GVSU earns national recognition for AI innovation in education

Van Harken and the team at GVSU's futurEDlab partnered with students and faculty to develop ProfAI, an AI-powered tool that transforms hour-long lectures into concise and accessible 5-7 minute segments. The platform also generates a digital avatar of the instructor, mirroring their appearance and voice to deliver the content.

ProfAI is currently being used by a small group of faculty members. Van Harken said the tool is designed not to replace instruction, but to create more opportunities for meaningful faculty-student engagement.

"Emerging technology can feel intimidating, but when we explore it together, it becomes an opportunity," said Van Harken. "ProfAI is about helping faculty feel more confident using these tools, creating efficiencies in their work and opening the door to new ways of thinking about teaching and learning."

Grand Valley will be recognized at the CIO 100 Awards & Conference in August in Frisco, Texas.

"The futurEDlab is a collaborative platform uniting people, ideas and technology to spark innovation and shape the future of education at GVSU," said Eric Kunnen, senior director of IT Innovation + Research.