AEI 2025 Live Kickoff: Perspectives on AI Literacy and Innovation Across the Curriculum Nathian Shae Rodriguez, PhD

Outline

June 9, 2025 Kickoff

• Instigating Innovation @SDSU
• Current Projects & Challenges
• Advice
• Key Stakeholders

Instigating Innovation @SDSU

CASE 1 - Adobe Aztec Alliance (A3)

The program selects an annual cohort of SDSU Faculty and instructors (faculty fellows) to participate in the program and implement at least one Adobe Creative Cloud application within an assignment during the respective semester of their teaching.

• Faculty lead the cultural shift in innovation
• Centers pedagogy first, applications/platforms second
• Trains and celebrates faculty innovators
• Creates an Adobe Innovation Fellowship/learning community to support faculty who redesign courses with Creative Cloud tools
• Offers incentives (stipends, release time, recognition), and hosts showcases of their student-centered, creative pedagogies

CHALLENGES

• Faculty did not not we were Adobe Creative Campus
• Faculty didn't know how to use Adobe applications
• Faculty busy and overwhelmed following COVID

SOLUTION

• Created A3 Adobe Faculty Ambassador Program
• Used money from grant for faculty stipends/professional development funds
• Faculty attended workshops, learned applications, implemented it in their courses
• Presented overview and results to respective School/department
• Presented results and lessons learned to other faculty fellows
• Ended due to high ITS turnover and nonrenewal of grant funding
• Adobe Portfolio archive of faculty projects

Case 2 - Digital Humanities (DH) Showcase

A celebratory exhibition of the creative-critical digital work happening at SDSU, all members of the SDSU community are invited to share their works at any stage of development, from initial design to completed project.

• Innovation spreads through visibility and extends beyond the classroom
• Empowers a culture of digital storytelling across disciplines
• Every discipline benefits from compelling communication
• Encourages faculty and students to use, document, and showcase their work

CHALLENGES

• Faculty and students needed a central space to share their interdisciplinary work
• Many stakeholders across campus had overlapping academic interests and pedagogies
• Students wanted to showcase their work to a broader audience

SOLUTIONS

• Use the physical space of the DH Center in the library to host an annual interdisciplinary showcase
• Provide digital and technical hardware to showcase digital projects
• Take advantage of the DH fellows and advisory board to cultivate and curate a collection of work from across campus

Case 3 - Media, Identity, and Communication (MIC) Innovative Research Lab

A creative research collaborative that focuses on intersectional identity studies in media, entertainment, communication, and pop culture. The lab’s mission is to foster innovative research imbued with creative media technology that bridges boundaries between intersectional scholars, practitioners, and media producers.

• Innovation needs infrastructure
• Established a cross-disciplinary creative media studio where students and assistant professors can access high-end Adobe tools, hardware, and peer support for digital projects
• Integrates project-based learning

CHALLENGES

• Students and assistant professors needed a digital maker space/hub for their research
• There were no qualitative research media labs in the School or College
• There were not many physical spaces with digital technology and hardware to employ digital applications
• Limited resources and space, CSU budget crisis, regime cuts to federal funding

SOLUTIONS

• Create a space within the school to serve as an innovative research hub for students and assistant professors
• Use funds from Inaugural Presidential Research Award to furnish space with podcast/interview equipment, video games, laptops, work stations with power outlets, and simulated living room
• Use Adobe Express or InDesign to publish interactive research websites or visual white papers.

Case 4 - School of JMS Area Capstone Course Portfolios

Final project for each of the JMS four areas (advertising, journalism, media studies, public relations) and our internship course is a personal Adobe Portfolio of elevated, curated student work.

• Innovation must leave a footprint
• Students are already creators, meet them where they are
• Centers learning objectives first, then applications/platforms
• Provides a signature digital student experience
• Allows students to curate their best work across classes
• Builds creative confidence, professional identity, and showcases interdisciplinary innovation at work.
• Supports student-led content creation and advocacy

CHALLENGES

• Students needed a cumulating experience
• Students already practiced their skills, now they needed to master them
• Students wanted tangible artifacts to use for internships and careers
• The School needed a qualitative assessment to show student mastery for accreditation

SOLUTIONS

• Instituted a School-wide digital portfolio requirement, using Adobe Portfolio and/or Express Web Pages, allowing students to curate their best work across classes
• Capstone courses took projects from students' prior courses and helped them elevate and curate them
• Trained students how to present and communicate their skills and creative work

Other Noteworthy Initiatives

SDSU Flexible Course Design Toolkit - Adobe Express, Premiere, and Audition modules

Instructional Technology Faculty Guide - Adobe Creative Cloud module

School of Journalism & Media Studies Module Toolkit - Adobe Express, Audition, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and Photoshop modules

Adobe assignment workshop guides and handouts

Current Projects & Challenges

JMS Application Scaffolding

Mapping of sequence courses and accompanying Adobe applications

CHALLENGES

• Students were not prepared for area capstone
• Students unable to use advanced Adobe applications
• Faculty had to reteach or teach technical skills
• Enrollment was large and time was limited
• Issues with Adobe licensing and student access
• Media and Journalism industries are using digital technologies that evolve frequently

SOLUTIONS

• List of courses students take in sequence
• Backward Design starting with capstone courses
• List what students needed to know to reach next level
• Identify applications that match course learning objectives/level of difficulty/knowledge level
• Focus on learning objectives, School mission , and value-driven pedagogy
• Keep career readiness, creativity, and critical thinking in mind when fostering technical skills

Integrating AI into School and Course Policy

CHALLENGES

• No SDSU university-wide mandated AI rules, only guidelines/best practices
• Some courses use AI abundantly and other not at all
• Students are already using AI: It's accessible, ubiquitous, easy to use
• Plagiarism is always a concern
• Fears about AI stifling creativity and critical thinking skills
• Faculty aren't using AI as much or are not trained in it
• Limited resources and training for EVERYONE
• CSU Budget Crisis and regime cuts to federal funding

SOLUTIONS

• Identify faculty and courses where AI is being used and not used
• Create three different AI syllabus statements: where AI can never be used, where AI can always be used, and where specific instances where AI can be used are outlined.
• Provide technical workshops on AI for faculty and instructors
• Provide training beyond the technical for students: implement critical and ethical workshops

Advice

Align Adobe Applications/Tools with Learning Outcomes

Start with pedagogy, not tools.

• Identify which Adobe apps naturally support your course objectives (e.g., Premiere Pro for storytelling, Photoshop for visual literacy, Audition for podcasting, Firefly for visual production).
• Example: In media studies or communications, Adobe Express or Illustrator can be used for social media campaign design, while InDesign supports magazine layout projects.

Start Small and Scaffold

Don’t overwhelm students (or yourself).

• Begin with beginner-friendly tools like Adobe Express, then scaffold into more advanced apps like Firefly, Premiere Pro, or After Effects.
• Consider one major Adobe-based assignment per course to build student confidence gradually.

Provide Access and Support

Partner with university/college IT/ITS and libraries.

• Work with your university’s IT or instructional technology departments to ensure students and faculty have access to Adobe CC licenses.
• Ensure you know where to send students for help with Adobe CC licenses or support system: help desks, tutorials, and links to Adobe Education Exchange.
• Ensure you knwo where to send faculty and instructors for help.

Use Existing Training Resources

Lean on Adobe’s educator ecosystem and your CTL (if you have one)

• Direct students to Adobe’s free Creative Cloud tutorials.
• Utilize Adobe's YouTube page for help and resources.
• Adobe’s Education Exchange offers free teaching resources, lesson plans, and professional development.

Encourage Creativity Across Disciplines

Adobe is not just for designers, it’s a catalyst for storytelling, analysis, and advocacy in all fields. Integrating Adobe tools can enhance student engagement and help translate academic work into impactful digital narratives.

We all have the same goals across the university, regardless of discipline: learning, student success, career readiness, innovation, creativity.

• Showcase how digital storytelling can support work in history, science, sociology, etc.
• Faculty in STEM fields can use Illustrator for infographics or XD for user-interface prototyping.
• Faculty in Social Sciences can use Adobe Express, Premiere Rush, InDesign, and Illustrator to create public service videos, research infographics, data visualizations, and policy briefs that translate academic findings into public-facing content.
• Faculty in Humanities can leverage Adobe Express, Portfolio, Photoshop, Lightroom, and Audition for digital essays, visual storytelling, podcasting projects, and creative reinterpretations of historical or literary texts.
• Faculty in Visual and Performing Arts can integrate Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Fresco, and Adobe XD for portfolios, digital drawing, choreography documentation, interactive installations, and UI/UX experimentation.

Incorporate Peer Review and Reflection

Make the creative process visible.

• Require students to reflect on their design choices, iteration process, and audience impact.
• Use Adobe Portfolio or Behance to let students showcase their work publicly or for class critique.

Assess Creatively but Fairly

Focus on effort, process, and learning—not just polish.

• Use rubrics that assess creativity, technical execution, and alignment with project goals.
• Allow students to revise submissions after feedback, mirroring real-world media workflows.

Collaborate with Faculty Champions

Create a learning community.

• Identify faculty already using Adobe tools and organize a roundtable or showcase.
• Create a working group or mentorship model to share syllabi, project examples, and rubrics

Identify and Engage Key Campus Stakeholders

Collaboration makes creative adoption scalable. Successfully embedding Adobe tools into curriculum and campus culture requires buy-in and support from the right people. In addition to institutional units, don’t overlook the impact of students as digital leaders. Consider involving the following stakeholders:

🔹 Instructional Technology / Academic Technology Teams

• They can help with software deployment, integration into LMS platforms, and digital pedagogy support.
• May already offer Adobe-specific workshops or 1:1 training.

🔹 IT / Central Computing Services

• They manage software licensing, lab installations, and user access.
• Collaborate with them early to plan for device compatibility, updates, and license availability.

🔹 Library and Digital Media Services

• Libraries increasingly house multimedia labs and offer digital literacy support.
• Librarians can help curate tutorials, teach digital skills, and host multimedia consultation sessions.

🔹 Faculty Development or Teaching & Learning Centers

• These centers often lead training on curriculum design and innovative pedagogy.
• Partner with them to offer Adobe-integrated course redesign workshops or professional development series.

🔹 Academic Deans / Department Chairs

• Their support can secure budget allocations for Adobe licenses or instructional design help.
• Help align Adobe adoption with college-wide learning goals or accreditation standards.

🔹 Communications, Marketing, and Design Programs

• These departments are often early adopters and have faculty with Adobe expertise.
• Build interdisciplinary collaborations or invite faculty to co-teach or guest lecture on creative applications.

🔹 Student Affairs / Career Services

• They can integrate Adobe tools into career readiness efforts (e.g., digital resumes, portfolios).
• Adobe Creative Cloud can enhance students’ professional branding and job market competitiveness.

🔹 Students as Adobe Ambassadors or Mentors

• Students are already creators, meet them where they are.
• Identify students who already use Adobe tools proficiently in their work (e.g., journalism, design, marketing, video production).
• Involve them as Peer mentors in Adobe workshops or courses, Teaching assistants for digital assignments, Showcase presenters at campus events, Social media content creators who model Adobe use for others.
• Consider partnering with student organizations or starting an Adobe Student Creators club to build a peer-to-peer learning ecosystem.