Teaching with GenAI Learning Community

Now Accepting Applications through January 9, 2025

Program Overview and Purpose  

This Learning Community is co-sponsored by CRLT, Flint ODE, LSA Technology Services, and Ann Arbor ITS. It is a monthly gathering designed to convene selected faculty and instructional staff who are eager to explore the ethical and effective integration of generative AI into their teaching practices. This cross-disciplinary program offers an engaging and collaborative environment where participants can:

• Expand their understanding of and proficiency with AI tools.
• Enhance their curriculum design, instruction, and assessment methodologies.
• Connect with peers who share a common goal.

Program Objectives

• Learn and Experiment: Understand the capabilities of generative AI, and discover key tools and strategies to improve AI literacy.
• Collaborative Engagement: Share experiences and learn from peers, fostering a two-way exchange of ideas rather than a traditional top-down training model.
• Community-Building: Create a supportive environment for regular meetings, discussion of challenges, and celebration of successes related to AI use in teaching and learning.
• Skill Advancement: Provide structured sessions and resources to help faculty progress from beginner to advanced AI users and elevate their teaching practices.
• Real-World Application: Present live demonstrations and create "aha moments" to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Program Requirements

• Attend all 5 sessions: Participants should commit to attending all five sessions. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis.
• Complete monthly challenges: Each month, participants will be given a “challenge” or task to complete that builds on the topic or skills from the month. These challenges will take 30-90 minutes to complete. 
• Complete an educational project: Throughout the semester, participants will work on an educational project that leverages GenAI, culminating in a final showcase session to share progress and get feedback. This work will take an additional 1-2 hours a month to complete. 

Total anticipated time commitment: ~5 hours per month

Who Should Apply?

This program is for University of Michigan faculty and instructional staff with a foundational understanding of GenAI in higher education who want to be a part of a learning community that focuses on GenAI and teaching. Suggested prerequisites include: 

1. >> Attended 1-2 GenAI workshops (e.g. workshops hosted by the TTC, CRLT, or ODE) 
2.  
3. >> Participated in an online course, such as:
4. Teaching with GenAI Canvas Course
5. GenAI MyLinc Courses
6. LinkedIn Learning GenAI Course Collection
7.  
8. >> Explored U-M GPT or ChatGPT on their own

Benefits for Participants

• Peer Learning: Gain insights from colleagues exploring AI in similar and diverse teaching contexts.
• Hands-On Practice: Engage in guided activities to build confidence with generative AI tools.
• Resource Sharing: Contribute to and benefit from a shared repository of resources, activities, and best practices.
• Support System: Build a network of support among faculty tackling similar challenges and opportunities.

Program structure

Sessions will be held via Zoom on Mondays from 2:00pm-3:30pm Eastern on the following dates:

• January 13, 2025
• February 10, 2025
• March 10, 2025
• April 7, 2025
• May 12, 2025

Program Planning Team

Dr. Tazin Daniels, Associate Director - Center for Research on Learning and Teaching

Nick Gaspar, Distance Learning Director - School of Nursing - The University of Michigan-Flint

Monica Hickson, Senior Instructional Learning Specialist - Teaching & Learning, ITS

Angela Marocco, Instructional Learning Specialist Lead - Teaching & Learning, ITS

Hetal Thaker, Senior Instructional Consultant - LSA Technology Services 

Keila Walton, Customer Advocacy Manager - Support Services, ITS

 

How to Apply

To apply for the Teaching with GenAI Learning Community, please fill out this short application.  

We will be accepting applications until January 9, 2025 but encourage you to apply as soon as possible to get access to the associated canvas community and pre-work. We will send acceptance emails and Zoom calendar invites by January 10, 2025 but please hold January 13 from 2:00-3:30pm on your calendars until then. 

If you have any questions, please email: [email protected] 

 

 

The information for this program will be crossposted on the Academic Technology website at: https://academictechnology.umich.edu/instructional-resources/generative-ai/learning-community