On May 13, 2026, CDIL staff will participate in BC Talks AI, an in-person event designed to help faculty and staff better understand the role of artificial intelligence and its thoughtful implementation at Boston College. The event includes three breakout sessions, in which our CDIL colleagues will present across six panels ranging from exploring AI tools to discussing AI pedagogical approaches. Read about each of the six panels below to learn more about some aspects of our Center’s engagement with AI in pedagogy, learning, and student formation.

Bringing Students into the AI Conversation: Two Experiments in Listening and Collaboration

How do students actually think about AI—and how can we create space for honest conversation at Boston College? This panel shares two connected programs that grew out of CDIL’s 2024-25 Student AI Advisors working group. First, a summer research internship (CDIL and the Purpose Lab) trained undergraduate interns in qualitative research methods so they could interview other students about formative experiences of AI at BC. Those findings informed a second initiative: “BC Students Talk AI,” a peer-led pizza conversation program developed in partnership with Student Affairs. Students hosted small-group discussions with friends and classmates, then completed reflections on what they heard and learned. The panel will share preliminary findings from both programs and discuss the collaborative process—how units across campus worked together to treat AI as a conversation starter about student formation, trust, and dialogue.

This panel is in collaboration with:

• Tim Lindgren, Assistant Director, Design Innovation;
• Noël Ingram, Digital Teaching Programs Administrator;
• Colleen Dallavalle, Associate Vice President, Student Engagement & Formation, Division of Student Affairs;
• Meghan Heckleman,Student Affairs Administrator, Engagement & Formation;
• Belle Liang, Professor & Ascione Family Formation Fellow, Lynch School of Education & Human Development;
• Elisa Liang, Ph.D. Student in Counseling Psychology, Lynch School of Education and Human Development; and
• Student panelists Toby Ting, Junior theology/philosophy major and Mackenzie Duffy, Sophomore computer science/philosophy major

What if you could ‘Play It Before You Lived It’? Using AI to rapid-build 3-dimensional immersive educational experiences.

Complex learning concepts are difficult to learn, much less understand and retain. What if students could “experience” the concept through AI and VR? This presentation will outline real world problems Chief Information Security Officers and Chief Risk Officers face at many organizations. The traditional teaching method would be to show students a busy visual meant to convey intricate scenarios and problems without experience or context. This presentation will show how AI and VR can bring these concepts to life for students to watch, interact, and engage within the reality of the concept itself.

This panel is in collaboration with Philip Aldrich, CTO – Verterim, Adjunct Professor – BC and Alexia Prichard, Senior Instructional Media Producer.

Building a Critical AI Literacy Module for First-Year Writing: A Cross-Campus Collaboration

In this presentation, Paula Mathieu (English), Noël Ingram (CDIL), and Melanie Hubbard (Libraries) will discuss their collaboration on designing a GenAI learning module for First-Year Writing (FWS), a project focused on centering student voices. Topics will include their rationale for choosing the FWS program as the module’s launching point, their design approach, how they are involving students in the creation process, and their plan for piloting and assessing the module.

This panel is in collaboration with Paula Mathieu, Associate Professor of English; Melanie Hubbard, Head of Digital Scholarship & Data Services (Libraries); and Noël Ingram, Digital Teaching Programs Administrator.

AI, Media, and Teaching Practice: Designing with Intention

This workshop invites faculty to explore practical ways generative AI can support the creation of instructional media. Through examples and guided activities, participants will examine how AI-assisted visuals, audio, and other multimedia materials can be used in teaching, along with key considerations for review and revision.

Participants will create a small instructional media object, such as an AI-generated image, audio voiceover, or infographic, and apply clear criteria to assess accuracy, accessibility, and alignment with learning goals. The session helps faculty critically evaluate when and how AI-generated media can help support their teaching practice.

This panel is in collaboration with Jennifer Walker, Associate Director, Instructional Media and Aaron Walters, Senior Instructional Media Producer.

From Static to Dynamic: Leveraging H5P Smart import to save time during the course creation process

Creating engaging, interactive learning objects shouldn’t take hours of manual labor. Enter H5P Smart Import—an AI-powered tool designed to transform your existing files, URLs, and videos into interactive H5P activities in seconds. In this session, we will explore how to automate the heavy lifting of content development without sacrificing pedagogical quality.

This panel is in collaboration with Helen Healy, Associate Director of Learning Technology and Andrew Petracca, Consultant LMS Administrator.

“The AI Snack Bar: An App Tasting Experience with Gemini Gems”

This interactive, beginner-friendly session offers a quick, hands-on experience building a customized AI tool. No experience necessary–just a willingness to experiment.

By the end of the session, you’ll come away with a customized Gemini Gem guided by your instructions.

We invite you to bring your own computer to the session. If you don’t have one, we will have a few laptops available or you can pair up with another attendee to experiment together.

This panel is also in collaboration with Kyle Fidalgo, Academic Technologist, Law School and Tim Lindgren, Assistant Director, Design Innovation.