The UTeach program provides STEM students with an accelerated pathway to secondary teaching certification, creating a purposeful community and rapid teacher training. However, these students often face a steep learning curve in developing pedagogical judgment and writing reflective lesson plans. Historically, instructors spent excessive time clarifying basic rubric components rather than engaging in high-level mentorship. To address this, we developed a “Gemini Gem” to provide immediate, rubric-aligned feedback. This presentation explores the creation, testing, and implementation of this AI tool, highlighting how it facilitates the “ethical application” of AI by supporting, rather than replacing, the human-centric process of learning to teach. We will share student responses and the resulting impact on the instructional environment.

Presenters

• Tami May, University of South Alabama
• Sonja Sheffield sonjasheffield@southalabama.edu, University of South Alabama