Newsletter October 23, 2025
cte.utah.edu

By now, the U’s work on Responsible AI (RAI)  should be at least familiar to you all. While the focus of RAI tends to be on faculty research and related projects, the role of AI in student work is just as critical. Using AI responsibly is a critical skill that graduates need to be ready for the workforce and to be at the cutting edge of their disciplines. We encourage all faculty to be transparent with students about their own AI usage, and to make sure that they are not over reliant on AI in their teaching responsibilities (course development, feedback, grading, etc.). Faculty should also consider helping students develop responsible AI skills by integrating AI usage into class activities and assignments in meaningful ways, with purposeful discussions about AI advantages and pitfalls. For example, how can you foster students’ critical thinking about disciplinary content using AI, or how can you teach students to use AI to brainstorm ideas or plan out writing projects? Faculty can always visit our Teaching with AI page for resources and ideas or schedule a consultation with one of CTE’s staff members. Our Teaching with AI  page also includes a link to the Student Guide to Generative Tools, as well as to the updated list of AI tools available through UIT. 

Want to learn more about how to teach your students to use AI? Attend CTE’s workshop on Teaching Students to Use AI Responsibly on Nov. 3 at 11am via Zoom. Please register in advance. 

CTE workshops are open to all instructors, postdocs and grad students on campus. Please register with unid@utah.edu  

COMMUNICATION SKILLS: CLASSROOM CONSIDERATIONS
FOR INTERNATIONAL INSTRUCTORS

In this workshop, international instructors will explore key communication skills to help navigate American cultural norms.
Topics will include levels of discourse formality, cultural references, personal space, and other relevant issues.

Workshop
1 PM – 1:45 PM
Wed, Nov. 5, 2025
Zoom
Click here to register.

SUPPORTING YOUR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM

Discover practical strategies to connect with your international students and help them thrive in your course. Gain simple, effective techniques that not only boost your students’ success, but also strengthen your own confidence as an instructor in a diverse classroom.

WEDNESDAY
19th November 2025

WHERE
GC 3105 Conference Room

TIME
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Appointment to the prestigious rank of University Professor recognizes extraordinary skill in or commitment to undergraduate teaching with an emphasis on crossing conventional boundaries, interdisciplinary relationships, and a strong commitment to liberal education. Individuals considered for the University Professorship will have demonstrated exceptional ability in challenging and stimulating the intellectual curiosity of undergraduate students. The University Professorship offers faculty the opportunity to launch a project that has the potential to improve and enhance the University's undergraduate curriculum within the changing landscape of higher education.

University Professors hold this special rank for two years. The funding associated with this award supports:

Open to tenured or tenure-line faculty. More information can be found on the University Professorship page. Deadline to submit applications is December 1, 2025. 

One-U Responsible AI Initiative Seed Grant Town Hall

Wednesday, November 5, 10 – 11 am

WEB 3780 and Zoom

Join us for a hybrid town hall at 10 am on Wednesday, November 5, to learn about the One-U Responsible AI Initiative Seed Grant Program. These grants are designed to spark innovative, interdisciplinary research that advances responsible AI across our thematic areas: environment, health care and wellness, and teaching and learning. The town hall will cover the basics of the program including eligibility, proposal requirements, and review criteria, and will feature a live Q&A session. University faculty and staff interested in launching new collaborations, securing future extramural funding, or contributing to mission-driven AI research are encouraged to attend. Following the town hall, join us for a social hour in-person to pitch ideas and look for a team. Light refreshments will be provided.

AI at the U Forum

Wednesday, December 10, 12 – 1pm

Zoom

The University of Utah community is invited to attend a virtual AI Forum at noon on Wednesday, December 10, to hear updates from the AI Office and ask questions about AI use at the U.

Registration is required—RSVP for the Zoom webinar. 

Forums typically follow this format: 

Policy 6-100: Instruction and Evaluation is one of the most fundamental university regulations because it establishes requirements for instruction such as grading, course numbers, adding and dropping

courses, and academic standards. While certain sections of this policy have been revised over the years, it has not undergone comprehensive review for quite some time. At the direction of T. Chase Hagood, Vice Provost for Student Success, a working group of faculty, administrators, and students reviewed the policy section by section and is proposing revisions to ensure the policy clearly communicates requirements, aligns with university practices, and promotes student success. The working group proposed changes for several reasons, such as to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, to improve safety for the university community, to ensure consistent and equitable processes across the university, to increase transparency for students, and to clarify the language. Changes are not intended to impact academic freedom or faculty rights related to teaching or primary responsibility related to course content. A summary of the proposed changes has been provided by the Writing Group. 

The PPM 6-100 Writing Group will host 3 town halls to get feedback on proposed revisions before the final draft goes to the Academic Senate:

Wednesday, October 29 from 3-4pm in person in Sill Center Conference Room

Tuesday, November 11 from 11am-12pm in person in Alumni Hall, EHSEB

Monday, January12 from 2-3pm virtual via Zoom. Click here to register.

The Learning Spaces-Student Computing Fees funding request and allocation process for fiscal year 2027 began on Oct. 15, 2025, with proposals due by Jan. 23, 2026.

For details, please access the Learning Spaces webpage and proposal submission guide.

In February 2026, a task force of campus IT staff will review and recommend proposals for funding. After evaluating the recommendations, the Teaching and Learning Portfolio (TLP) governance committee will forward its selections to the Campus Budget Advisory Committee for final review and approval.

Key dates:

· October 15, 2025: Call for Learning Spaces funding proposals

· November 26, 2025: Deadline to request AV estimates

· January 23, 2026: Deadline for proposal submissions

· February 2-5, 2026: Virtual meetings between applicants and task force

· February 6-13, 2026: Preparation for final deliberations

· February 25-27, 2026: TLP deliberations

· March 11, 2026: Finalizations and notifications of awards

· July 2026: FY27 award transfer to applicants If you have any questions, please email classhelp@utah.edu.

Applications are now open for the NAIRR AI Education Fellowship at CRA, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

This one-year fellowship will bring together a national cohort of 10 faculty champions to advance undergraduate and master’s AI education. Fellows will:

Receive a $5,000 stipend plus travel support for NAIRR workshops and conferences.

Serve as a champion at their institution for AI education and as a resource for other faculty seeking to teach AI courses utilizing NAIRR Pilot resources.

Lead conversations on AI education through seminars and community-building.

Contribute to shaping a sustainable community of practice around AI education.

The NAIRR Pilot Classroom Expansion AI EDU RCN is a national initiative that connects faculty across a wide range of higher education institutions — including research-emerging universities, four-year colleges, MSIs, HBCUs, and community colleges — to collaborate, share resources, and develop best practices for making AI education available for all.

📅 Applications are open now through November 1, 2025 (12 midnight ET).
🗓 Fellowship term: December 1, 2025 – December 1, 2026

Faculty and researchers with experience in AI education are encouraged to apply. Community members are also asked to share this announcement with colleagues who may be a strong fit for the fellowship.

Thank you for helping advance the future of AI education.

CTE is proud to offer a 15-credit graduate certificate in Teaching in Higher Education. The certificate consists of 4 online semester-based courses taught through CTE, as well as one elective.

Interested in learning more? Check out the certificate page.

This year, we will be offering two elective courses:

This year’s Center For Science and Mathematics Education Exchange series will explore the evolving role of AI in education. Each session will be held from 12:00–1:00 PM in CSC 206. 

The exchange series is an opportunity for colleagues in the College of Science and the College of Education to talk about ongoing issues of teaching and learning. The series is not limited to STEM scholars - everyone is welcome!

Please mark your calendars for the following dates:

In the last couple of newsletters, we discussed the April 2026 deadline for state and federal government agencies to ensure their web content (including courses) meet  Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). CTE staff put together a workshop on what you need to do as an instructor to ensure that your course meets those guidelines. As indicated in the screenshot from the workshop below, your course WCAG checklist includes: 

All images, graphics and figures have alternative text available

Official textbooks, high quality PDFs (e.g., text is selectable), or text-only documents are used in your course

All colorful content is high contrast, and you don’t use color alone to emphasize information

Modules, files, and links in the course have descriptive names  

We also encourage you to register for and attend the workshop hosted by Digital Learning Technologies on Canvas and PDF Accessibility on October 28 from 12-1 via Zoom. 

1 hour Trainings are divided by 30 minutes for a Canvas related tool, followed by 30 minutes for an Adobe related tool.

28-Oct Canvas Accessibility/PDF Accessibility

4-Nov AI: Google Gemini/Student Adobe Portfolios

11-Nov Zoom Recording & Breakouts/Express Collab.

18-Nov Lucid Chart-Mind Mapping/Express D

2-Dec Import for Spring Semester/Adobe Assnmt

9-Dec Feedback Fruits/Adobe Express Holiday Fun

Free, but registration is required using this link: https://utah.zoom.us/meeting/register/-tmCu_trSIWNmffmJI8Eqw#/registration

John R Park Teaching Fellowship

November 10

Community Engaged Teaching and Scholarship Award

November 10

University Professorship

December 1

Early Career Teaching Award

December 5

University  Teaching Grants

January 26, and March 6