Promoting Technology Acceptance of AI Innovations through Professional Development and Policy Alignment

Session Description

This interactive session shares the application of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to innovative AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, in higher education. Examples of research-based professional development modules and policies are provided. Participants partake in active discussions on the transferability of policy concepts and professional development strategies to their institutional contexts.

Presenter(s)

Abigail Dutcher
University of Saint Francis
Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA

Abigail Dutcher, a proud mother of two beautiful children, has walked the path from a K-12 educator and instructional coach to a first-year college professor. Her unwavering love for technology, STEM, and artificial intelligence has been the driving force behind her academic journey. She completed her Ed.S research in Artificial Intelligence and QAR reading strategies. She is currently writing her dissertation on Artificial Intelligence and Lesson Planning. Butler University published two of her lesson plans that taught educators and faculty how to integrate artificial intelligence into their classrooms.

Rae Mancilla, Ed.D.
University of Pittsburgh, Office of Online Learning
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Rae Mancilla, Ed.D., (she/her) is the Assistant Director of the Office of Online Learning for the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, where she oversees the development of all new online and hybrid programs. Mancilla leads the instructional design team and serves as the liaison with program directors across the School. She also manages the quality review process, specializing in the areas of copyright, digital accessibility, and program evaluation. Mancilla is an active instructional designer, educator, and scholar, with over 15 years of experience in instructional design, curriculum development, project management, and assessment. She holds a Master’s of Science degree in Education and Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) and a Doctoral Degree in Instructional Technology in Leadership. Her research interests include the professional development of instructional designers, digital accessibility, and program evaluation. Mancilla is co-editor of Guide to Digital Accessibility: Policies, Practices and Professional Development (2023) published by Quality Matters and Stylus. She is also a certified peer viewer of online courses for Quality Matters (K12 and higher education), bilingual peer evaluator for the Middle States Commission for Higher Education, an invited scholar for the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction, and a Quality Matters Research Colleague.