Explore AI

Generative AI has emerged as both a powerful tutor and a potential cognitive crutch in higher education. This interactive session explores how faculty and instructional designers can integrate AI tools to enhance, rather than erode, student learning. Participants will examine strategies to mitigate “cognitive deskilling” and view live demonstrations of emergent models. The session will also include a comparative overview of leading AI platforms and their ideal use cases. Participants will leave equipped with an understanding of when and how to use generative AI as a teaching and learning partner, and how to design assignments that encourage productive human + AI collaboration rather than passive dependence.

This hands-on session helps UB faculty strengthen course accessibility using generative AI tools and guided decision-making frameworks. Participants will consider a “fix or rebuild” framework for evaluating whether remediation or rebuilding offers the most effective path to accessibility compliance. Faculty will experiment with AI-assisted strategies for identifying accessibility gaps, generating alt text, improving structure, and aligning materials with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to support an inclusive learning environment.

Generative AI is reshaping conversations around academic integrity. This session will cover how detection tools like Turnitin work, how to have productive conversations with students about suspected academic dishonesty, and how faculty can protect their intellectual property from unauthorized AI training. We also cover how to redesign assessments, given GenAI’s ubiquity, and how are students using these tools.

This hands-on session helps UB faculty improve their use of generative AI tools by applying a structured framework known as meta-prompting. Participants will explore a five-step process that enhances clarity, accuracy, and instructional alignment when working with AI. Through guided examples and live practice, faculty will learn to rewrite vague prompts into precise, pedagogically effective instructions. The session helps faculty design prompts that model responsible AI use by encouraging clear sourcing, critical evaluation of AI output, and ethical classroom practices.

This session will cover how AI agents differ from traditional chatbots, like ChatGPT. We will demo how to create a course-specific agent using ChatGPT and other platforms. We will also explore some threats agentic AI poses to university teaching and how students can use agents to shortcut learning.

This session examines why generative AI may produce inaccurate or unclear responses and how these outcomes reflect the interpretation of user prompts. Using authentic faculty use cases, participants learn to diagnose prompting issues, refine instructional language, and direct AI output toward more precise, accessible, and discipline-appropriate results. The session emphasizes human oversight, accessibility-aware prompting, and the responsible use of AI to support teaching quality and rigor. Participants will gain practical strategies for writing clearer prompts and validating AI output.