07/22/2026
What if artificial intelligence wasn’t just a tool, but a teammate in the learning process?
As AI continues to transform workplaces and industries around the world, educators at Western are exploring how students can learn to work with AI in thoughtful, responsible, and meaningful ways.
Featured in Western Alumni Magazine, Dr. Bill Turkel, a History professor in Western's Faculty of Social Science and one of the inaugural Generative AI Teaching Fellows, is helping shape a new approach to learning that prepares students for a rapidly evolving future.
Through Western's Centre for Teaching and Learning's Generative AI Teaching Fellowship, Dr. Turkel is developing hands-on teaching modules that place students in real-world scenarios, including historical and international relations case studies. Rather than simply asking AI for answers, students learn how to collaborate with it to investigate complex questions, develop hypotheses, challenge evidence, and test their reasoning.
The goal is not to replace critical thinking. It is to strengthen it.
Dr. Turkel believes the most important skill students can develop is the ability to solve problems that neither humans nor AI could tackle effectively on their own. By learning to work alongside AI, students gain experience evaluating information, questioning assumptions, and making informed decisions in increasingly complex environments.
One of the most exciting discoveries from the project is how quickly AI technology continues to evolve. New possibilities emerge almost weekly, creating opportunities for innovative teaching approaches that help students adapt to changing professional landscapes.
For Dr. Turkel, AI can serve as a "digital teammate" that encourages deeper thinking and helps uncover hidden biases. In a world overflowing with information, these tools can help students identify gaps in their knowledge while sharpening their ability to assess evidence and think critically.
As workplaces increasingly integrate artificial intelligence into everyday operations, initiatives like the Generative AI Teaching Fellowship are helping ensure graduates are prepared not just to use new technologies, but to understand them, question them, and apply them responsibly.
Read the full story in Western Alumni Magazine:
https://magazine.westernu.ca/people-ss26/
