WT’s Garcia Wins Prestigious Fellowship to Research Use of AI in Teacher Coaching

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - A West Texas A&M University education professor will study how AI might be used to improve classroom teaching after being named the University's third Twanna M. Powell Fellow.

Dr. Beth Garcia, WT's Sylvia Nugent Professor of Education in the Department of Education in the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences , was announced as a Powell Fellow during the University's May 16 commencement ceremony, one of four held this year.

"The Twanna Powell Faculty Fellowship is the most prestigious campus-wide award for a faculty member," said Dr. Neil Terry, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs. "The financial support of research innovation, combined with the award's status as an honor of distinction, makes the Fellowship increasingly competitive each year.

Garcia will work with Canyon Independent School District teachers to develop a coaching system that incorporates artificial intelligence. Participating teachers will be recorded in their classrooms, and that footage will be uploaded and reviewed by via AI that has been programmed with coaching models from Texas Instructional Leadership and the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System.

"We want to see if AI will produce a coaching model for every experience level," Garcia said. "The premise is that every teacher, even our rock stars, can improve their practice to support student growth."

The evaluation would be similar to what teachers undergo with their administrators, but because the teachers are being recorded and not watched by in-person evaluators, Garcia said it would be more of a "no-pressure situation."

The AI results will be reviewed by pedagogical experts.

"We want to see if the AI, even if it's a little off at first, is going to immediately help teachers improve their pedagogy and classroom management," Garcia said. "If it is pretty accurate, you can have teachers work with it constantly to improve their practice, and if they feel better about that, they may be more likely to stay in the field."

"Dr. Garcia embodies the excellence of the Twanna Powell Fellowship, said Dr. Gary Bigham, dean of the Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences. "We are thrilled that her leadership in teacher education and research has earned this prestigious recognition."

Winning the fellowship "is one of the highlights of my career," Garcia said.

"I view the fellowship as one of the most distinguished research honors that WT can bestow," Garcia said. "I am deeply honored by the opportunity and look forward both to representing the Twanna Powell name and WT with integrity and excellence through this research, while continuing to support teachers, students and schools in meaningful ways."

Don Powell, a longtime Amarillo resident and WT alumnus, is the former chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., who later led the federal government's recovery efforts following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He served on The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents from 1995 to 2001, including a four-year term as its chair. He currently serves on the Amarillo Independent School District board.

He and wife Twanna Powell are members of WT's Old Main Society and the Buffalo Council. Don Powell was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2002.

The Powell Fellow program is open to professors across WT's six Colleges. The deans of each College have created a selection committee that nominates a faculty member from within its ranks. Those nominees then go before a University-wide committee, which includes representatives of the Powell family.

Preference is given to faculty members with established records of accomplishments both in research and in the classroom.

The inaugural Powell Fellowship was presented in May 2024 to Dr. Maxine De Butte , Dyke Rogers Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Social Work in the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences . The 2025 fellowship was presented to Dr. Vinu Unnikrishnan , associate professor of civil engineering in the College of Engineering .

Garcia joined WT in 2012 and currently serves as an associate professor of ESL and reading education. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from WT and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Texas Tech University. Prior to joining WT, she spent 11 years in the classroom in Hereford ISD. She was inducted into The Texas A&M University System Chancellor's Academy of Teacher Educators.

Recruiting and retaining the best faculty and encouraging regionally impactful research are two key goals of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World .

That plan is fueled by the One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which raised more than $200 million dollars, the largest such campaign in Texas Panhandle history.

About West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University is a Regional Research University in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers multiple options for students to graduate and succeed: 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men's and women's athletics programs.

Photo: Dr. Beth Garcia, the Sylvia Nugent Professor of Education in the Department of Education in the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences, was announced as the new Twanna M. Powell Fellow at West Texas A&M University.

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