SCC’s Lucente and Lemaire receive state grants to incorporate AI into teaching

Salem Community College Associate Professor of Art Jenna Lucente and part-time Glass Art Instructor Amy Lemaire have received grants to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into special class projects this fall.  

Through the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC), a state-wide committee chose 40 proposals for $1,000 faculty mini-grants. NJCCC partnered with the NJ AI Hub, with funding for this initiative through the NJ AI Hub’s corporate partnership with Microsoft.

“Amy Lemaire and Jenna Lucente are past recipients of the SCC Academic Excellence Award, so they had already distinguished themselves as exemplary faculty members,” said SCC Vice President Ken Robell. “This new recognition ranks them among the top faculty in New Jersey.

“It is especially noteworthy that Amy and Jenna are the only two mini-grants awarded in New Jersey in the area of Fine Art,” Robell continued. “This highlights the excellence of the Fine Art programs at SCC.”  

Both faculty members are developing innovative approaches for integrating artificial intelligence into teaching and learning.

Lemaire will create a project involving the development and testing of a lightweight AI-assisted image-processing tool for educational use. Students will upload source imagery into a simplified interface that processes files into print-ready transparencies for photoresist exposure workflows in the course FNA 120 Cold Glass Assemblage & Surface Treatment.

Lucente will create an activity for the ART 205 Painting course utilizing AI to generate portraits and/or landscapes based upon written descriptions created by students. The class members will then paint those portraits and/or landscapes, as they would paint any work of fine art.  Students will exhibit their work and ask the audience to comment.  

The NJCCC noted the creativity and quality of the submissions underscored the leadership of New Jersey community college faculty in advancing teaching and learning.  

“The proposals reflected a thoughtful commitment to helping students develop AI literacy, use AI ethically and responsibly, and prepare for careers in an increasingly AI-enabled workforce,” said NJCCC Chief Academic Officer Linda B. Scherr, Ph.D. “The creativity and quality of the submissions underscore the leadership of New Jersey community college faculty in advancing teaching and learning.

“We look forward to showcasing the innovative work emerging from this program throughout the coming academic year,” Scherr said.