Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University
John Rachlin

Dr. John Rachlin

Associate Teaching Professor · Khoury College of Computer Sciences · Northeastern University

j.rachlin@northeastern.edu · Office hours on Zoom, by appointment only

AI Leadership & Teaching Innovation

Roles, venues, and writing on AI in higher education — alongside a research thread in evolutionary computing (see Research) and a new course bringing AI literacy to non-majors.

2024–25 AI Faculty Fellow, Northeastern Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research (CATLR)
2025–26 Faculty Chair, Northeastern AI Curriculum Working Group — the group's quick-start guide, Weaving AI Readiness into the Northeastern Curriculum, is forthcoming
2025 AI in Action: Custom Applications and Data Visualizations — invited talk
2025 Conference for Advancing Evidence-Based Learning (CAEBL) — speaker and panelist
2025 Posner, M., Khoury College faculty on when — and when not — to use AI in the classroom, Khoury News
2025 Digital Education Council, Teaching with AI Working Group

Khoury Teaching Workshop Series

Workshop #1 poster — AI in CS Education

Workshop #1 — AI in CS Education

March 26, 2025

I believe Artificial Intelligence is for Everyone. AI is making Computer Science more inclusive and creating new opportunities for innovation. So now we face an urgent need for faculty, staff, and students across the University to become AI-literate, to be familiar with AI’s potential and its current limitations while recognizing that advancements are happening at an accelerating pace. And we must explore ways to weave AI into a reimagined curriculum...

Read the full opening remarks
Workshop #2 poster — CS for All: Creating an Inclusive Classroom

Workshop #2 — CS for All: Creating an Inclusive Classroom

November 4, 2025

Darwin saw in the diversity of finches beaks and tortoise shells the creativity of nature writ large: Individual organisms, struggling for their own survival, yet creating together a view of life full of grandeur. We know today that natural biological ecosystems are healthy, sustainable, resilient, and most able to adapt to environmental change when they are inherently biodiverse. Intellectual diversity is no less important in sustaining a vibrant classroom environment.

Read the full opening remarks

CS 1700: Society of Mind — AI for Everyone (Coming Fall 2026)




This course offers an introduction to artificial intelligence (AI) for non-computer science majors, providing the opportunity to explore key AI concepts, applications, and ethical considerations such as fairness, transparency, accountability, and privacy. Students will engage with real-world case studies, discussions, and hands-on exercises to develop a deeper understanding of AI’s strengths, limitations, and societal impact. Topics include AI history, generative AI, and machine learning, with applications in business, science, and the arts. The course will focus on critically assessing AI output and identifying key evaluation criteria for AI-generated content. Students will have the opportunity to use AI to analyze data, explore intelligent decision-support, assess AI risks and benefits, and employ AI as a creative collaborator. No prior programming background is required.

Credit Hours4.000
PrerequisitesNone
WebsiteSOMAI