Kathleen Kennedy

Associate Professor of Practice, Retailing & Consumer Sciences
2022 CUES Distinguished Fellow
Photo of Kathleen Kennedy

Note: Title was current at time of award and may have changed.


Educational Equity and Inclusion through a Personalized Adaptive Learning System (PALS)

Personalized adaptive learning offers great promise for fostering individual student success, broadening access, and building more equitable and inclusive learning environments.  While adaptive learning (AL) technology supports individualized instruction, it is still unclear how to meaningfully realize the potential of AL within instructor-facilitated, student-centered learning environments. 

The PALS initiative will identify and develop differential instruction (DI) methods that enable the effective use of AL technology in teaching and learning.  This research project brings together 16 UArizona faculty from multiple disciplines for the systematic implementation and evaluation of PALS.  More specifically, PALS will promote DI and pilot artificial intelligence-based AL learning technology at the University of Arizona.  The initiative aims to inform specific ways in which DI, AL and their combination are capable of improving students' learning, while also increasing student engagement, satisfaction, and overall academic success.

Presentations

SEP 2024: Increasing equity and access with personalized AI learning supportCUES Inside UAZ-Funded Scholarship Series, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.

AUG 2024: Increasing Higher Education Access and Equity with PALS AI-Personalized Learning, 2024 ITLC (International Teaching Learning Cooperative) Lilly Evidence-Based Teaching & Learning Conference, Asheville, NC.

APR 2024: Increasing equity and access with personalized AI learning support, Inaugural Disability Studies Conference, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. 

Broader Engagement

SUMMER 2024: Faculty Learning Community: The AI-Savvy Educator, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (Virtual).

  • Note: Sessions for this FLC series will also be held in Fall 2024.

FALL 2023: Faculty Learning Community: Advanced AI in Teaching and Learning, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.

SUMMER 2023: AI and Data Acumen Team (Co-lead). AI Access & Integrity Working Group, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.

SPRING 2023: Faculty Learning Community: AI in Teaching and Learning, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (Virtual).

  • Note: Sessions for this FLC series were also held in Summer 2023 and Fall 2023.

2023-2024: Norton School Teaching Series: AI & Teaching and Learning. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. 

2023-2024: Education Team (Co-lead). AI Access & Integrity Working Group, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. 

2023: AI Adaptive Learning Technology Acceptance and User Study, UCATT Technology & Innovation Pilot Grant, University of Arizona, $5,000. 

2022 CUES Distinguished Fellows