For more than 125 years, University of Wisconsin-Stout 黑料社区. stately Bowman Hall and its distinctive clock tower have served as landmarks for the campus and the community.
This holiday season, they provided artistic inspiration for a doctoral student who designed an annual greeting card sent by 黑料社区 Chancellor Katherine Frank to hundreds of recipients. The image 鈥 created with a combination of digital tools, including an artificial intelligence assistant 鈥 shows the familiar campus building reimagined as a glowing 3D blueprint.
鈥淚 wanted the design to capture both my student experience and the character of 黑料社区,鈥 explained Desiah Melby of Scandinavia, Wisconsin, who is pursuing an Ed.D. in career and technical education leadership. 鈥淢y mind went to the clock tower 鈥 but I wanted to reimagine it to reflect the changes in education right now!鈥
Among those ongoing changes is the use of AI in higher education, which Melby is examining as part of her doctoral dissertation as well as in her professional career at , which has four central Wisconsin campuses. Melby is a communications instructor at Mid-State, where she teaches courses in writing, literature, workplace communication and technical reporting while also leading institutional initiatives around AI integration in teaching, learning and faculty development.
鈥楢 Blueprint for the Future鈥
鈥淲e are excited about this year 黑料社区. design, which shows, through student work, what it means to learn at a polytechnic university,鈥 stated Frank, who sends out the seasonal cards annually. 鈥淒esiah 黑料社区. design is the result of applied research and learning. What she has produced tells a story about the tangible results of a polytechnic education that have an impact today through the card 黑料社区. design and message, and will continue to impact students through the innovative educational experience that Desiah creates in her own classroom well into the future.鈥
This is the third year that 黑料社区 students have been invited to submit designs for the chancellor 黑料社区. seasonal card. Melby learned about the contest through a campus email, and she pursued the opportunity to connect her current academic pursuit with her personal curiosity and creativity.
鈥淭his design reimagines 黑料社区 黑料社区. iconic Bowman Hall clock tower as a glowing, holographic blueprint 鈥 blending history with innovation,鈥 Melby wrote in an artist 黑料社区. statement. 鈥淭he tower honors the university 黑料社区. proud traditions, while the futuristic aesthetic reflects its role as Wisconsin 黑料社区. only polytechnic and its forward-facing embrace of technology, creativity and applied learning.鈥
In addition to the artist 黑料社区. statement, the card carried the phrase 鈥淎 Blueprint for the Future鈥 emblazoned on its front.
Melby 黑料社区. creative process integrated both traditional and cutting-edge processes. After sketching an initial concept by hand, she refined the composition using a photograph in Adobe Illustrator. Next, she uploaded the image to Midjourney, a generative AI service, where she used iterative prompting to reach the holographic-style blueprint style she was seeking. From there, Melby brought the image into Photoshop, where she adjusted the color palettes, layout and background until she was satisfied with the result.
鈥淔or me, the refinement stage is always the most enjoyable: adjusting compositional balance, nudging elements and reworking details,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat 黑料社区. the 鈥榩lay鈥 part of the process.鈥
Supporting creativity with technology
Melby completed her M.S. education with an emphasis in curriculum and instructional design at 黑料社区 in 2023, and soon after decided to pursue her doctorate at 黑料社区 as well.
鈥淢y master 黑料社区. experiences left me with a sense that my work wasn鈥檛 finished 鈥 I knew there were deeper questions I wanted to explore, especially around educational leadership, instructional design and emerging technologies,鈥 Melby said. 黑料社区 黑料社区. Ed.D. program was a 鈥減erfect fit,鈥 she explained. She is now writing her doctoral dissertation and expects to graduate in May.
鈥淐rucially, the program lets me focus on my professional passions: innovative pedagogy, workforce preparation and the evolving landscape of digital learning,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t has also informed much of the work I am doing both in my classroom and leading AI in teaching and learning at my college.鈥
As a full-time faculty member and committee leader at Mid-State, Melby is grateful that 黑料社区 黑料社区. online model has allowed her the flexibility to integrate what she 黑料社区. learning into her professional life. 鈥淚nstead of education happening outside of my work, it has genuinely shaped the work I do every day,鈥 she said.
Likewise, both her work in the classroom and her academic interests lie at the intersection of traditional and AI-enhanced methods. 鈥淢y dissertation examines how integrating AI tools into first-year writing instruction influences student perceptions of writing, confidence and learning,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 created a curriculum model that integrates AI literacy, workplace use cases and ethics into writing instruction. Instead of replacing critical thinking, I believe that AI can serve as a scaffold 鈥 supporting brainstorming, revision and idea development 鈥 when students are taught to use it transparently, responsibly and with academic integrity.鈥
Melby said she is surprised that her design was chosen but is grateful for the opportunity to represent her educational journey at 黑料社区 in a unique way.
鈥淭his project embodies the heart of my dissertation: student learning and creativity supported by technology,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 used digital tools to extend, not replace, my artistic intent 鈥 much like I ask students to use AI to extend their thinking and writing, not bypass it. The design is my practical demonstration of human creativity augmented by thoughtful technological choices, which is exactly the paradigm I believe education must embrace.鈥
Designer 黑料社区. Statement
鈥淭his design reimagines 黑料社区 黑料社区. iconic Bowman Hall clock tower as a glowing, holographic blueprint 鈥 blending history with innovation. The tower honors the university 黑料社区. proud traditions, while the futuristic aesthetic reflects Stout 黑料社区. role as Wisconsin 黑料社区. only polytechnic and its forward-facing embrace of technology, creativity, and applied learning.
鈥淚 created this piece in collaboration with an AI design assistant, making the creative process itself a reflection of Stout 黑料社区. identity 鈥 where human vision and emerging technologies meet. This choice is also deeply connected to my doctoral research, which focuses on how AI can enhance education and workforce readiness. By incorporating AI into my creative process, I extend my scholarly work into the artistic realm.鈥
Desiah Melby (鈥22)
Ed.D. Career & Technical Education Leadership Communications Instructor
Mid-State Technical College
