UMD Libraries and Teaching and Learning Transformation Center’s “AI and Information Literacy” module wins UMD’s 2025 Invention of the Year Award
The module won in the Social Innovation category.
A new online learning module developed by Teaching and Learning Librarian Ben Shaw in partnership with Mona Thompson of the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center and an interdisciplinary team of researchers, including former Libraries graduate assistant Daria Yocco, has won UMD’s 2025 Invention of the Year Award in the Social Innovation category.
This online learning module gives students a crash course on how to understand, evaluate and responsibly use AI tools. Including bite-sized videos and hands-on exercises, the module aims to build digital citizens who can navigate misinformation, cite AI-generated content ethically and understand its impact on the world around them. The module has been integrated into 210 courses at UMD and is being used by 90 universities across the globe. The companion research guide has been viewed over 97,000 times and is available to anyone who wants to get more AI-savvy.
About the Invention of the Year Awards
Started in 1987, the Invention of the Year Awards celebrate campus research. Beginning in 2016, the Innovate Maryland platform was established to form a series of programs, bringing together various departments at the University of Maryland, all supporting innovation and entrepreneurship.