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XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning

AI Teachtalk Series

  • Winter 2025

    Unlocking the Potential of Notebook LM: A UCR Faculty Showcase

    Date: Feb 19 Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm Location: XCITE Commons and Zoom

    Notebook LM is rapidly emerging as a valuable tool in modern teaching. Discover how UCR faculty are using Notebook LM to:

    • Enhance student engagement and critical thinking
    • Personalize learning experiences
    • Streamline administrative tasks

    This presentation will feature three inspiring use cases that demonstrate the transformative power of Notebook LM in higher education

    Who should attend: Faculty Across Disciplines, those needing to analyze text heavy documentation

    Skill Level: Beginner \ Intermediate

     

    Presenters

    Carole Anne Taylor (English)

    Richard Hunt (Univeristy Writing Program)

    Rory Moore (University Writing Program)

     

    Unleashing Notebook LM: AI for Teaching & Research

    Date: Feb 19 Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm Location: XCITE Commons and Zoom

    This workshop will introduce faculty to Notebook LM, an AI-powered assistant for Google Notebooks. Learn how to:

    • Boost productivity: Generate code, analyze data, and write research papers faster
    • Enhance teaching: Create interactive lessons, provide personalized feedback, and automate tasks
    • Explore advanced applications: Develop custom tools, streamline workflows, and stay at the forefront of AI in academia.

    Who should attend: Faculty interested in exploring the power of AI for their teaching and research.
    Benefits: 

    • Increase efficiency and productivity.
    • Enhance teaching effectiveness.
    • Gain a competitive edge in research
    Presenter

    Joseph Sepulveda (XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning)

     

    Generative AI in Teaching, 2/25 & 3/4

    Join us for this 2-part series to learn about how instructors can use generative AI to support teaching and course development.
    Session 1: "Demonstration and Presentation” | Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, 11AM - 12PM 
    Session 1 will explore how generative AI tools like ChatGPT can enhance teaching and course development. This session will showcase practical applications, including refining course syllabi, creating diverse examples to explain topics, structuring lectures, building Canvas question banks, and drafting inclusive announcements to engage students effectively.

     

    Session 2: "Hands-On Practice” | Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 1PM - 3PM
    Session 2 will build on Session 1 with interactive exercises to integrate AI-driven strategies into your teaching toolkit. Bring your materials, such as syllabi, sample questions, or announcements, to get hands-on experience and personalized guidance.

     

    Location: XCITE Commons and Zoom

    Register Now: https://forms.gle/cV1P6MvbybF2CLfP9 

    Presenter

    Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran

  • Fall 2024

    AI for Faculty Productivity, 10/17

    Presentations on AI tools for faculty productivity can be a valuable resource for educators seeking to streamline their workload and enhance their teaching practices. These presentations often highlight a range of AI-powered tools designed to automate routine tasks, such as grading assignments, generating lesson plans, and providing personalized feedback. By leveraging these tools, faculty members can allocate more time to research, student engagement, and professional development.

    Presenters

    Joshua Hartman, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Chemistry

    Ryan Rusich, Lecturer, Computer Science and Engineering

    Joseph Sepulveda, Manager, Teaching and Learning Initiatives, XCITE Center for Teaching and Learning

     

    Learner-Centered AI: AI Augmenting the Learning Experience, 11/21

    AI is becoming a central part of life and has many advantages in today’s educational environments that can broaden participation and bridge the accessibility gap by, for example, providing 24-hour multilingual support for students—an ability we have witnessed in our classrooms. AI technologies have never been as accessible as they are today. In this talk, I will discuss some of our work and explorations embedding integrated AI systems within educational environments to augment and enhance student and faculty experience and faculty-student connection. I will also discuss some research explorations we have been investigating using AI to push metacognitive and self-regulated learning within the learning environment.

    Presenters

    Magy Seif El-Nasr
    UC Presidential Chair at Santa Cruz
    Professor and Chair, Computational Media, Baskin School of Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz

     

    Curbing AI: A Balanced Approach, 12/4

    Join us for a thought-provoking exploration of artificial intelligence (AI). Our faculty will share insights into a variety of AI applications, from innovative teaching methods to real-world problem-solving. Through engaging discussions and open Q&A sessions, we will:

    • Delve into AI's transformative potential and its impact on various fields.
    • Explore practical strategies for integrating AI into the classroom.
    • Discuss the ethical implications of AI and the importance of responsible use.

    Representatives from the Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Programs office will also be present to provide guidance on academic integrity in the age of AI.

    Presenters

    Elizabeth Berger, Assistant Professor, Anthropology

    Richard Hunt, Lecturer, University Writing Program

    Kyle McStay, Assistant Director, Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Programs

  • Spring 2024

    What is AI, 5/14

    The first session—"What is AI?"—is a comprehensive presentation about what large language models (LLMs) are, how generative AI (GenAI) can be employed, and what tools have been vetted for use by UCR. Presenters will also explore applications of AI in different fields, going in detail about its capabilities and limitations. The live session takes place on May 14th, 2024 from 1:00PM to 2:00PM.


    Presenters and Synopsis

    Mike Kennedy, Deputy CIO, ITS - 04:19
    Mike Kennedy presents an in-depth discussion on generative AI, introducing the topic with an AI primer, and talking about the evolution of AI and related components. He discusses the transformer technology that underpins modern AI models like Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) and the recent surge in computational power driven by Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). These advancements have led to emergent properties in AI, enabling models to develop capabilities beyond their initial training that show unprecedented potential. Mike also discusses practical applications in the form of AI tools available to UCR faculty.

    Carrie Cruce, Teaching Librarian, UCR Library; Katherine Koziar, Data Librarian, UCR Library - 25:05
    UCR Library staff members Carrie Cruce and Katherine Koziar expand on information literacy, the process of locating, evaluating, and using relevant information. To leverage AI effectively, they introduce a framework named CLEAR, which stands for concise, logical, explicit, adaptive, and reflective. The goal of this framework is to precisely engineer your prompts for chatbots to get a cohesive and valid response that answers your question. To finish the presentation, they run through a demo of Google Gemini and NotebookLM to learn more about gothic literature, highlighting the CLEAR principles along the way.

     

    AI Challenges and Opportunities, 5/21

    The second session—"AI Challenges and Opportunities"—discusses methods of incorporating AI while making sure it is used responsibly by all parties. This presentation will explore how to design assignments and assessments that utilize GenAI technology and account for how they might be used. Discussions will emphasize enhancing student engagement and personalized learning. The live session takes place on May 21st, 2024 from 1:00PM to 2:00PM.

    View Presentation

    Presenters and Synopsis

    Anna Mills, English Instructor, College of Marin - 1:40
    Anna Mills, an English instructor at the College of Marin, provides strategies to be used in the classroom that can better acquaint students and teachers with the capabilities of AI and its ethical use. She stresses that AI should be used as a tool to help rather than entirely depend on. This is because AI often gets things wrong, producing mirages of data that don't exist, or containing biases that highlight stereotypes in society. Anna explains that being transparent and practicing accountability helps students build confidence in their own judgment rather than relying on AI. She finishes her speech with a demo of Myessayfeedback.ai which allows students and teachers to leverage AI to provide writing feedback, while ensuring privacy protection and ethical use of AI.

     

    Teaching with AI: A Faculty Panel, 5/28

    The third session—"Teaching with AI: A Faculty Panel"—will feature professors in writing-intensive subjects. The main topic of the session will be how to enhance teaching and learning through creative employment of AI technology. Panelists will share their pedagogical approaches with content-rich material. The live session takes place on May 28th, 2024 from 1:00PM to 2:00PM.

    Presenters and Synopsis

    Jaclyn Vasquez, Lecturer, University Writing Program - 3:05
    Lecturer Jaclyn Vasquez describes her experience with AI in the classroom, specifically on incorporating AI into educational discussions. In an assignment that incorporated ChatGPT to generate readings and responses, she found varying responses from her students. Although some were excited and curious about this new form of critical thinking, others were hesitant because students noticed ChatGPT changed their voices too much in their generated responses. She concludes that using AI succeeded in creating a moment of reflection for her students, but also valuing AI as a generative resource. 

    Shane Shukis, Lecturer, University Writing Program - 14:47
    Lecturer Shane Shukis talks about his struggle to encourage more participation from his students, as anxiety and fear of failure tend to shadow his students’ practice. From Shane’s research, he decided to use AI as an alternative outlet to practice learning outcomes. Overall, students thought this new style of asking AI for help, like identifying any grammatical errors in their writing, was a safe environment to learn. 

    Barry Lam, Professor, Philosophy Department - 21:45
    Professor Barry Lam created an assignment that involved prompting ChatGPT to give questions on the content of a book they were discussing in class. He noticed that some of the questions contained false or misleading claims, to which the students had to identify. This furthermore tests the reliability of ChatGPT, and how such inaccurate information can still benefit student learning.

    Alejandra Dubcovsky, Professor, History Department - 31:45
    When ChatGPT was first announced, Professor Alejandra decided to incorporate this new potential form of learning. Overall, she found that binding historical primary documents with ChatGPT responses were beneficial to critical thinking and understanding arguments of such prompts. 

Teaching & Learning Week 2024 Recordings

Canvas Videos

Engaged Teaching

Healthy Pedagogy Videos

  • Healthy Pedagogy
    "Improving Mental and Physical Student Health in Any Class," Presentation by Joab Corey, 2.8.22
    Video Link
    "Designing for Care: Building Learning Communities Online" by Jesse Stommel, UCR "Disruptive Education Symposium" Keynote Presentation, 5.7.21
    Video Link
    "Universal Design for Learning" with Ann Kwinn
    Video Link
    "Ways Instructors Can Reconnect with Themselves to Build Compassionate Communities," 3.17.22
    Video Link
    "Putting Inclusive Pedagogy into Practice," a public lecture by Angela Jenks, 10.20.20
    Video Link
    "Mindfulness and Class Transformation," UCR "Disruptive Education Symposium" Presentation by Fabiana Bovazzi, 5.7.21
    Video Link
    “Using the Healthy Campus Guide to Integrating Well-Being Concepts into Learning Environments,” from the Healthy Campus Subcommittee on Well-Being in Learning Environments, 9.23.20
    Video Link
    “Weaving Health Into Pedagogy: UCR Faculty Share Their Experiences” Panel Discussion, 4.15.21
    Video Link
  • UCR Healthy Campus Guide to Integrating Well-Being Concepts into Learning Environments
    Strategy 1: Be Mindful about Deadlines and Workload
    Video Link
    Strategy 2: Be Flexible and Offer Options
    Video Link
    Strategy 3: Encourage Breaks, Standing, Stretching, & Reflection
    Video Link
    Strategy 4: Share Resources & Wellness Info with Students
    Video Link
    Strategy 5: Help Students Connect With You
    Video Link
    Strategy 6: Be Welcoming, Enthusiastic, and Caring
    Video Link
    Strategy 7: Help Students Connect with the Community
    Video Link
    Strategy 8: Provide Timely Feedback and Helpful Advice
    Video Link
    Strategy 9: Provide Opportunities that Promote Professional and Personal Skills
    Video Link
    Strategy 10: Help Students Connect with Each Other
    Video Link
  • Weaving Health into Pedagogy
    Strategy 1: Be Mindful about Deadlines and Workload
    Video Link
    Strategy 2: Be Flexible and Offer Options and Strategy 5: Help Students Connect With You
    Video Link
    Strategy 9: Provide Opportunities that Promote Professional and Personal Skills
    Video Link
    Strategy 10: Help Students Connect with Each Other
    Video Link
    Weaving Health Into Pedagogy: UCR Faculty Share Their Experiences - Discussion
    Video Link

Teaching & Learning Week 2023 Recordings

  • Teaching & Learning Week 2023 Recordings

    October 16th, 2023: Enhancing Student Success

    Keynote with Interim Vice Chancellor of DEI Dr. Estela Gavosto
    Academic Data Dashboards with Scott Heil, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Institutional Research

    October 17th, 2023, Expanding Your Backpack

    DEI and Information Literacy with Director of Teaching and Learning Services at Tomas Rivera Library's Britt Foster
    Plenary Session 1: DEI in the Classroom: The Student Perspective

    October 18th, 2023: Integrating Holistic Approaches

    TADP Session, " Building Community in the Classroom: Increasing student engagement and relationship-building" with Dr. Ashley Harlow, TA Development Program Manager
    Health Pedagogy Keynote, "Support Students in Distress" Health, Well-Being and Safety Mental Health Initiatives Team
    Ascent Open House with Samantha Levine from the Association of Public and Lan-grant Universities and the Student Experience Project

    October 19th, 2023: Envisioning New Pathways

    Plenary Session 2: How to be a Change Agent for DEI Practices at UCR with XCITE's Teresa Neal and representatives from the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    AI in the Classroom with Dr. Keith Vance and ITS

    October 20th, 2023: Enriching Inclusive Communities

    Community-Engaged Teaching Panel
    Keynote with David Hardy Jr. Made By Change
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