As generative AI makes answers instantly available, the instructional challenge shifts from delivering information to designing class time that keeps students meaningfully “human in the loop”—thinking, practicing, and interacting with others. In this session, I share how MAGIC STEM reshaped my approach to class-time design. Inspired by a backward-design lesson-planning approach and strengthened through faculty learning community discussions, I developed an adapted, sustainable routine for structuring a 75-minute class.

Before this shift, I lectured for more than half of class, demonstrations were brief, and students felt rushed during exercises—while I felt constant pressure to cover content. Now, I intentionally segment class time into four parts: a 5-minute relational opener (icebreakers/activation), a mini-lecture capped at 10 minutes, a 20–30 minute guided demonstration that models expert thinking, and 20–30 minutes of structured student practice with immediate feedback.