Facilitators: UCR XCITE colleagues Samantha Eastman, Mariah Cladis, and Joseph Sepulveda in collaboration with Erica Bender, Assessment Specialist from the UC Davis Center for Educational Effectiveness
Job Titles:
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Erica Bender, Assessment Specialist, UC Davis Center for Educational Effectivenes
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Samantha Eastman, Sr. LX Designer, UCR XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning
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Mariah Cladis, Learning Specialist, UCR XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning
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Joseph Sepulveda, Manager, Teaching and Learning Initiatives, UCR XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning
Details About the Session
AI literacy is an emergent core competency for the 21st century, but supporting students’ development in this area can lead to complex considerations about assessment, teaching, and the very nature and purpose of learning. This biweekly workshop and community of practice series is designed to empower faculty and instructors to explore many possible strategies for cultivating students’ AI literacy. We will explore strategies for teaching about AI and also for teaching with AI, arguing that both dimensions of AI instruction can help students develop crucial AI literacy skills. A collaboration between the UC Riverside XCITE Center for Teaching & Learning and the UC Davis Center for Educational Effectiveness, this virtual series invites participation from instructors at both UCR and UCD. Together, we will explore principles and strategies for bringing AI-related teaching to your courses in a way that is authentic and relevant for your course and your students. Community practice sessions will focus peer-supported activities for building and showcasing materials that teach about and teach with AI.
Participants are encouraged, but not required, to attend all 4 meetings and be prepared for hands-on participation in the community of practice.
UCR instructors who participate in all 4 sessions or who meet alternative criteria for participation will be eligible to receive a certificate.
This series is ideal for faculty and instructors who want to incorporate some AI into their courses, but are not sure where to begin.
Who this would be good for?
- Any instructor in any discipline interested in: cultivating AI literacy, or in ways to “teach about” or “teach with” AI. This series is ideal for faculty and instructors who want to incorporate some AI into their courses, but are not sure where to begin.
SESSION 1: “Cultivating AI Literacy” | Weds., April 16th, 1:00PM – 2:30PM
This interactive workshop will explore AI literacy and how you can bring AI-related teaching to your courses in a way that is authentic and relevant for your course and your students. By the end of this session, participants should leave with at least 1 concrete idea for how they can begin incorporating AI into some aspect of their course.
SESSION 2: “Teaching About AI” | Weds., April 30th, 1:00PM – 2:30PM
This hands-on community of practice session will explore ideas for introducing students to AI in a way that is relevant to your course and discipline. By the end of this session, participants will be able to develop an outline or lesson plan for a discussion/lecture about AI in their course.
SESSION 3: “Teaching With AI” | Weds., May 14th, 1:00PM – 2:30PM
This hands-on community of practice session will explore activities and assignments that actively integrates AI into the learning experience. By the end of this session, participants will be able to develop an assignment that includes student interaction with AI, or use AI to test an assignment in order to make it more AI-resistant.
SESSION 4: “SHOWCASE” | Weds., May 28th, 1:00PM – 2:30PM
The final session will allow participants to demonstrate lesson plans and/or assignments that teach about and/or with AI. By the end of this session, participants will be able to receive feedback on their work in progress and also learn how peers across disciplines plan to incorporate AI into their courses.
| Workshop Name | Date & Location |
REGISTER HERE 
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| Teaching About versus Teaching With: Strategies for Cultivating Students’ AI Literacy (and Ours!) |
Session 1: Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 1PM-2:30PM Session 2: Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 1PM-2:30PM Session 3: Wednesday, May 14, 2025, 1PM-2:30PM Session 4: Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 1PM-2:30PM Zoom link sent upon registration |
UCR Registration Form: https://forms.gle/SQciXGYq3Fv5KXnAA
Headshots and Biographies
Erica Bender, Assessment Specialist, UC Davis Center for Educational Effectiveness
Bio: Erica Bender, Ph.D., is an Assessment Specialist in the Center for Educational Effectiveness at UC Davis. Erica helps develop and facilitate programs and resources for effective, equity-minded assessment of student learning. She leads the UC Davis PACE4Equity program, a scaffolded coaching program for faculty-led teams looking to assess programmatic learning outcomes. She also supports the UC Davis teaching community in promoting teaching practices that support AI literacy among students and instructors. Erica holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from UC San Diego.
Mariah Cladis, Learning Innovation Specialist, UC Riverside | XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning
Bio: Mariah Cladis is a Learning Innovation Specialist at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), where she earned her Master's degree in Education and Neuroscience. Mariah has extensive experience across a diverse range of student populations and educational environments, including classroom teaching both in the U.S. and internationally. She is passionate about anything and everything outdoors, and, most importantly, equity and liberation in public education.
Samantha Eastman, Sr. LX Designer, UCR XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning
Bio: Samantha Eastman is a Senior Learning Experience Designer supporting course development and technology integration through UC-Riverside’s XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning. She has a background in various grant-funded, teacher-education initiatives that emphasize technology integration and training, and has supported or coordinated several hybrid and online faculty development programs. Her work was funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the UC Office of the President, and the California Education Learning Lab. Samantha holds an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from the University of South Carolina.
Joseph Sepulveda, Manager, Teaching and Learning Initiatives, UCR XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning
Bio: Joe Sepulveda is an award-winning IT professional with 20 years of experience in academic and corporate technology environments. Currently serving as the Manager for Teaching and Learning Initiatives at UC Riverside’s XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning, he has led campus-wide educational technology implementations, including the transition to Canvas LMS.
Over the course of his career, Joseph’s contributions have earned multiple recognitions for stellar customer service and support. His work in academic technology and faculty support continues to augment and enhance UC Riverside’s digital learning ecosystem, overseeing a diverse portfolio of instructional tools and platforms, including Gradescope, Poll Everywhere, YuJa, and emerging AI-driven learning technologies. Through strategic project management and faculty collaboration, he ensures that UCR’s academic technology landscape remains innovative, scalable, and responsive to the evolving needs of students and educators.