Steward Hosts Innovation Forum

On March 5, The Steward School hosted the toddleLearn School Leaders Innovation Forum: Virginia, which brought together more than 40 regional leaders for a day of professional development. In the Lora M. Robins Theatre, participants gathered to explore how to navigate the complexities of artificial intelligence (AI) in the school environment.

Shahwar Qureshi ’90, Steward’s director of technology, was among the featured speakers at the forum. As the leader of the SAILors (Steward Artificial Intelligence Leaders), she oversees the school’s strategic AI initiatives, empowering faculty and students to navigate the evolving digital landscape. She also leads the school’s ad hoc committee on artificial intelligence. 

Steward’s Strategic Plan, Compass 2028: Inspire the Future, includes a guidepost to “develop assignments that incorporate generative AI but which amplify human input so as not to value or conflate the AI content over the work of the students.” The Strategic Plan also strives to “provide students with guidance on ethical technology use and information literacy.” 

In her talk, Ms. Qureshi began by sharing her tech journey, from her student days at Steward (“I remember the ‘clack clack’ sound of my first computer keyboard!”) to spearheading Steward’s 1:1 computer program for all students, to ChatGPT and AI. She highlighted what she and her colleagues have learned in the past several years by “piloting first and letting policy follow practice.” 

Emphasizing the advantages of collaboration, she noted that teaming up as SAILors (i.e., working alongside Steward faculty and staff) helped foster diversity and encourage creative thought. “Don’t captain the ship alone!” she suggested, adding that learning, reflection, and iteration are more important than getting AI “right” on the first try. 

Ms. Qureshi told the audience that she and her fellow task force members (led by Upper School Technology Facilitator Erin Springfield and Upper School Computer Science and Innovation Teacher Angela Coppola) teamed up over the past several years to build an AI policy for Steward. 

“It includes three pillars,” she said. “Build with care, create micro pilots, and grade the journey.” She added, “Cross-divisional participation is key. Working together, we came up with 50 teacher uses for AI. We also created the AI Toolkit, a living document that includes policy, ethical guidelines, and resources for AI use on campus.” 

Following her talk, Ms. Qureshi welcomed Steward colleagues Sarah Dwelle (Upper School social studies teacher), Crystal Hamlin (Middle/Upper School librarian), and Melissa Freed (Upper School curriculum dean) to the stage. Ms. Dwelle talked about how she evolved her classroom to integrate AI while also changing her assessments to ensure authentic student work. Ms. Hamlin and Ms. Freed shared how they pivoted from the traditional senior project paper to podcasts. 

Ms. Qureshi, who is passionate about fostering an environment in which cutting-edge tools enhance learning, is also an experienced writer. Her articles, which have appeared in publications including Richmond Family Magazine and Short Pump Life, touch on a variety of topics, including technology, cyberbullying, online test-prep tools, and music streaming.