Graduation Term

Summer 2026

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Technology

Committee Chair

Chris Merril

Committee Member

Joshua Brown

Committee Member

Jin Jo

Abstract

This conceptual thesis reconceptualizes instructional supervision for AI-enabled STEM teaching in the Digital Age. Traditional supervision models, including clinical, developmental, and cognitive coaching, emphasize human-centered observation and feedback but lack guidance for supervising AI-mediated instruction, interpreting algorithmic outputs, and addressing neurodiverse learner variability. Using integrative literature review methodology, this thesis synthesizes scholarship across five theoretical foundations: epistemic perspectives, the neurodiversity paradigm, Universal Design for Learning, human-centered AI and educational leadership, and supervision literature.

The resulting conceptual framework organizes supervisory attention into four interconnected domains:

  • human-centered AI use in teaching and assessment,
  • neurodiversity- and UDL-informed pedagogy,
  • relational and compassionate classroom climate, and
  • equity, policy, and rights alignment.

Each domain includes operationalizable indicators that translate theoretical concepts into practical supervisory guidance. The framework is situated within STEM teacher and leadership preparation contexts: curriculum and coursework, clinical and field experiences, leadership norms, and program culture.

This thesis contributes to scholarship by offering the first integrated framework addressing supervision, human-centered AI, and neurodiversity in STEM contexts. To practice, it provides operationalizable indicators that can inform curriculum design, field experience protocols, and professional development for supervisors working in AI-enabled environments. Implications for STEM teacher and educational leadership preparation programs are discussed. Future research directions include empirical validation of the framework, design-based research in preparation programs, and extension to other educational contexts. Building on this framework, the thesis names STEM educational leadership as the construct at the center of the reconceptualization and advances the record loop, a methodology in which records circulate among the student, the educational leader, and the supervisor to make practice transparent in the Digital Age.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

Download

Share

COinS