When Katie Ditmars first heard she’d be using artificial intelligence in a college class, her reaction was a mix of excitement and apprehension.

“I was a little bit nervous, you don’t want people to think you’re cheating,” said Ditmars, a second-year honors student double-majoring in political science and communications analysis and engagement.

That uncertainty didn’t last long. In her public speaking class with Kristie Sigler, a lecturer of Business and Professional Speaking and Public Speaking in the School of Communication, Ditmars quickly realized AI was being treated as a skill to learn, not a shortcut. The course is designed to show students how to use AI as a tool that guides them without taking over. For Ditmars, that made all the difference. Instead of asking a chatbot to spit out entire speeches, students used Sigler’s custom-built SpeechBuildGPT to develop presentations in an ethical, hands-on way.

“The way she taught it was amazing,” said Ditmars, who came to Ohio State from Tennessee. “A lot of our assignments were AI-based, and we learned how to use it as a tool. You would feed it information, and it would prompt you with different questions to help you develop the information you needed to write a speech.”

So rather than typing a command like, “write me an argumentative speech,” students learned precision prompting. The result felt less like outsourcing work and more like having a conversation that sharpened ideas step by step.

“It’s something I still use today, it was a real game changer learning how to do that,” she said. “In a situation where you very easily could have just had it do it for you, it actually helped me learn more and have a better result.”

For Ditmars, who hopes to become a child advocacy lawyer, learning to work with AI feels practical, not intimidating. She points out that while some schools discourage AI use entirely, students will likely encounter it, and use it, anyway — whether in school or in the workplace.

That’s why she believes clear instruction matters and that Ohio State’s embrace of AI tools through its AI Fluency initiative is a good thing. Instead of leaving students to figure it out on their own, or avoid it entirely, having professors demonstrate responsible and effective use builds both confidence and accountability.

“I completely view it as a tool and that’s how the University approaches it,” she said. “Kristie’s classes are a great example of that.”

Having a professor walk students through a process removed the guesswork and replaced it with confidence.

“It’s helpful to have a professor who can help you understand AI rather than trying to figure it out for yourself,” she said. “I always recommend her class and tell students to look for classes with AI involved.”

Favorite Ohio State experience:

“Definitely College Mentors for Kids (she’s currently vice president of programming and will be president next year). It’s completely changed what I want to do with my life, it’s where I spend most of my time. It’s what I’m most thankful for here. We work with students from six low-income Columbus schools. It’s an amazing organization. You don’t just get to know the kids but a wide range of people on campus. We have STEM majors, humanities majors, not just education majors. It’s a cool way to meet people who have a shared interest.”

Making Ohio State home:

“(Coming from Tennessee) I loved campus, how big it was and how integrated into the city it is without being surrounded by high-rise buildings. I was worried at first, not knowing anybody. But getting involved changed that for me, involvement in different organizations, my sorority (Kappa Delta), I feel like my network grew super quickly. Now I walk around campus and, no matter where I am, I’m seeing 10 familiar faces, which I never thought would happen on a campus with 60,000 people. You just need to put yourself out there, meet new people, join things. That’s the best way to have a life here. Now when people ask me where I live, I say Columbus.”