Artificial Intelligence as an Academic Ally: A Quality Improvement Initiative for a Graduate Evaluation Course

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has influenced evaluation and evaluation education. As AI tools become more common, educators must explore how they can enhance student learning, engagement, and accessibility, and prepare students well for professional work. While some faculty may hesitate to integrate AI, a constructive approach is to equip students to use AI ethically and effectively. This article describes how an instructor integrated AI into an activity to teach evaluation paradigms in an online, asynchronous evaluation course. At the conclusion of the course, the instructor led a series of guided reflections with a voluntary student cohort. Drawing on readings, and their own experience, the cohort co-generated themes on AI's role in learning, which the instructor then used to code all class submissions. Findings suggest that, when used as intended, AI supported learning by deepening conceptual understanding, providing validation and building confidence, and supporting adult learners in constructing knowledge.