year’s awards, which include five graduate courses and add to the seven courses that received grants last year, represent 10 colleges and schools and will appeal to students with a wide range of educational interests. The courses will be fully developed by the end of 2026 and presented at an AI education symposium at UMD in spring 2027.
The following College of Education proposal was selected for a Pathway to AI grant ($50,000):
Learning, Agency and Inquiry in the Age of AI
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Graduate Studies and Professor Doug Lombardi, Assistant Clinical Professor Lauren Trakhman, Associate Professor David Weintrop and doctoral student John Robertson plan to create a new undergraduate course exploring how AI is reshaping what it means to learn, think and create knowledge. Through hands-on studios and case-based workshops, students compare human and machine learning, develop more accurate mental models of AI systems, and examine how AI affects trust, inquiry, reasoning and metacognitive skills. The course equips students with practical strategies for learning with AI, along with frameworks for verification, ethical judgment and responsible agency in academic, civic and professional settings.
The following College of Education proposals were selected for New AI Course Development grants ($10,000):
Exploring and Innovating with AI in Special Education
This graduate course proposed by Assistant Professor Sehrish Shikarpurya examines current issues at the intersection of AI, accessibility and special education, preparing students to use emerging technologies responsibly in research and instruction. Designed primarily for graduate students in special education and related fields, it emphasizes ethical analysis, accessible research design and inclusive teaching practices that support students with disabilities across K–12 and higher education settings. By exploring how AI can both expand opportunity and deepen inequity, the course equips future scholars and educators to shape more accessible, equitable and innovative learning environments.
Human-AI Collaborative Learning and Work
Clark Leadership Chair Professor Professor FengFeng Ke is developing a graduate course focused on human-AI collaborative learning work. It uses AI as a socio-cognitive partner that shapes and is shaped by human thought, learning and problem-solving. The course utilizes case studies in education, medicine, engineering and science, focusing on how hybrid AI-teams negotiate shared agency, optimize collaborative learning and address the ethical and cognitive implications of AI-mediated decision-making.
Read more about all 15 new AI-focused courses in Maryland Today.
Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle
This story is adapted from an article that first appeared in Maryland Today.
