Indiana University Launches Comprehensive AI Development Series for Educators

Indiana University Launches Comprehensive AI Development Series for Educators

Indiana University's Digital Gardener Initiative has unveiled an ambitious AI/Generative AI Development Series designed to build institutional AI literacy across disciplines. The 10-session virtual professional development program addresses the growing need for educators, researchers, and staff to understand and effectively integrate AI technologies into their work.

Beyond Basic AI Training: A Disciplinary Approach

Unlike general AI awareness programs, IU's series takes a sophisticated approach by addressing AI applications within specific academic contexts. The curriculum spans from arts and humanities to sciences, social sciences, and health/medicine, recognizing that effective AI integration requires discipline-specific understanding.

Key program components include:

• Strategic AI Integration: Moving beyond single-use prompts to building AI systems that meaningfully extend human work, including custom GPTs and automated workflows
• Pedagogical Applications: Practical strategies for using AI to redesign assignments, enhance transparency, and scaffold student learning across disciplines
• Research Applications: Exploring how AI is reshaping research funding, methodology, and scholarly communication

Expert-Led Sessions with Institutional Focus

The series features accomplished practitioners including Anne Leftwich (Barbara B. Jacobs Chair in Education and Technology) and Isak Nti Asare (Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education), who co-authored the first city-led AI strategy in the United States and contributed to Mexico's National AI Strategy.

Research suggests that strategic AI implementation requires balancing innovation with critical evaluation, particularly in educational contexts where issues of equity, privacy, and responsible implementation are paramount.

Future-Oriented Approach to AI Readiness

The program culminates with a futures-oriented session examining emerging AI capabilities and institutional preparation strategies. This forward-looking approach recognizes that AI literacy isn't just about current tools but developing adaptive capacity for continued technological evolution.

As AI tools become embedded across industries, the series addresses how higher education must prepare students for AI-integrated workplaces while adapting to incoming students who already possess AI experience and expectations.

The series positions Indiana University at the forefront of institutional AI strategy, providing a comprehensive model for universities seeking to build AI capacity across their academic communities.

🔗 Learn more about the series at Indiana University DGI