Sinan Onal, PhD, Joins First-Ever Illinois Innovation Network Fellows Cohort

EDWARDSVILLE – At a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping higher education, Sinan Onal, PhD, chair of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Industrial Engineering Department is helping lead the conversation on how universities can rethink teaching and learning in the AI era. Onal has been selected as one of 14 fellows in the inaugural Illinois Innovation Network Fellows Program, a new initiative connecting faculty leaders from 12 public universities across Illinois to advance research collaboration and workforce readiness.

His project, A Cross-IIN Faculty Development Initiative on AI-Enhanced, Competency-Based Teaching, tackles a growing challenge facing educators nationwide: how to meaningfully assess student learning now that AI tools can generate polished assignments in seconds.

“Students are using AI tools constantly, and traditional assessment was never designed for that,” said Onal. “Most of what we grade is a final product, and AI can now produce a convincing version of all of it. That does not mean students are not learning, but it does mean we can no longer tell from the product alone whether they did.”

Rather than focusing solely on final assignments, competency-based assessment emphasizes the learning process by asking students to explain their reasoning, defend decisions and demonstrate mastery over time. Onal’s project explores how AI itself can help make that approach more practical for faculty. Unlike most faculty development efforts that happen within a single institution, this project draws on perspectives from faculty volunteers across multiple IIN hub institutions spanning engineering, business, health sciences, education, and social sciences, whose input and feedback shape the content throughout the development process. The module will be built in a format that any IIN campus can load directly into their existing learning management system, whether Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, or another platform, with no technical barriers.

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“AI can handle a lot of the logistical load that makes competency-based education feel impractical,” he explained. “That frees faculty to focus on the part that matters, figuring out whether a student actually understands the work.”

The fellowship aligns closely with Onal’s recent work at SIUE, including the launch of IS 399, a course titled Intelligent Prompting: Using GenAI for Creative and Analytical Thinking. The interdisciplinary curriculum has already attracted strong student interest, with more than 60 students registered for the upcoming term.

“The course reflects the same conviction that drives this fellowship project,” Dr. Onal said. “Students need practical exposure to AI tools, and faculty need real support to teach with them responsibly and effectively.”

Looking ahead, Onal hopes the initiative will produce reusable training resources that campuses across Illinois can adopt and adapt, while also encouraging long-term collaboration among faculty navigating the rapid -changing landscape of AI in education.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high-quality education that powerfully transforms the lives of all individuals who seek something greater. A premier metropolitan university, SIUE is creating social and economic mobility for individuals while also powering the workforce of the future. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Home to a diverse student body, SIUE is situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis.

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