Coles College Symposium: AI in Action: Empowering Teaching, Research, and Innovation

Title card for AI in Higher Education symposium, featuring the event's title surrounded by stylized illustrated books

The explosive rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is causing significant disruption across multiple industries. This event brings together faculty from the Coles College and other regional universities to examine some of the profound issues surrounding AI in education. Highlights of the symposium include:

  • Implications of AI for higher education
  • Strategies for preparing students for workplace changes and new industries shaped by AI
  • Student perspectives on the use of AI
  • Explorations of integrity and accountability concerns
  • Tips for maximizing net positives from AI use

The event will facilitate critical reflections among business school peers on these topics, and will feature keynote presentations and expert panels.

August 27, 2025
8:30 AM - 5:00PM

KSU Center
3333 Busbee Dr NW
Kennesaw, GA 30144

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Speakers Included

Symposium Agenda

Time Theme Audience
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM

Check-in & Breakfast

All
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM

Opening Remarks (Robin Cheramie)
(KSU Center 400)

All
8:45 AM – 9:30 AM

Keynote Address: Human-Centered AI: The Amplification of Human Potential (Scott Zimmer)
(KSU Center 400)

All
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Interactive Panel: How Are You Using AI? – A Brainstorming Forum on Teaching, Research, and Aspirations (Reza Vaezi, Kevin Gecowets, Tamara Powell, Jeanne Law)
(KSU Center 400)

All
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM

Break

  
10:45 AM – 11:45 AM

Beginner Track: Getting Started with AI Tools - ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, NotebookLLM (Hossein Mohit)
(KSU Center 464)

Advanced Track: Creating Custom Agents for Dedicated Tasks (Ying Xie)
(KSU Center 462)

Breakout
11:45 AM – 12:00 PM

Coffee Break

All
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Beginner Track: Intro to Prompt Engineering – Interactive Sandbox Lab (Sherry Ni)
(KSU Center 464)

Advanced Track: From Research to Practice: Building AI Chatbots to Support Teaching & Learning (Dabae Lee)
(KSU Center 462)

Breakout
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM

Lunch & Networking

All
1:45 PM – 2:45 PM

Beginner Track: Hands-On AI for Educators – Syllabus and Slide Generation Lab (Heather Morgan)
(KSU Center 464)

Advanced Track: AI for Video, Case Studies, and Content Design (Aaron French)
(KSU Center 462)

Breakout
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Beginner Track: Reverse Mentoring Session – Students Demo AI Use in the Classroom (Leadership Scholars (Cohort 11): Maya Bright; Britton Rellinger)
(KSU Center 464)

Advanced Track: Demystifying AI: Practical Applications and Ethical Considerations (Rajan Gupta, John Foster, Ajay Aluri, and Jay Indrakumar)
(KSU Center 462)

Breakout
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM

Industry Perspective Keynote: “Generative AI: Practical Insights To Enable Success” (Bill Franks)
(KSU Center 400)

All
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM

Wrap-Up & Thank You: (Jomon Paul)
(KSU Center 400)

All

Download the Agenda

 

Registration

Please Register by August 13, 2025.

Registration for this event is now closed.

Past AI Symposiums

  • AI in Higher Education

    August 29, 2024
    8:30 AM - 5:00PM

    KSU Main Campus
    Carmichael Student Center University Rooms
    395 Cobb Ave.
    Kennesaw, Ga 30144

    Time Theme Speaker(s)
    8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Check-in and Continental Breakfast
    In University Room A/B    		  
    9:00 AM – 9:15 AM Opening Remarks
    In University Room A/B    		 Robin Cheramie
    9:15 AM – 10:15 AM Keynote: Transforming Academic Workflows with AI: From Routine Tasks to Groundbreaking Innovations
    In University Room A/B    		 Kai Larsen, University of Colorado Boulder
    10:15 AM – 10:30 AM Break  
    10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Breakout Sessions
    • An Early Exploration of AI Tools for Research and Teaching
      Prachi Gala and Robert Randolph
      In University Room A/B

    • Mastering Prompt Engineering: Techniques for Optimal AI Interactions
      Sherry Ni
      In University Room C

    • Promoting Critical Thinking with AI in the Classroom
      Michele DiPietro
      In ST 370

    Robert Randolph, Research Director and Associate Professor of Family Business/Management, Kennesaw State University 

    Prachi Gala, Associate Professor of Marketing and Professional Sales, Kennesaw State University

    Sherry Ni, Director of the School of Data Science and Analytics and Professor of Statistics, Kennesaw State University

    Michele DiPietro, Executive Director for Faculty Development, Recognition, and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Kennesaw State University
    11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Industry Panel: Generative AI’s Revolutionary Impact on Business and the Future of Work
    In University Room A/B

    Aaron French (Moderator), Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Security

    Gustavo Sanabria, Co-founder and CEO of Captivatar

    Dave Dowsett, Global Head, AI, Emerging Technologies and Innovation, Invesco 

    Jack Shaw, Global Thought Leader & Technology Strategist

    Sarah Woodward, Founder of AI Growth Ops and Strategic Startup Advisor for Strategy and Innovation
    1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Lunch
    In University Room A/B    		  
    2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Breakout Sessions
    • Enhancing the classroom Using Gen AI
      Aaron French
      In University Room A/B
    • AI for Professional Communication
      Jeanne Law and Tamara Powell
      In University Room C

    • AI: Are You Ready?
      Drew Tonsmeire
      In ST 370

    Aaron French, Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Security, Kennesaw State University

    Jeanne Law, Director of First-Year Composition and Professor of English, Kennesaw State University

    Tamara Powell, Professor of English, Kennesaw State University

    Drew Tonsmeire, Area Director, University of Georgia Small Business Development Center at Kennesaw State University
    3:00 PM – 3:45 PM Student Presentation: Using AI in Classes from a Student Perspective
    In University Room A/B    		 Undergraduate and Graduate Students
    3:45 PM – 4:00 PM Break  
    4:00 PM – 4:45 PM Learning with AI: Rediscovering the Fundamentals
    In University Room A/B    		 Kai Larsen, University of Colorado Boulder
    4:45 PM – 5:00 PM Closing Remarks
    In University Room A/B    		 Jomon Paul, Associate Dean of Research and Accreditation and Professor of Economics, Finance & Quantitative Analysis, Kennesaw State University

  • AI in the Business Classroom

    August 24, 2023
    8:00 AM - 5:00PM
    KSU Center, Room 400

    Time Theme Speaker(s)
    8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Check-in and Continental Breakfast  
    9:00 AM – 9:15 AM Opening Remarks Robin Cheramie
    9:15 AM – 10:15 AM Keynote: Implications of Artificial Intelligence for Higher Education Gerald Kane, University of Georgia
    10:15 AM – 10:30 AM Break  
    10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Keynote: Embracing Generative AI for Classroom Instruction: Opportunities and Challenges Patrick Lynch, Hult Business School
    11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Tradeoffs of Using AI to Learn Aaron French
    12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch  
    1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Keynote: Educating Business Students for Industry with AI Michael Stefanick, Ernst Young
    2:30 PM – 3:15 PM Student Presentation: Using AI in Classes from a student perspective  
    3:15 PM – 3:30 PM Break  
    3:30 PM – 4:45 PM Faculty Panel: Maximizing Net Positives of AI in the Classroom Tyra Burton (Moderator), Heather Morgan, and Reza Vaezi
    4:45 PM – 5:00 PM Closing Remarks Jomon Paul