Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the landscape of teaching and learning. As students increasingly encounter AI in and beyond the classroom, faculty are asking an important question: how can we integrate these tools in ways that support personalization, engagement, and efficiency without diminishing critical thinking, originality, or meaningful learning?
Beyond the Prompt: Personalize Learning with AI Bots is a collaborative, hands-on faculty learning community designed to help participants explore that question together. In this supportive environment, colleagues will examine the pedagogical possibilities of AI bots as collaborative thinking partners—tools that can scaffold student learning, support academic inquiry, and provide timely, conversational guidance. Participants will not only discuss the implications of AI for teaching and learning, but also build and test their own classroom “Syllabus Q&A” bot.
This learning community is especially focused on practical experimentation. Participants will leave with a working “Syllabus Q&A” bot and the foundational skills to create additional AI-supported classroom resources, such as study guides, writing coaches, brainstorming assistants, research guides, or reflection prompts. No coding experience or paid subscription is required—just curiosity, a willingness to experiment, and a commitment to innovative student-centered teaching.
What to Expect
Over the course of the learning community, participants will:
· Explore the pedagogical opportunities and limitations of AI in higher education.
· Discuss strategies for using AI to personalize learning while preserving academic rigor.
· Build and refine a “Syllabus Q&A” bot designed to assist students with common syllabus questions.
· Share prototypes, troubleshoot challenges, and learn from colleagues across disciplines.
· Consider how AI tools can be used responsibly, transparently, and ethically in the classroom.
Who Might This Apply To
This learning community is ideal for faculty members who are interested in:
- Generative AI and emerging educational technologies.
- Student engagement, scaffolding, and active learning.
- Course design that balances innovation with academic integrity.
- Practical tools that save time while enhancing communication and support.
Outcomes
By the end of the learning community, participants will have:
- Developed a custom classroom bot.
- Gained hands-on experience with AI bot creation.
- Built strategies for integrating AI into teaching in thoughtful, pedagogically sound ways.
- Joined a collegial network of instructors exploring the future of teaching with AI.
What is a Faculty Learning Community?
A faculty community learning community is a cross-disciplinary group of 10-12 faculty who work together over an extended period of time to explore a specific topic related to their professional teaching practice. In this supportive environment, faculty explore best practices, engage in deep discussion about the topic, and then share their work with the faculty community at large in support of their colleagues in this area.
Faculty Commit To:
- Attend meetings on Fridays from 9:00 am-10:30 am on the following dates:
- September 18, 2026
- October 2, 2026
- October 16, 2026
- October 30, 2026
- November 13, 2026
- December 4, 2026
- Complete readings, activities, and assignments between meetings.
Contribute to a rich and meaningful dialogue centered on using AI tools in the classroom without diminishing students' critical thinking.
Fully realize the AI bot that will be developed during and outside of sessions.
Reflect on the community discussions, the experience of developing a bot, and reflect on ways this has informed your AI use in the classroom to personalize student learning.
Share the knowledge gained in the faculty learning community with a larger faculty audience by sharing the bot and any written insight into the use of bots in academia.
Benefits
Enhance the ability to develop meaningful learning experiences using AI tools and gaining insight into other disciplines and how they might approach AI in a variety of ways.
Network with an interdisciplinary group of colleagues.
Receive a $500 faculty stipend at the completion of the sessions.
To Apply:
Please respond to each of the following questions in 250 words or less per question (copy the questions into your document editor and submit that document once complete, please be sure to include your name and school in the document label).
1. Why does exploring AI for personalized learning excite you, and what do you hope to gain from this learning circle?
2. What specific teaching challenges (e.g., syllabus questions, student feedback, assignment scaffolding) would you ideally like to design an AI bot to address?
3. How might AI bots enhance learning or problem-solving in your discipline (e.g., lab simulations for sciences, text analysis for humanities)? Submit your application online. The deadline for submission is April 30, 2026.
Questions?
Please contact Jennifer Zaylea at the Center for the Advancement of Teaching.