Arash Zaghi sees artificial intelligence (AI) through a variety of positive lenses, but its potentially enormous benefit to education, he explains, is its significant contributions to personalized learning.
That overarching belief has led Zaghi, Civil and Environmental Engineering professor, to become an AI champion; he has led the effort to integrate AI at UConn’s College of Engineering (CoE), work supported by several National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, including a recent five-year award focused on innovation in personalized learning with AI. And now, thanks to the broad appeal and value of AI learning, he has spearheaded the creation of an introductory AI course that is part of a proposed pathway to broaden AI literacy at UConn, with the goal of making it available to all incoming students in the near future.
This class, which is being called AI4ALL (ENGR 1195: Special Topics in Engineering: AI Literacy) is now being piloted in CoE as well as in several colleges across the UConn first-year community, with close to 500 students participating. The goal is to triple enrollment in the next few years.
Zaghi explains that a primary driver in his quest to expand student understanding and competence with AI tools arose from efforts to support neurodiverse learners in engineering disciplines, eventually shifting from a medical model to a paradigm that views neurodiversity as an asset. Research examined the challenges of trying to impose a one-size-fits-all model in teaching, and the potential of AI to customize course material for diverse learners.
“We had been studying AI’s potential to revolutionize personalized learning, particularly for engineering students who often struggle with abstract course content,” Zaghi says. “AI4ALL treats AI literacy as a way to level the playing field. By teaching students how to contextualize abstract content, seek timely guidance, and use simple coaching workflows, the course supports varied strengths and starting points. That’s crucial for nontraditional and neurodiverse learners—and a boost for everyone.
“Traditional lecture methods don’t work for every student,” Zaghi adds, “and we know the transition to university life for incoming freshmen is very difficult regardless of their backgrounds or learning differences. Attention and persistence can be huge barriers for students. With AI, we realized we had tools to help students with daily challenges like how to plan out their day, scheduling, homework, coaching and mentoring access, integrating more easily with classmates and other students, communication and cultural changes, and interactive assists to support their well-being, study habits, and planning, just to name a few benefits.”
Zaghi says that truly understanding the value of AI requires a paradigm shift, moving from seeing AI-enhanced learning as a deficit to a strength. Even the most traditional and skilled students, he suggests, face unique challenges. For example, it’s human nature to avoid doing things you don’t want to do, like homework, but some students face that challenge effectively, while others can be paralyzed by the onslaught of multiple course requirements, compounded by adapting to college life.
AI technology, he observes, is evolving so quickly that researchers can’t keep up with the potential and changes. While mainstream media focus on how students use AI for research and writing, and articles document potentials for plagiarism and cheating, he sees the benefits students can derive from using it for personalized support and for enhancing creativity far beyond AI’s research, synopsis and writing values.
“UConn Engineering is committed to supporting all students on their educational journeys,” says Daniel Burkey, associate dean for undergraduate education and diversity. “Through NSF-backed initiatives like professor Zaghi’s, we’re demonstrating how AI can be a powerful equalizing force—empowering neurodiverse students and strengthening the entire learning community.”
Zaghi has led the College of Engineering AI Committee for the past three years. He and other UConn researchers are simultaneously working on a more far-reaching effort to help diverse learners by integrating AI into their daily lives. The initial plan was for Zaghi to design an AI literacy course for engineering students. When the Provost’s office reached out to Engineering Dean JC Zhao noting the University’s need for a course that serves all students, the team expanded the scope accordingly, broadening the curriculum and lab model to support multiple colleges. That evolution led to the development of AI4ALL.
“When I first arrived at the university, I was eager to initiate the launch of an AI literacy course. I am pleased that Professor Zaghi was as enthusiastic about this initiative as myself. AI literacy is becoming as fundamental as computer literacy once was,” says Zhao. “By equipping students across disciplines to use AI thoughtfully and skillfully, we’re not only empowering individual success—we’re building a workforce that can drive economic growth, innovation, and societal progress throughout Connecticut and beyond.”
The goal, Zaghi stresses, is empowerment: helping students use AI to strengthen their learning now and their careers later—while emphasizing that, as AI becomes more powerful, effective and ethical integration is more important than ever. The course includes 14 modules, 28 lecture videos, and 28 podcast-style lectures. It also features 20 interactive weekly labs, with up to 25 students in each lab, led by UConn teaching assistants.
The development and launch of AI4ALL have been made possible through collaborative efforts across the University. Zaghi commended UConn’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) for their generous support in shaping the course, ensuring it adheres to the highest pedagogical standards through innovative design and best practices. Additionally, the College of Engineering’s Undergraduate Programs provided significant assistance with course logistics, including the scheduling and coordination of numerous labs to accommodate the growing enrollment and scale up.
Mid-semester survey results from students show 91% feel more confident about when and when not to rely on AI, 91% report being more thoughtful in using AI in academic work, and 96% say their promoting skills have improved.
“Our goal in this course is to help students maintain and amplify their true voice while responsibly utilizing AI tools,” Zaghi concludes. “Content includes a strong emphasis on metacognition, critical thinking, validation, and ethical use of AI technologies. Existing classes here and elsewhere talk about technical aspects of AI or legalities, but not as much about its practical uses. We talk about what’s possible, how to use it creatively, and its value as a true equalizer. We’re all witnessing a learning revolution, but here at UConn we’re also actively contributing to the formation of the future of education.”
