This 5-part Teaching With AI Level One workshop series from the Stearns Center gives instructors a practical, research-informed foundation for navigating AI in their teaching.
Whether you’re unsure where to start or ready to rework your assignments, this series will help you understand the tools, refine your course design, and communicate expectations with clarity and confidence. Across five focused sessions, you’ll learn what AI tools can (and can’t) do, rethink assignments and assessments in an AI-rich environment, and develop transparent, student-centered approaches to ethical AI use. Participants will leave with concrete teaching strategies, stronger assessment designs, and a course-ready AI policy aligned with their goals and discipline.
The Level One workshops are open to all GMU instructors: those who are new to AI tools or already experimenting with them, those who hope to expand student use and those who plan to limit student use of the tools, and those whose fields directly intersect with AI tools as well as those whose fields are only indirectly affected by the new AI tools.
Faculty who complete the full series and submit the Certification Form will earn the Level One Certificate in Teaching with AI.
What You’ll Learn
By completing the Teaching with AI Level 1 certificate, you will be able to:
- Recognize what AI tools can (and can’t) do, including the types of text, images, code, data analysis, and feedback students can generate.
- Redesign assignments and assessments to sharpen learning outcomes, strengthen academic integrity, and reduce busywork.
- Integrate inclusive and transparent practices that help students use AI ethically and equitably.
- Identify your own values and boundaries about the use of AI tools, and describe the ethical dimensions of AI use in your field and your classroom.
- Craft and communicate a clear AI policy aligned to your pedagogical goals and disciplinary norms.
Summer 2026 Workshop Lineup
TBA; stay tuned!
The Spring 2026 Workshop Lineup (Fridays @ 12pm)
Additional workshops will be added in Summer/Fall 2026 as interest indicates.
- February 13: To AI or not to AI? Key Considerations for Your Classroom. Get oriented–this workshop will help you learn more about what tools students are using, what those tools can produce, and how to adapt to GMU’s current guidelines and resources.
- February 20: Communicating with Students About Ethical AI Use. This interactive workshop is designed to help you effectively communicate with students about ethical AI use in your courses. Through discussions, case studies, and individual work, you will develop a coherent AI policy tailored to your courses and gain practical strategies for guiding your students in responsible AI use.
- February 27: AI Tools and… Inclusive Teaching? Explore equity, transparency, and Universal Design for Learning when AI is in the mix. Identify small teaching moves that support all learners. (If you’ve taken an earlier version of this workshop, it can count toward the Level 1 Certificate.)
- March 27: AI Test Kitchen: Interfacing with Students. Whether you’re new to AI tools like Microsoft CoPilot or experiences, explore prompts and discuss the role of AI-Assisted Faculty tasks including interfacing with students. Based on the book Teaching with AI by Bowen and Watson. *Participation in past AI Test Kitchens is not required, but if you’ve taken an earlier Test Kitchen workshop, it will count toward the Level 1 certificate.
- April 3: Can AI Write My ____? This hands-on workshop invites faculty to explore how students can use Generative AI as a writing tool to assist with their assignments. Together, we’ll experiment with AI tools at various stages of the writing process, including brainstorming, drafting, and revising, to consider the strengths and limitations of AI as a writing tool.