Adam Lockwood, Ph.D., associate professor in the School Psychology program at Kent State University, is featured in OpenAI Academy’s Professors Teaching with AI video series—an international showcase of how faculty across disciplines are integrating artificial intelligence into higher education.
“Using AI in the training of future school psychologists allows us to preserve human-centered, ethical practice while embracing tools that support equity, efficiency, and innovation,” said Lockwood. "I've seen students gain confidence, work more quickly and really polish their skills. From a research perspective, I've also tested AI specifically ChatGPT's ability to write reports."
In a study of about 250 licensed psychologists, Lockwood found that basically there was no difference in preferences in reports written by humans or AI. "There's a lot of promise for AI to help students learn, but also for automating and reducing administrative burdens."
Lockwood uses ChatGPT in his instruction to design interactive learning activities, such as games that illustrate challenges students may encounter in the field. He also creates “sandbox” spaces where trainees can safely practice using AI tools with mock data that does not contain sensitive or personally identifiable information.
This approach allows users to explore how AI might be applied in psychology, while avoiding ethical or legal risks. Additional applications include generating checklists, building simple dashboards for data, and guiding students on how to evaluate AI tools responsibly without violating confidentiality.
"I got great feedback from students and from people that I'm training for professional development," said Lockwood. "AI makes things more interactive, more fun and engaging. For me that's one of the biggest things, coming up with acitivities that students enjoy and that give instant feedback rather than the old way of doing papers and homework and getting the feedback later, or getting no feedback at all."
Lockwood’s video explores how AI is transforming graduate training in the School Psychology program, with a focus on accessible, ethical, and practice-ready use. His contribution appears alongside those of educators in more than 30 disciplines around the world.
OpenAI, the company that made AI mainstream with the launch of ChatGPT, continues to shape research and application across academic, industrial, and public sectors. ChatGPT reaches some 700 million weekly active users worldwide, underscoring the scale of its adoption and impact.