Center for Teaching & Mentoring
AI Workshops
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the educational landscape, offering new ways to learn, work, and interact with information. In response to the ongoing evolution of AI and its implications for higher education, the Center for Teaching and Mentoring, the Provost’s Office, and Grad-AI (College of Graduate Studies) are organizing a series of AI workshops throughout the 2025-2026 academic year. Each session will occur both in person in LIB 348 and remotely on Zoom. Registration is not required; please attend as your schedule allows. These workshops are open to faculty and academic affairs staff.
| Date | Session | Presenter | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, September 17 11:00 am – 12:00 pm LIB 348 or synchronously on Zoom | AI Chatbots in the Classroom | Carlos Coronel | Discover how AI-driven chatbots can provide learning support, instant explanations, and increased engagement. Learn how these tools can increase student engagement while easing administrative burdens for instructors. Participants will learn how to create a simple chatbot for their class using their own class materials. The end goal for this workshop is to develop awareness of classroom chatbots as transformative tools for enhancing student support and student engagement. |
| Thursday, October 16 1:30-2:30 pm LIB 348 or synchronously on Zoom | A Primer on Artificial Intelligence | Keith Gamble | This workshop is designed for faculty and staff who are new to generative AI. Attendees will develop an understanding of AI basics – what it is and how we got here. Attendees will also receive guidance for using AI-based tools ethically and effectively as well as updates on what is new in AI. |
| Tuesday, November 4 2:30-3:30 pm LIB 348 or synchronously on Zoom | Running Open-Source AI on Your Device | Keith Gamble | This session will demonstrate how easy it is to start using new open-source AI models without sharing your data with the big tech companies. Run large language models with your internet unplugged and wireless connection turned off. Gain insights into what is now possible on most consumer-grade machines and what upgrades are needed to run more powerful models. |
| Wednesday, November 19 1:00-2:00 pm LIB 348 or synchronously on Zoom | Teaching Information Literacy in a World of Chatbots | Eric Detweiler | One of the well-documented challenges presented by generative AI tools is their tendency to fabricate information. AI-powered chatbots are not search engines, but many students (and occasional faculty) use them that way, assuming the sources and claims they provide to users are answers when in fact they’re often pieces of language stitched together to sound like plausible answers. This workshop will provide strategies for helping students and faculty consider how to teach information literacy in a world where chatbots are widespread and widely misunderstood. Topics will include broad issues of trust related to generative AI tools, strategies for prompting chatbots to reduce the generation of misinformation, and strategies for teaching students to recognize misinformation as well as choose between appropriate digital tools when conducting research for course projects. Hands-on exercises and discussion will be key parts of this workshop. |
| Spring 2026 coming soon! |
