How UT SAGE Is Scaling Personalized Learning and Instructional Design, With Dr. Julie Schell

What happens when real collaboration meets practical innovation?

In this episode of Teach and Learn, Dr. Emma Zone sits down with Dr. Julie Schell, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Technology and Director of the Office of Academic Technology at the University of Texas at Austin, to explore how the University is reimagining personalized education at scale.

First, Dr. Schell and her team focused on the foundation—developing a thoughtful framework grounded in pedagogy, ethics and data privacy. That solid underpinning then became the launchpad for UT Sage, a generative AI platform designed to support both students and faculty. What makes this platform so exceptional is that it is both a chatbot tutor for learners and an instructional design coach for educators.

Schell also shares how UT Sage is helping educators rethink their approach to teaching and learning, offering scalable support while keeping the human element at the forefront. From lesson planning to authentic assessment and beyond, this episode delves into how AI can enhance—and dramatically extend—the educator.

"We don't want to be so forward [thinking] that we're unaware of the limitations of generative AI, and we don't want to be so responsible that we miss the benefits." -Dr. Schell

What You'll Learn:

☑️How UT Austin built a thoughtful framework on which to build UT Sage.

☑️Why putting pedagogy first—and technology second—is essential for meaningful innovation.

☑️What the “Big Six” limitations of AI are, and how educators can spot and navigate them.

☑️The four "Fusion Skills" that help learners and faculty work effectively with AI.

☑️How UT Sage helps faculty design student-centered lessons that scale without sacrificing quality.

🔖📚Resources:

• Frontiers in Education 
• UT News 
• UTEXAS.EDU
• Texas Standard
• Harvard Business Review

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Class dismissed.🍎 

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