MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Ashlee Barnes, an alumna and current graduate student in Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Education, is earning recognition for her work combining teaching and technology.

Barnes, who is also part of MTSU’s LEADS program, recently advanced to the regional level of the Presidential AI Challenge after her team won the state competition in its category.

The team was mentored by faculty members Keith Gamble from the Jones College of Business and Ryan Seth Jones from the College of Education and competed against groups from across Tennessee, including the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Fisk University.

At the center of Barnes’ work is the “STEAM Compass,” a tool she created to help teachers bring science, technology, engineering, arts and math, or STEAM, into the classroom in a more hands-on way.

She said one of the most rewarding parts of the project was seeing students take the lead in their own learning.

“Watching students take ownership and work together to solve problems was one of the most impactful outcomes,” Barnes said. “It built skills like critical thinking, creativity and perseverance.”

The project also changed how Barnes thinks about artificial intelligence in education.

She started with little experience in AI, but ended up creating nine tools across subjects like science, math, social studies and English, along with a homework generator to support different learning needs.

Some of those tools help teachers assess how well their lessons align with Tennessee state standards, making it easier to plan and adjust instruction.

“This experience shifted my mindset from simply using resources to creating tools that better meet student needs,” Barnes said.

Even with the focus on technology, Barnes said teachers are still the most important part of the classroom.

“It’s just ideas on a sheet of paper,” she said. “It takes a teacher to bring it all to life.”

The Presidential AI Challenge is a federal-level competition with teams from universities across the country. Barnes and her team will now move on to regionals as they continue exploring how AI can support teachers in the classroom.

— Karli Sutton (Karli.Sutton@mtsu.edu)