Everyone who’s done a round of physical therapy knows it is a tactile, hands-on—physical—discipline.
So, what role could generative AI have in PT? More than you might think, suggests one NAU professor.
Michael Morgan, a physical therapist and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, is introducing a handheld AI-enhanced musculoskeletal ultrasound unit (MSKUS) into one of his anatomy classes next semester; the device will scan live anatomical structures and give students a 3D look at muscles, tendons and bony landmarks without using cadavers.
It’s one of 14 projects funded by the Office of the Provost’s second round of TRAIL grants, aimed at developing innovative ways to use GenAI in the classroom to help prepare students to use AI in the workplace. John Georgas, senior vice provost of academic operations, said they got dozens of proposals for both teaching and research applications. In selecting proposals, they focused on innovation, originality and the potential for long-term positive impact.
“We were incredibly impressed with the strength and the quality of the ideas our faculty put forward,” he said. “This whole process demonstrates the increased importance our faculty recognize in AI technologies—not just in teaching, but in all the work that we do.”
The accepted instructional proposals, which represent six of NAU’s colleges, are:
- Sarah Bolander, Department of Physician Assistant Studies: Integrating AI into Graduate Health Education: A Workshop Series
- Marti Canipe, Department of Teaching and Learning: Using GenAI in Lesson Planning
- Ana Paula Chaves, School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems: Enhancing CS136 Lab Learning with an AI-driven Conversational Agent
- Amy Dryden, School of Communication: AI as a Creative Partner: Teaching Scalable Content Production in Strategic Communication
- Marco Gerosa, School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems: LLM-Generated Feedback for Reflecting Upon Design Trade-offs in Software Engineering
- Sara Kien, Department of Psychological Sciences: Developing an AI Chatbot to Support Critical Thinking in a Research Methods Course
- Jermaine Martinez, School of Communication: From Perils to Pedagogy: Generative Artificial Intelligence as Forms of Visual and Verbal Communication
- Nick McKay, School of Earth and Sustainability: Instructional-Track: Scaling Socratic Learning with AI: Enhancing Engagement in Large Classes
- Michelle Miller, Department of Psychological Sciences: Interactive Tools for Enhancing Critical Thinking Across Disciplines
- Michael Morgan, Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training: See, Touch, Learn: Enhancing DPT Students’ Palpation Skills and Anatomical Knowledge with AI Musculoskeletal Ultrasound
- Landi Morris, Department of Economics, Finance, and Accounting: Career-Ready Skills in Accounting and Finance: Validating Generative AI’s Interpretation of the Internal Revenue Code
- Viktoria Tidikis, Department of Psychological Sciences: The Future of Learning: Integrating AI into Teaching Cognition and Psychology of Creativity Courses
- Derek Uhey, School of Forestry: Conversations with Conservationists: AI-Simulated Dialogues for Environmental Education
- Yichuan Wang, Department of Management, Marketing, and Information Systems Management: Empowering Business Students to Thrive in the AI Era: A Practical and Research-Driven Approach
AI in PT
Morgan’s students will gain a greater understanding of anatomy and refine their palpation skills, which he said are both essential but challenging aspects of PT education. MSKUS allows students to visually confirm structures like the rotator cuff or patellar tendon in real time and aids in developing a more accurate spatial awareness and stronger clinical reasoning.
What that means is students will be more effective, more confident healthcare providers, which he hopes will translate into more effective, and often less expensive, care for future patients. As AI increasingly plays a role in all industries, it’s critical that NAU students are embracing it, even in nontraditional fields.
“MSKUS is becoming an increasingly valuable diagnostic tool in physical therapy and other healthcare fields as it allows for real-time, bedside differential diagnosis and, for some pathologies, has comparable diagnostic value to the MRI, which is more expensive and difficult to obtain,” he said. “Incorporating this into our curriculum ensures our students are familiar with tools they’re likely to encounter in evolving clinical environments.”
AI in business
One of the biggest hindrances for GenAI is just not knowing how to effectively apply it in the workforce. Next semester, Wang is hoping to get his students familiar with the tools so they can become better students and employees. Students in his business analytics classes will use AI-generated visualization tools, no-code platforms to learn algorithms and more. They will take on real-world challenges in finance, healthcare and marketing and use AI tools to analyze and resolve them.
Wang’s goal is for students to create AI-driven business stories and master the AI modeling process from data understanding to interpretation, using real-world datasets for market forecasting and business optimization. They will then be able to take those skills into internships and jobs.
“Business as a discipline is one of the most impacted by AI, requiring it to be more adaptive and forward-looking than ever before. AI is transforming decision-making, financial forecasting and customer analysis, making AI essential for competitiveness and innovation,” Wang said. “By learning AI during their studies, students are better prepared to adapt to technological changes, solve complex problems and lead in tech-driven environments.”
Conversing with conservationists
Imagine being able to talk to noted historical conservationist Rachel Carson, author of the groundbreaking “Silent Spring,” who died in the 1960s.
Students in Uhey’s environmental conservation course will get the opportunity to converse with an AI-generated Carson, along with other conservationists, as they discuss influential philosophies in the field. Uhey will develop and implement an innovative learning tool that uses GenAI to simulate conversations with these conservationists, with the goal of enhancing students’ engagement with seminal theories in conservation by allowing them to explore how prominent conservation philosophies may be applied to modern environmental issues and policies.
It’s just one of many ways he sees AI being used in conservation in the coming years; other ways include using it to process the huge amounts of data that come in through environmental monitoring. It’s already being used for sorting data from cameras that monitor endangered species.
“I also think AI can help conservationists understand and compose legal documents, form policies and basically make all the tedious bureaucratic work faster and easier,” he said. “Lastly, I think AI will be a useful tool in conservation education to help students practice conversations about issues to develop their own environmental philosophies.”
Of course, AI has adverse environmental effects; energy and water demands to run the supercomputers are extremely high, and this technology may be at the root of the next environmental crisis, Uhey said. His class will tackle those questions as well.
Editor’s note: The featured image is generated by AI.
Heidi Toth | NAU Communications
(928) 523-8737 | heidi.toth@nau.edu