In this episode of Smarter Campus, Zach Kinzler sits down with Marie Lynn, Senior Instructional Designer at the University of Louisville, to unpack how AI is reshaping faculty support and instructional design. With a teaching background that spans preschool to higher ed, Marie brings a grounded and practical perspective to AI integration—emphasizing that it’s not about being tech-savvy but about using the right tools to ease burdens and empower learning.

Marie shares her early interest in AI sparked in late 2022 and how she’s since helped faculty reimagine classroom workflows using AI to foster efficiency, engagement, and goal-setting. She discusses post-pandemic teaching realities, barriers to adoption, and how analogies—like treating your classroom like a clean, well-designed home—help educators see the value of AI. This episode explores the deeper layers of what it takes to build trust in technology and design meaningful, student-centered learning experiences.