North Carolina Wesleyan University (NCWU) is embracing artificial intelligence in a creative, hands-on way through its AI for Professionals Honors Class, taught by Dr. Jackie Lewis. Made up of a mix of sophomores and juniors from a wide variety of majors, the course encourages students to explore AI in ways that are both innovative and practical.

Dr. Lewis was inspired by the platform BoodleBox, a secure, FERPA-compliant, and collaborative AI tool that provides access to multiple AI models such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. She felt confident bringing it into the classroom because it allows her to set clear restrictions and boundaries for student use. Students shared that working with the platform has helped them better understand both the power and the limitations of AI, learning that while it offers endless possibilities, it also requires careful evaluation and responsible use.

With about 15 students in the class, creativity has been at the center of every project. Each student built their own AI “robot” for a specific purpose based on their personal goals, academic needs, or interests. In addition, the class worked in teams of four to design a unique class mascot. Students combined the traits they felt represented their group, entered those ideas into AI, and refined prompts until they generated images that truly captured their vision. The mascots ranged from a strong butterfly in a business suit and heels, symbolizing growth and empowerment, to a pack of fierce wolves, representing teamwork, strength, knowledge, and confidence.

Throughout the semester, students have taken their projects even further by collaborating one-on-one with professors within their majors to make their bots more customized and effective. Their inspirations have varied widely. Some were motivated by dietary restrictions, others by fitness goals, and many connected their projects to their academic field such as IT, physics, marketing, or athletics. Others created bots based on personal hobbies like murder mystery games, hiking, climbing, or cars.

One student, Ksenia Goncharuk, works with NCWU’s Residence Life Office and designed her bot to simplify manuals and student handbook information. By uploading Residence Life documents into her bot’s knowledge base, she can ask questions such as, “What is allowed versus not allowed in the dorms?” She is also working to make it bilingual to better support Spanish-speaking students.

Val Disano created a bot called “College Sous-Chef,” which helps generate dorm-friendly recipes that fit her dairy-free diet. The bot is also trained to break down measurements and cooking terms to make recipes easier to follow.

Taking a fun and imaginative approach, Grace Walls built a bot that generates an interactive murder mystery game. The bot creates scenic locations, multiple characters to interview, and even includes red herrings to challenge the player. Once the user believes they’ve solved the case, they can prompt the bot with “I want to arrest this person,” and it will walk them through the clues and reveal whether they were correct.

Makenzie Thornton designed her bot to help her loved one who suffers from severe allergies. The bot can generate allergy-safe recipes and even pull from standard recipe PDFs to substitute ingredients that would make meals safe to eat.

To support organization and academic success, Caleb Allen created a bot that helps students manage a full course load. It can build sample syllabi, create calendars, assist with study planning, and even help students understand how their grades are weighted and how to best use their free time.

Joaquin Goldman, a soccer player, created a motivational bot inspired by coaching advice. The bot is restricted from giving medical guidance but can recommend foods, exercises, and routines to help users reach goals such as weight loss or muscle gain, all while keeping an encouraging tone.

Davis Wells, a Computer Information Systems major, built a bot designed to simplify coding language by breaking down acronyms, defining technical terms, and explaining concepts in beginner-friendly ways. Davis emphasized that the process requires constant reviewing and correcting to ensure the bot is accurately interpreting the data.

Zachariah Johnson, a Business Administration major, developed a bot to simplify the car-buying process for high school and college students. Unlike a traditional pushy salesman approach, his bot uses a welcoming and supportive tone. It asks questions about budget, seating needs, and whether the buyer wants a new or used vehicle, then generates options with explanations for why they may be a good fit.

Ivy Chelagat, a Physics student, worked closely with Dr. Allen to create a tutoring-style bot, especially helpful since the program currently has no tutors. The bot pulls strictly from uploaded course notes and is designed to guide students through problems using hints and questions before giving the final answer—helping students learn without being misled by inaccurate outside information.

Yubraj Bhandari, who named his bot “Mount Everest,” is using it to support his personal goal of climbing Mount Everest before turning 40. His bot analyzes research and advice from experienced climbers, including common mistakes and dangerous areas of the climb. His inspiration comes from his passion for hiking and climbing in his home country, Nepal.

Alex Rodriguez created a bot to assist with identifying coding errors for his Senior Seminar. His bot uses a Claude-based database and focuses on clear explanations and defining acronyms.

Arlando Neal, a marketing major, designed a bot that reads consumer reports and marketing databases to generate SWOT analyses, comparisons, charts, and written summaries, helping marketers better understand audience behavior and preferences.

Through this course, NCWU students are not only learning how to use AI, but they are also learning how to build with it, question it, refine it, and apply it responsibly. Their creativity and drive have turned the classroom into a space where innovation is thriving, and where students are preparing for the future in a truly hands-on way.