Western Nevada College Professor of History Dr. Amy Ghilieri is embracing innovation in education by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into her courses, providing students a safe, guided way to engage with technology that’s rapidly reshaping the world.

For fall semester, Dr. Ghilieri has been piloting an AI-powered chatbot in her in-person and online Core Humanities classes. The tool, designed to function as a tutor, study coach and course navigator, provides students with support drawn directly from her course materials — lectures, readings, assignments, and the syllabus — rather than from the open internet.

“The chatbot can help students study for exams, work through homework questions or clarify course expectations,” said Dr. Ghilieri. “It’s a way for them to get real-time guidance while reinforcing what they’re learning in class.”

To ensure accuracy and academic integrity, the AI system is “locked down,” meaning it only accesses verified course content. This prevents the kind of misinformation or “hallucinations” that can sometimes occur with general-purpose chatbots.

“Dr. Ghilieri’s course represents an important milestone for WNC as our first AI-assisted class,” said WNC Information and Technology Services Director Troy Wadsworth. “With strong support from our partners at CCO, she has shown how AI tools can enhance student engagement while still keeping faculty at the center of teaching and learning.”

WNC received a $45,000 grant from Microsoft to support developing AI tools to use for designing individualized career pathways for students. The plan is to initially target 100 students, and 500 students by project’s fifth year. WNC seeks to empower students to make informed, future-ready career decisions through the Al-Driven Career Pathways Project. The goal is to use artificial intelligence to create personalized career maps based on each student's interests, knowledge and aptitudes.

“Dr. Ghilieri’s innovative work exemplifies the forward-thinking spirit of Western Nevada College,” said Dr. Dana Ryan, WNC’s Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, who has spearheaded the introduction of AI in the classroom. “By exploring responsible ways to integrate artificial intelligence into the classroom, she’s helping our students develop essential skills for the modern workforce while maintaining the academic integrity and personal connection that define WNC’s teaching approach.”

Implementation of the AI chatbot pilot program was orchestrated by a consultant (CCO), with Wadsworth and his team providing support to Dr. Ghilieri. The project rollout has included four phases: initial planning and design, technical setup and integration, training and best practices, and ongoing support.

Initial planning included discussions about instructional goals and appropriate use of AI and how the chatbot could best support students without replacing faculty interaction, Wadsworth said. With the help of CCO, WNC’s IT team selected and configured the AI tools, integrated the chatbot into Dr. Ghilieri’s online course and ensured that students could access it. With significant support from CCO, guidance was provided on prompt design, safeguards and responsible AI use so the chatbot aligned with WNC’s academic and ethical standards. Ongoing support has included troubleshooting issues and refining the chatbot based on student use and faculty feedback.

Although it’s still early in the experiment, Dr. Ghilieri believes that teaching students to use AI responsibly is becoming a necessary part of modern education.

“Students are already engaging with AI, and it’s a little naïve to think we can avoid it,” she said. “The key is to teach them to use it as a tool — not a substitution. They need to understand both how it can help them and where its limits are.”

The integration of AI aligns with Dr. Ghilieri’s broader educational philosophy: helping students become problem solvers and critical thinkers. In her classes, she encourages students to use AI tools to quiz themselves, analyze responses and refine their thinking.

“AI can help students create their own study questions or practice essays, then get feedback and suggestions for improvement,” she said. “But more importantly, it teaches them to ask good questions — and to follow up with even better ones.”

While academia has been cautious about adopting AI, Dr. Ghilieri sees the technology as an opportunity to bridge digital skills with traditional learning. For online learners in particular, the chatbot offers immediate academic support that might otherwise be hard to find outside of class hours.

Looking ahead, Dr. Ghilieri envisions the potential for courses to be tagged as “AI incorporated,” allowing students to choose sections that include these tools.

“No one is required to use it,” she added. “It’s there for students who want to, and no one will be penalized if they prefer not to. It’s simply another way to enhance learning.”

Ultimately, Dr. Ghilieri believes that adapting to new technologies isn’t optional — it’s essential.

“You basically can’t teach the way you used to,” she said. “Our job as educators is to prepare students for the world they’re entering — and AI is going to be part of that world.”