Urmi Ashar
- Assistant Professor, Rangos School of Health Sciences, Health Administration and Public Health, Duquesne University
Sessions
Research Projects Collaborative: AI Learning, Preparedness, Readiness, and Solutions
AI is rapidly disrupting and transforming education and the workforce, leaving higher education struggling to stay relevant as students face economic uncertainty, mental health challenges, and a mismatch between academic preparation and real-world demands. This session brings together faculty from Duquesne University, Penn State University, Robert Morris University, Pennsylvania West University, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Community College of Beaver County, and The University of Pittsburgh to share transdisciplinary strategies for reimagining higher education through experiential, strengths-based learning ecosystems, integrating AI tools, adaptive coaching, and feedback-driven models. Highlighting the RAISE-PA initiative, it also explores building regional AI literacy frameworks to bridge skill gaps and ensure graduates are prepared for critical thinking, leadership, and collaboration in an algorithmic future.
Bridging Higher Ed+Workforce Readiness with Experiential Learning & AI Disruption)
RAISE-PA: Readiness and AI Solutions for Employment in Pennsylvania
AI-Enhanced Community-Engaged Learning: Equipping Ethical, Future-Ready Professionals
This interactive workshop introduces AI-CEL (AI-Enhanced Community-Engaged Learning) as a high-impact framework that prepares students to thrive amid disruption through ethical AI use, civic identity development, and adaptive learning. Structured as a transformational learning experience, the session guides participants through two rounds of small-group dialogue, before and after experiencing AI-powered coaching prompts. This reflective arc reveals how introspection enhances presence, shifts group dynamics, and fosters deeper civic dialogue.
AI-CEL equips learners to flourish in an era of fragmentation, where civic clarity, reflective leadership, and ethical discernment are essential to making meaning in a rapidly evolving landscape. Together, we explore how ethical use of AI can amplify human connection and build adaptive capacity for navigating complexity.