My work is about practical AI in higher education…and about keeping it human. As these tools continue to infiltrate our classrooms and our scholarship, the easy paths are hype or fear; I’m interested in the harder, more useful question of how we adopt AI without giving up what teaching is actually for: the relationships, the judgment, the care that no model can replace. I do this work through culturally responsive teaching, and I do it in and for Appalachia — a place too often studied from the outside, where questions about access, equity, and who benefits from new technology aren’t abstract. The talks, publications, and projects below are where I work out that question, some finished, most still in motion.
Current Projects
These are the projects I’m actively working on — some closer to done than others, all still in motion.
Culturally responsive AI coordination across Tennessee. I’m collaborating on a developing proposal to build statewide coordination around AI in higher education, with an emphasis on reaching learners and institutions across the region — including rural and Appalachian communities too often left out of these conversations. (In development.)
Getting AI into the core (the CSCI 1300 story). With B. T. Bennett, I’m drafting a publication on how we built CSCI 1300: Practical Applications of Artificial Intelligence — and, harder than building it, how we got it approved as a Critical Thinking element of ETSU’s Compass general-education core. It’s part course-design case study, part account of the curricular politics: what it takes to convince a curriculum committee that AI literacy is critical thinking, not a threat to it.
Appalachian AI Corps. I’m part of a regional collaboration, led by the University of Tennessee, focused on building AI capacity and talent across Appalachia. The work centers on a question I keep returning to: how do we make sure new technology reaches this region as a participant, not an afterthought.
Engagement, gameplay, and self-report (with Prinsa Ghimire). Prinsa and I are developing a publication from her master’s thesis examining the gap between how students report their engagement and how they actually behave during gameplay, using Hexad player types. It’s a sharp study about the limits of self-reported data.
Publishing my dissertation work. I’m preparing my doctoral research — on building culturally responsive STEM peer-mentoring relationships through virtual training — for publication, bringing that work to a wider audience beyond the dissertation itself.
Assessment as scholarship. I’m turning the assessment and continuous-improvement work I’ve led in the Department of Computing — across both ABET and AACSB accreditation — into publishable scholarship on what actually works when you build data-driven assessment that faculty will use. The goal is to make the invisible, behind-the-scenes labor of accreditation into something other programs can learn from.
Thesis, Capstone, and Dissertation Advising
Alongside my own projects, I mentor students through thesis, capstone, and dissertation work — helping them find, sharpen, and defend their own questions. It’s some of the most rewarding work I do.
In Progress
Kama, Onyedikachi (Michael) — Master’s thesis, committee chair (title in progress)
Conner, Rachel
Bruce, Gloria
Completed — Thesis & Capstone Committee Chair
Amoatey, Dennis — Case study: LLMs in auditing workflows (Master’s thesis)
Ghimire, Prinsa — Perceptions and behaviors in gameplay: A qualitative study of self-reported vs. observed engagement through Hexad types (Master’s thesis)
Adebayo, Abolaji — Master’s capstone
Onilude, Segun — Master’s capstone
Orakwe, Ugochukwu — Master’s capstone
Oluwamakinde, Boluwatife (Bolu) — Assessing the utilization of building information modeling in the preservation of heritage buildings (Master’s thesis)
Davis, Crystal — Adapting to the digital age: Information management strategies for improving customer perceptions of digital banking in Ghana (Master’s thesis)
Mahmoud, Maritu — AI for sustainability in Appalachian businesses: Challenges and success factors (Master’s thesis)
Githinji, Lydia — The impact of entrepreneurial narrative, fairy tales, and stories of Biblical women as tools for formative education: A situated case study of African women in the global diaspora (Master’s thesis)
Haas, Stacy — Bridging the divide: Exploring leadership gaps in nonprofit organizations (Capstone)
Barbrow, Daniel — Department of Computing: Continuous improvement automation (Master’s capstone)
Ferrell, Juanita — Enhancing empathy among long-term care (LTC) staff: An effective training approach (Master’s capstone)
Buchanan, Dillon — Designing immersive learning environments for computer science education (Master’s thesis)
Completed — Thesis & Capstone Committee Member
Enechukwu, Ransome — How cloud-based financial software systems can be protected from data breaches (Master’s thesis)
Glover, Alex — Master’s thesis
Breeden, John — Master’s thesis
Kshatri, Shauhardha — BaysTracker (Master’s capstone)
Gardner, Lauren — BaysTracker (Master’s capstone)
Completed — Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Ludwig, Clifford — “This is not a lecture”: How POGIL could reshape learning in computer science
Upham, Chris — Honors thesis
Publications
Enechukwu, R. C., Shaik, S., Al Doulat, A., Bajracharya, B. O., & Dubay, C. M. (accepted). Post-vote tampering in Nigerian elections and the role of blockchain-enabled electoral systems. Proceedings of SmartNets 2026 Conference.
Bello, A., Al Doulat, A., Bello, M. A., & Dubay, C. M. (2026). Energy-efficient transformer inference: A comparative analysis of model size, latency, energy consumption, and carbon footprint. SoutheastCon 2026, 1–5.
McDonald, A., Al Doulat, A., Khan, M., Dubay, C. M., & Roach, J. (2026). What is real anymore? A solution to detect hyper-realistic AI-generated imagery. 2026 IEEE 16th Annual Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference (CCWC).
Stephen, J. S., Dubay, C. M., & Herring, J. (2026). Assessing university assets. In Navigating the doctoral journey: A handbook of strategies for success. [publisher; page range?]
Dubay, C. M., & Earnshaw, Y. (2025). A structured approach for designing early-career faculty development. Journal of Faculty Development, 39(1), 103–105.
Glover, A., Khan, M. S., Harrison, M. S., Buchanan, D., & Dubay, C. M. (2024). Physics-informed LSTM: Practical vehicular movement projections in IoV. 2024 27th International Symposium on Wireless Personal Multimedia Communications (WPMC).
Dubay, C. M., & Richards, M. B. (2024). Leveraging artificial intelligence in project-based service learning to advance sustainable development: A pedagogical approach for marketing education. Marketing Education Review, 34(4), 307–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/10528008.2024.2411975
Husari, G., Bennett, B. T., & Dubay, C. M. (2024). Comparative analysis of learning outcomes in online vs. face-to-face computing courses at a four-year university. Appalachian Research in Business Symposium.
Watson, J. H., Dubay, C. M., & Jackson, N. (2023). Cultivating preservice teachers’ culturally responsive classroom management self-efficacy through case-based learning. Teacher Education Quarterly, 50(2), 29–53.
Dubay, C. M. (2021). Building culturally responsive STEM peer mentoring relationships through virtual training: A case study [Doctoral dissertation, University of Memphis].
Rockinson-Szapkiw, A. J., Sechrest-Ehrhardt, L., Dubay, C. M., & Mizelle, N. (2020). Being culturally responsive in a peer mentorship relationship. In Navigating the peer mentoring relationship: A handbook for women and other underrepresented groups.
Stephen, J. S., Rockinson-Szapkiw, A. J., & Dubay, C. M. (2020). Persistence model of non-traditional online learners: Self-efficacy, self-regulation, and self-direction. American Journal of Distance Education, 34(4), 306–321.
Dubay, C. M. (2018). Test of faith: Signs, serpents, salvation [Review of the book Test of faith: Signs, serpents, salvation]. Journal of Appalachian Studies, 24(2), 256–258.
Dubay, C. M. (2014). Handling authenticity: A discourse analysis of interviews with signs-following preachers [Master’s thesis, East Tennessee State University].
Presentations/Invited Talks
Dubay, C. M. (2025, August 6). Debugging my brain: How “I used to think… now I think” transforms tech learning. Conference for High-Impact Instructional Practices, Center for Teaching Excellence.
Dubay, C. M. (2025, June 6). From rows to relationships: Engagement by design in large-enrollment intro computing. PSCC Distance Learning Conference.
Dubay, C. M., Rockinson, A., Markowitz, S., & Herring-Watson, J. (2025, May 9). Developing an effective, learner-centered distance education experience. IDT Retreat 2025, University of Memphis IDT Doctoral Program.
Bennett, B. T., Dubay, C. M., & Mehiel, E. (2025, April). Streamlining accreditation: Data-driven assessment and cross-disciplinary strategies for continuous improvement. 2025 ABET Symposium, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, San Diego, CA.
Dubay, C. M. (2025, February 28). Building inclusive workspaces: Community, culture, and leadership in STEM. CHEM Leaders, Brown Hall, Johnson City, TN.
Dubay, C. M., & Richards, M. B. (2024, October). An introduction to the AISLE model (AI in Service and Experiential Learning). ETSU Community-Engaged Scholarship Mixer, Culp Center, Johnson City, TN.
Dubay, C. M. (2024, August 27). Leadership: An instructional design perspective. NETN Hospitality & Tourism Certification, Gray, TN.
Dubay, C. M. (2024, August 13). A muggle’s guide to technologies and platforms. Summer Bridge, BlueSky Tennessee Institute, Chattanooga, TN.
Dubay, C. M., & Earnshaw, Y. (2024, July 14). Cracking the academic black box: Faculty experiences at early-career symposia. MSERA Annual Meeting 2024, Mid-South Educational Research Association, Chattanooga, TN.
Dubay, C. M. (2024, June 11). “Don’t quit on me now!” — How Peloton helped plant S.E.E.D.S. to improve my students’ self-efficacy. ASCUE 2024.
Richards, M. B., & Dubay, C. M. (2023, November). Artificial intelligence in project-based, community-engaged learning. Saturday Symposium, Society for Marketing Advances Annual Conference 2023.
Dubay, C. M. (2023, November 14). Leveraging Online Program Management companies (OPMs) for building and scaling online program offerings: An administration-focused perspective for small and medium-sized higher ed institutions. HESS 2023.
Dubay, C. M. (2023, August). Hospitality & tourism leadership: An instructional design perspective. NETN Hospitality and Tourism Certification Program.
Dubay, C. M. (2023, August 23). Roles and responsibilities for hospitality supervisors, managers, and leaders. Hospitality & Tourism Certificate Student Meeting, Hands On! Discovery Center.
Dubay, C. M., Davenport, C., Floyd, D. J., Gillespie, S., & Vann, D. S. (2023, June 20). Artificial intelligence panel: Opportunities and challenges in education. Pellissippi State Community College Distance Learning Conference, Virtual.
Dubay, C. M. (2023, May 17). “Don’t quit on me now!” — How Peloton helped plant S.E.E.D.S. to improve my students’ self-efficacy. College of Charleston Teaching and Learning Conference, Virtual.
Dubay, C. M. (2023, May 12). Generating CLEAR learning prompts with generative AI: A hands-on refining experience. AECT STC, LED & DELT 3-Part Series on ChatGPT, Virtual.
Harrison, D. L.-E., & Dubay, C. M. (2023, April 28). Inspiring lifelong learning habits to stimulate career and personal growth for analytics professionals. Analytics Summit 2023, Appalachian State University, Walker College of Business, Boone, NC.
Dubay, C. M. (2023, February 2). Small but mighty: Transforming learning experiences with budget-friendly technologies and solutions. Georgia Association of Independent College Provosts Annual Meeting, Virtual.
Dubay, C. M. (2022, June 14). Gamification and persistence: Using gamification strategies to help students finish thesis research. ASCUE 2022, Virtual.
Dubay, C. M. (2022, April 23). Cultivating preservice teachers’ culturally responsive classroom management self-efficacy through case-based learning. AERA Annual Meeting, Virtual.
Dubay, C. M. (2022, April 22). Building culturally responsive STEM peer mentoring relationships through virtual training: A case study. AERA Annual Meeting, Virtual.