Penn State University Libraries' Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) unit named 21 faculty recipients of its 2026 Faculty Engagement Awards, themed "Teaching with AI Glasses: Augmented Reality for Real-Time Learning." Each recipient is to receive a pair of Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Gen 2 audio-only smart glasses (Matte Black frame, clear lenses) plus paired TLT instructional-design and technology-support staff, running Summer 2026 through early Spring 2027. Only this one device configuration is approved for the cohort, which TLT attributes to Penn State's courseware-approval and tool-review timelines.
The glasses combine a voice-interactive AI assistant, hands-free photo and video capture, real-time contextual assistance and live translation. TLT frames four focus areas for the cohort to explore: hands-free documentation for field-based and experiential learning; real-time translation and captioning for accessibility and inclusion; demonstration capture for reflective, practice-based learning; and connecting in-person instruction to digital resources.
Recipients must attend a combined orientation and training session (scheduled for June 2026), take part in pedagogical consulting through Fall 2026, attend two to three cohort meet-ups, implement the glasses in one or more courses during Fall 2026, and submit a public summary report on the experience and its implications for classroom practice.
As of the September 17, 2026 announcement of recipients, TLT describes the cohort as exploring the glasses' affordances and constraints for teaching. The program's own timeline places in-course implementation in Fall 2026, and no source establishes that any recipient has yet used the glasses with students.
