Welcome back to the spring 2026 semester! We hope you had a restful break, and we look forward to another semester collaborating with you to support student learning. Read on for:
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- Spring 2026 workshops
- Application for a stipend to transform your course for the age of AI
- Tips from students for a great first day of class
- Blackboard Corner: Guides for the start of the semester
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Below are January’s workshops from our spring 2026 calendar. Register on our form, and you will receive a calendar invitation with the Zoom link.
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Integrating Bite-Size AI Literacy into Your Course
Wednesday, January 28, 12:00 noon–1:00 p.m.
Learn more about the Educause AI Literacy Framework and identify easy-to-implement activities to engage critically with generative AI tools in the classroom.
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Scaffolding Learning: A Brief Introduction
Friday, January 30, 12:00 noon–12:30 p.m.
This brief workshop explores how to break down any type of assignment into more manageable pieces by identifying its component skills and determining how to help students practice those skills.
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| Transform your Course for the Age of AI: Join the Community of Practice |
Want to adapt your course activities and assignments to emerging AI technologies alongside supportive colleagues? Join the Spring 2026 Community of Practice to share best practices, modify assignments, and create example resources for the wider GW community.
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- $250 stipends are available for faculty who participate in at least three meetings, create a sample activity/assignment, and attend the culminating event.
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Benefits: Identify new pedagogical approaches, implement concrete course changes, and articulate effective ways to discuss AI with your students.
- All faculty are welcome. You are not expected to be an expert in the use of GenAI or even to incorporate AI use in what you design. Our goal is to consider how the availability of AI tools shapes our approach to students' learning.
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Student perspective: Have a great first day of class! |
CTE partnered with Academic Commons to ask undergraduate student employees what advice they have for instructors at GW about the first day of class. Here’s what they had to say:
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What actions have instructors taken to help set you up for success? |
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“Open up Blackboard more than 24–48 hours before the first day of class! Lots of students like to start their semester super organized and on top of things and that is much easier if they have access to syllabi and course schedules early.”
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“I don’t think an entire class needs to be devoted to the syllabus. Half of the first class could be on the syllabus, and then the professor should jump into the actual content of the course. It gets people excited for what’s to come during the semester right away.”
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“Some of my professors will have us submit an anonymous survey during the first week where we can tell them things like what we hope to get out of the course, why we’re taking it, and any special requests we may have. Then, when professors do their best to implement those things, the course is always better.”
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What are some ways instructors can build community on the first day or week of the semester? |
- “Give group work and questions that require some discussion and give more time than is actually needed to complete the assignment. Students who are working together can then choose to continue to talk and will often feel more comfortable working together in the future.”
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“Hearing professors share their previous failures, advice on perseverance, and being more personable makes students feel more comfortable and humanizes the professor to build a positive classroom community.”
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“In a small history class I took last year, we all went around on the first day explaining why we chose to take the class and what specific things we were excited to learn about, and the professor let discussions sprout from that naturally which led to friendships immediately!”
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Try a new look for 2026: Blackboard Ultra |
Featuring a clean, modern design, fewer clicks, enhanced workflows, and new features, Blackboard Ultra simplifies course management.
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The Instructional Technology Lab (ITL) can assist you in a one-on-one consultation. Visit them on the lower level of Gelman Library, call 202-994-0485, or email itl@gwu.edu.
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