College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management | February 2026
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Welcome to the February 2026 edition of our AI and Innovation Newsletter! This edition includes updates in AI, highlights faculty & staff reflections from AI conferences and trainings and shares useful resources and information to help integrate AI into your work.
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Dean’s Innovation Fund – Spring 2026 applications close on Feb. 20. The committee is excited to see the innovative project proposals that will be submitted.
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AI FACULTY DIRECTOR NOTES
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Attention Research Faculty
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Working with the University’s AI Institute, HRSM has hired Chris Lee to assist in AI-related research. Chris is finishing his PhD in computer science. He has advanced skills in Python and machine learning. Chris will be able to assist with data collection, analysis, and training for people interested in research projects. The faculty interested will need to provide a short project description that includes the deliverable output from Chris. More information on the application will be available soon.
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BoodleBox Uses at HRSM
HRSM faculty and staff have access to BoodleBox for teaching and learning. Currently, 41 faculty and staff are active BoodleBox users. If you do not have a BoodleBox license and want one, please contact me.
The College has been an active user of Generative AI. From August 2024 to December 2025, we wrote almost 35,000 prompts and generated over 19.6 million words in BoodleBox. For Fall 2025, the 41 faculty and staff wrote more than 3,600 prompts and generated 3 million words. Students (83) in six courses wrote about 4,500 prompts and generated 5.9 million words. We are proud to announce the BoodleBox champions for Fall term.
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| HRSM Faculty Champions | Active Days | Prompts | Assistants Used | Words Generated |
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| Karen Edwards | 51 | 245 | 10 | 157,689 | | Kelly Kouchi | 49 | 320 | 15 | 198,168 | | Michael Watson | 48 | 254 | 3 | 189,394 | | Bill Knapp | 40 | 475 | 5 | 583,181 | | Miyoung Jeong | 39 | 180 | 9 | 60,006 | | Ercan Turk | 39 | 317 | 7 | 155,529 |
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To help prepare students for their careers, please consider adding AI-related learning objectives to your courses. This technology is evolving rapidly, and students need to learn best practices and correct use.
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In Professor Jung-Hwan Kim’s Retail Promotion course (RETL 369), student teams created a new brand and used BoodleBox to develop engaging promotional content, including visuals and written materials. Specifically, the AI was used to draft promotional copy for e-mail and social media marketing, create visuals aligned with brand positioning, support campaign themes by generating ideas and brainstorming, and revise campaign messages for consistency. Student feedback suggests some teams had trouble identifying which tools were best for specific tasks.
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Associate Professor Scott Taylor Jr. uses BoodleBox for an entrepreneurial project. Starting last Spring 2025 in the Beverage and Marketing Promotion (HTMT 350) course, his students have been developing a brand and marketing pitch for Spur City Brewery. The project continued in his graduate Craft Beer Production and Distribution course last semester. For the current term, the class-wide project in HTMT will culminate in a Launch Party at Steel Hands in Cayce where they formally introduce the partnership and beer(s). According to Professor Taylor, students have enjoyed this multi-class, multi-semester process. Students in various classes discuss the project and get excited about building on something their peers did previously.
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Instructors who want to include AI assignments in their courses can contact me about obtaining student licenses.
-Drew Martin, Ph.D.
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| TEDNext Atlanta
Associate Professor Joohyung Park and Vice Dean Erica Lake attended the TEDNext Conference in Atlanta in November with over 800 attendees from 54 different countries. They watched over 60 TED Talks that explored the evolving intersection of AI, learning, and human experience (with talks to be released later this year). A consistent theme across sessions was that technology can meaningfully support learning, wellbeing, and connection. Core learning principles such as retrieval practice, reflection, effortful thinking, and the power of good questions were reinforced, alongside the importance of trust, visibility, and appreciation in strengthening relationships and fostering happiness.
The conference emphasized human-centered integration of AI, positioning it as a partner rather than a replacement. Ideas from this conference even inspired the use of TED-style conversation starters for our January kickoff meeting.
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Top Reflections
Joohyung Park, Ph.D., Retailing, and Erica Lake, Ph.D., Organizational Development and Innovation
The conference was an energizing and intellectually rich experience, filled with inspiring ideas and meaningful conversations.
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Priya Lakhai’s session on AI in education introduced concepts such as the “illusion of confidence” and “productive struggle,” highlighting that mental effort is essential for deep learning and cognitive growth. Her message emphasized that AI’s role, whether complementary or disruptive, depends on how thoughtfully we design and integrate it into learning environments. Her Century AI demonstration reinforced the importance of teaching students to ask better questions and move beyond rote memorization by leveraging strategies such as retrieval, spacing, generation, and reflection, while also offering new ways to track learning progress.
- Alexi Pappas shared “The Rule of Thirds,” a framework for navigating high expectations, self-doubt, and work–life balance. Her insights resonated on both personal and professional levels and could be valuable for faculty, staff, and students alike.
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Clinical psychologist Jenny Taitz offered practical “stress reset” strategies, particularly relevant for students during high-pressure periods such as finals. Sharing simple, accessible stress-management tools across campus could support student wellbeing and decision-making.
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Bryony Cole discussed the use of AI companions and how their affirmation and predictability can reduce feelings of rejection. It raised important questions about how students, faculty, and staff navigate interpersonal relationships.
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Across sessions, TEDNext reinforced a shared takeaway: curiosity, intentionality, and human insight must remain at the center of how we use AI. The conference encouraged us to innovate thoughtfully, and to stay human-centered as we do so.
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| AMERICAN CULINARY FEDERATION SPECIALIZED CERTIFICATE: AI FOR THE MODERN CHEF
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| Today's professional chefs face unprecedented demands on their time — balancing kitchen management, menu development, and administrative responsibilities with increasing complexity.
The American Culinary Federation has partnered with Chef Tiffany Poe to create a certified course titled AI for the Modern Chef. This innovative program guides culinary professionals through the strategic use of well-crafted prompts to generate creative menu concepts and streamline kitchen production schedules. Importantly, the course frames AI as "augmented intelligence" rather than artificial intelligence, positioning it not as a replacement for human expertise, but as a collaborative tool that reduces time spent on routine tasks while amplifying the creative process chefs rely on to craft exceptional culinary experiences.
Chef Poe employs a structured culinary formula for developing effective prompts that address all essential elements needed to bring a recipe to life. Working with this framework, I've adapted the language to create a more universal approach applicable to any AI-driven project. As I progress through the course, I'm increasingly convinced that these prompt engineering techniques have value far beyond the kitchen.
As a certified chef with 41 years of experience, I initially worried that AI would diminish the artistry of our profession and replace skilled workers with automation. However, taking time to understand the true value of human-AI collaboration has transformed my perspective. I now believe that augmented intelligence will elevate the modern chef to new levels of insight and innovation in culinary excellence.
-George Hendry, Ed.D., C.C.E., C.E.C.
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The Garnet AI Fluency 101 course is now open and available to all users who have claimed their USC ChatGPT EDU account. You can access the course in your Blackboard Organization tab.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore artificial intelligence or seeking to strengthen your understanding, Garnet AI Fluency 101 is designed to be accessible and welcoming.
Course Description
This self-paced course is designed for those new to AI or looking to learn about how generative AI works, USC’s policies and how to use AI tools like ChatGPT Edu effectively and ethically. It offers a structured, beginner-friendly path to help every learner start with confidence.
Check out the Notebook LM podcast version of HRSM’s Building Emergency Management Procedures. This is a great example of how we can use AI to provide access to dense reading material.
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UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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Feb. 13 @ 1 p.m. – AI Enthusiasts Meeting (Close-Hipp 620E).
You are invited and encouraged to share your teaching and learning ideas with our colleagues. If you are looking for ways to incorporate AI into teaching and learning, this session will expose you to new techniques and ideas.
March 17 @ 9:30-11 a.m. – AI Café (Close-Hipp TBD)
Curious how others are using AI to streamline their work? Join us for a relaxed, drop-in style workshop where faculty and staff come together to share tips, tricks, and real-world examples of how AI enhances their roles.
March 19 @ 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. – AI Day (Russell House Student Union)
AI Day is a chance for us to explore how AI is being used across the University of South Carolina, see real examples in action, and get everyone thinking about what’s possible next. It’s equal parts learning, inspiration, and conversation. More information coming soon from the Garnet AI Foundry and the Division of Information Technology.
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Thank you for reading this month's AI and Innovation Newsletter. Stay tuned for more AI and Innovation updates by visiting the Office of Innovation webpage.
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