Joanne Zinger honored with UC Irvine's 2026 Excellence in Digital Learning Award
In an educational landscape increasingly shaped by rapid technological shifts, finding the sweet spot between innovation and human connection can feel like walking a tightrope. Fortunately for UC Irvine students, Professor of Teaching Joanne Zinger has mastered that balance.
The Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI) recently announced Zinger as the honoree for the 2026 Excellence in Digital Learning Award. The honor—part of the annual Celebration of Teaching, which recognizes outstanding undergraduate educators since 1992—cements Zinger's reputation as a visionary leader in modern pedagogy.
“I was really honored to receive the Excellence in Digital Learning Award,” the psychology professor reflected. “What makes the award especially meaningful to me is that I spend a lot of time thinking about how we can use technology to improve student learning without losing the human side of teaching.”
A thoughtful approach to AI in the classroom
As the director of the School of Social Ecology’s Post-Baccalaureate Program in Psychology, Zinger is no stranger to academic excellence, boasting an impressive roster of accolades over her career, including the DTEI 2024 Dr. De Gallow Professor of the Year Award and multiple School of Social Ecology Professor of the Year honors.
Her latest recognition centers on her groundbreaking work integrating artificial intelligence into her field study writing seminar. Rather than viewing generative AI as a threat to academic integrity or an unmitigated miracle tool, Zinger carved out a middle ground.
“With AI in particular, I think there is a real temptation to either embrace it uncritically or try to ban it entirely,” she noted. “I have been much more interested in figuring out how we can teach students to use AI thoughtfully, ethically, and in ways that support their own thinking rather than replace it.”
The AI “thought partner” in action
In her field study writing seminar, students design and execute research projects tied to their internships. Because early stage brainstorming traditionally demands heavy one-on-one mentorship, Zinger designed a structured, multi-step digital activity to scale feedback without sacrificing rigor.
First, students independently outline their internship sites, personal goals and initial research concepts. Only after this foundational thinking do they interact with a custom-prompted AI chatbot designed to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their ideas.
“Students then had to critique and reflect on the AI's output rather than simply accept its recommendations,” explained Zinger, who detailed how a similar approach is applied to research ethics. “The emphasis was on evaluating the AI's response, considering potential bias, and deciding for themselves what was useful.”
The pedagogical payoff has been remarkable. In post-activity reflections, 81% of students reported that the AI genuinely helped refine their initial concepts. Crucially, participants also walked away with heightened digital literacy, noting a deeper awareness of prompting mechanics, algorithmic bias, and the dangers of over-reliance.
A legacy of student-centered excellence
For Zinger, innovation only matters if it puts the student first.
“One of the things I liked most about the activity was that AI functioned as a ‘thought partner,’ not a replacement for student thinking,” she says. “For me, that is really the goal of digital learning. I don't want to use technology simply because it is new or exciting. I want to think carefully about how it can help students learn while still centering their own ideas, experiences and critical thinking.”
She will be formally celebrated alongside her peers at the Celebration of Teaching awards ceremony during UC Irvine Teach Day on Sept. 17 at the Division of Continuing Education conference rooms. (Register here.)
As higher education continues to navigate the uncharted waters of digital tools and artificial intelligence, educators like Zinger provide a vital blueprint: one where technology amplifies human potential rather than overshadowing it.
— Matt Coker