JUNE 30, 2025 — It all started with a spark of curiosity. Melissa Vito, vice provost for UTSA Academic Innovation, was sitting in a salon chair when her phone pinged. It was a news alert notification about the release of something called ChatGPT. As a stylist tended to her hair, Vito read about ChatGPT’s rollout and began to ponder the profound possibilities of generative artificial intelligence (AI). In a matter of minutes, she began to contemplate the potential opportunities for higher education innovation and messaged Marcela Ramirez, the associate vice provost for Teaching, Learning, and Digital Transformation (TLDT), UTSA’s hub for academic technologies and instructional design support.
That initial text from a salon evolved into a gathering of visionary UTSA faculty, staff and students and then into a global community of practice.
After just two years of exploration and development, UTSA Academic Innovation is helping lead the next generation of teaching and learning strategies in the era of generative AI.
Vito’s multifaceted perspective on university operations has long emphasized technology, faculty support, innovative student success initiatives and more than a dash of entrepreneurial spirit. When the office of Academic Innovation was founded at UTSA in 2018, Vito consolidated the offices of Teaching & Learning and Digital Learning into TLDT. As a result, faculty development has come together with instructional design support, aligned with national best practices and tailored to UTSA’s unique student population.
The close partnership between TLDT, UTSA Online and UTSA Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE) has allowed for dynamic course creation and student engagement. In fact, UTSA Online has experienced record enrollment growth year-over-year but has also climbed higher in the U.S. News and World Report annual rankings.
Building upon those efforts, UTSA Academic Innovation nimbly began working with faculty to leverage the power of AI and prepare students for a future where it would be ubiquitous.
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