AI mentors: Supporting teaching and learning at scale
The Fulton Schools Learning and Teaching Hub recently hosted an Engineering Education Seminar, or SEEdS, on artificial intelligence, or AI, mentors in engineering education, featuring Steve Salik, clinical associate professor of learning design and technologies at ASU.
As enrollments grow and courses become more complex, faculty are increasingly asked to support learners with diverse prior knowledge, pacing needs, confidence levels and executive function limitations. This seminar introduces AI mentors as intentionally designed, role-based instructional supports that extend teaching presence without replacing faculty judgment or increasing workload. Drawing on practical design patterns, the session explores how AI mentors can reduce instructional friction, support the work of learning beyond content and provide consistent, course-aligned guidance at scale.
AI mentors expand instructor presence – they don’t replace it.
When asked whether AI could eventually replace faculty tasks, Salik emphasized that AI tools should be viewed as a secondary layer of instructional presence. In online courses especially, maintaining social presence is essential for effective learning. AI mentors can increase social presence, helping answer student questions, guide reflection and support students outside faculty working hours. However, they do not replace the relational, ethical and pedagogical judgment faculty bring to teaching.
Let AI handle course maintenance so you can focus on “Learning Design.”
AI tools can review Canvas courses for alignment, clarity, accessibility compliance, consistency and minor errors. Automating these time-consuming checks allows faculty member and learning designers to concentrate on the work that matters most: designing meaningful learning experiences and supporting student learning. As Salik framed it, AI can take over “learning design with a little d” so educators can focus on Learning Design with a capital D.
Steve Salik is a clinical associate professor of learning design and technologies in the Mary Lou Fulton College of Teaching and Learning Innovation at Arizona State University. His work focuses on designing effective online and blended learning experiences, with current research exploring how generative AI and emerging technologies can enhance instructor presence, student support, feedback and communication to improve learner engagement and success. He earned an interdisciplinary PhD in curriculum and instruction from ASU. Salik serves as program coordinator for the learning fesign and technologies MEd and certificate programs, where he emphasizes instructional quality, evidence-based design, and innovative, performance-focused learning experiences. He also coordinates the Mastercard Foundation e-Learning Scholars Program, building instructional design capacity across partner institutions, primarily in Africa. Previously, he served as director of online academic services at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business, where he helped architect the Online MBA program. His experience also includes faculty roles and advisory work with organizations such as Blackboard, TechSmith and Ensightful.
The Fulton Schools of Engineering Education Seminar is a monthly virtual seminar series that engages the Fulton community in discussions on engineering education. Learn more and access past seminar recordings here.