Interested in learning more about AI and Generative AI? Check out the Digital Gardener AI/Gen AI webinar and workshop series, where participants can choose among a range of professional development events. Each webinar and workshop is designed to help further your AI journey. Sign up today!
This program features a set of webinars and online workshops designed to improve AI and Generative AI literacies across Indiana University. It is a virtual, professional development series consisting of online engagements intended to
familiarize participants with basic practices and considerations of Ai/Gen Ai,
develop creative confidence using various Ai/Gen Ai for personal, professional, and pedagogical purposes, and
explore critical issues through conversations with colleagues / collaborators.
The webinars will be open to the public, while workshops will be restricted to the IU community: i.e., faculty, students, andstaff from any IU campus, school, or regional center.
Each session is an hour long and will occur at 12:30pm ET on designated Mondays this semester. Programming this semester will feature 4 webinars and 2 workshops.
Sign up Below! Participants must register for each session individually: select a session and in the drop down content click the Registration button.
For content from last academic year, go to the DGI archive.
What's New at IU with GenAI?
This webinar will provide an overview of the latest initiatives, resources, and opportunities surrounding Generative AI at Indiana University. Attendees will gain exposure to new and existing GenAI platforms, ongoing projects and programs--including the new GenAI 101 course--as well as new directions for integrating GenAI across academic and professional contexts.
What to Expect This session will highlight IU’s evolving work with AI/GenAI, including teaching and learning applications, research collaborations, and institutional support for faculty and students. Participants will leave with a clearer picture of how IU is shaping and responding to the GenAI landscape.
Anne Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Ph.D., is the Barbara B. Jacobs Chair in Education and Technology. She is a professor of Instructional Systems Technology within the School of Education and an adjunct professor of Computer Science at Indiana University Bloomington. Dr. Leftwich’s expertise lies in the areas of the design of technology/computer science K-12 curriculum resources, and development/implementation of professional development for teachers and teacher educators. Dr. Leftwich investigates ways to teach computer science and ways to prepare preservice and inservice teachers to teach CS. She is a co-PI for the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance, which seeks to broaden participation in computing at the K-16 levels. Her research focuses on the adoption and implementation of technology and computer science at the K-12 levels.
Brian Williams, Ph.D., is Professor and Inaugural Chairperson of the Virtual Advanced Business Technologies Department in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington. In addition to being an award winning educator, Dr. Williams is a leading scholar in areas of accouning, advanced business technologies, capital markets, and machine learning. Most recently, Dr. Williams was tapped to lead the creation of the new IU GenAI 101 course--which has been widely successful in its early deployment.
How do I GenAI? A Workshop for Beginners
This workshop is designed for novices and early stage users: i.e., anyone relatively new to Generative AI tools and platforms. Participants will learn foundational skills and practical steps for using GenAI effectively and responsibly.
What to Expect Attendees will explore introductory use cases for GenAI, from drafting and brainstorming to basic content generation. The session will emphasize critical awareness, ethical considerations, and practical strategies for integrating GenAI into everyday academic or professional tasks.
Maggie Gilchrist is an Instructional Consultant - Distance Learning Specialist at the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at Indiana University, Bloomington. She loves consulting with instructors and facilitating workshops that help faculty and graduate students navigate teaching online. Her work focuses on GenAI policies and best practices, collaborative learning tools, building inclusive learning environments, and developing teaching practices that help engage as many students as possible. Online courses can feel exceptionally isolating for students and instructors alike, and Maggie loves helping faculty find ways to connect with students, even from a distance. Maggie is also a PhD Candidate in the English Department at IUB. Her research focuses on who is perceived as worthy of mourning in Middle English romance, so she is always thinking about inclusivity by questioning who we include, exclude, and disregard.
GenAI & Research: Higher Ed and Industry Collaborations
This webinar will feature a panel discussion on the growing role of Generative AI in research, with a specific focus on research collaborations between higher education and industry. Experts will address both opportunities and challenges in these evolving partnerships.
What to Expect The conversation will highlight how GenAI is influencing research practices, from innovation and funding models to data sharing and publication standards. Panelists will share perspectives on the future of academic-industry collaboration in a GenAI-driven world.
Aaron Neal is Deputy Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice President for Networks and Security at Indiana University. He provides executive oversight for key operational and national initiatives within the Office of the Vice President for IT, including communications, cybersecurity, privacy, and finance, as well as partnerships with REN-ISAC, OmniSOC, and the Pervasive Technology Institute. Previously, Neal served as IU’s Associate Vice President for Enterprise Systems and as CEO of the Unizin Consortium, leading efforts to advance digital learning and enterprise technology across higher education. An IU Kelley School of Business graduate, he began his IU career in 2001 after 15 years in private-sector system development.
Matthew Link is Associate Vice President for UITS Research Technologies and a center director for the Pervasive Technology Institute at Indiana University. With over 20 years at IU, he has extensive experience in research computing, data storage, visualization, and cyberinfrastructure. As principal investigator and collaborator on numerous grants, Link partners with IU researchers to advance discovery and innovation. He also serves on the executive and steering committees for the IEEE/ACM Supercomputing Conference and contributes to IU’s Emergency Management team, drawing on his background as a retired volunteer firefighter.
Scott J. Shackelford is Associate Vice President and Vice Chancellor for Research at Indiana University Bloomington, as well as a Professor of Business Law and Ethics at the Kelley School of Business. He serves as Executive Director of the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research and the Ostrom Workshop, and is an Affiliated Scholar at Harvard’s Belfer Center and Stanford’s Center for Internet and Society. An award-winning scholar and author, Shackelford has published extensively on cybersecurity, internet governance, and international law, with his work featured in leading outlets and media worldwide. He is the author and editor of several books on cyber peace and emerging technologies, including The Internet of Things: What Everyone Needs to Know and Governing New Frontiers in the Information Age.
Rachel Brown is an economic strategist on the Economic Research team at OpenAI where she covers partnerships with educational institutions, non-profits, and countries. She previously served as an economic policy manager on the Harris-Walz presidential campaign and worked in the White House as a Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy where she worked on a range of topics including competition and antitrust policy and implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act. She also clerked for the Hon. James Boasberg on the District Court of the District of Columbia Circuit and the Hon. Merrick Garland on the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in Ethics, Politics, and Economics from Yale University.
Hemanth Asirvatham is a researcher at OpenAI, studying the economic impacts of AI and the future of work. His current focus is developing GPT-based tools to analyze qualitative data and accelerate work in the social sciences. He graduated with highest honors from Harvard University.
Everyday GenAI: From Personal to Professional Possibilities This webinar will explore the wide-ranging ways Generative AI can be used in daily life. From personal productivity to workplace applications, participants will discover practical, accessible uses of GenAI tools.
What to Expect Speakers will share examples of how GenAI platforms can support creative projects, communication, organization, and professional development--and highlight how personal use can lead to increased ability with these tools for professional impact. The session will offer both inspiration and practical tips for integrating AI into personal and professional routines.
Mary Bourke, Ph.D. is Professor of Nursing at IU Kokomo. An experienced educator, Dr. Bourke works closely with administrators and faculty members to ensure high-quality and innovative instruction is available to all students regardless of background or ability levels. Her current focus is on developing instruction using technology to measure the the six stages of the clinical judgement model mapped to the new AACN Essentials.
Theresa Ochoa, Ph.D. is Professor of Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Education at IU Bloomington. Her work specializes in emotional and behavior disorders, with her current research includes a focus on the transition to and from correctional confinement. She emphasizes positive behavioral interventions and supports in her teacher preparation courses. Dr. Ochoa is also the executive director of HOPE, a mentoring program for incarcerated youth, and she works closely with colleagues in different academic disciplines and countries to study the school to prison pipeline.
Charles Sutton, Ed.D. is an Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at IU Indianapolis. Dr. Sutton has over fifteen years of experience in public libraries and brings a community-centered approach to teaching and research. His work focuses on the social and material circulation of knowledge, emphasizing collaborative, community-based initiatives that address complex local and global challenges.
Chris Cook, M.B.A. is Teaching Professor of Accounting at the IU Bloomington Kelley School of Business. As a professional, he has over twenty years of consulting experience specializing in financial and operational process redesign; product and customer profitability analysis; planning, budgeting and forecasting; financial and operational due diligence; transaction support; and mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. He has served clients across the globe and in a variety of industries including automotive, consumer and industrial products, energy, financial services, high tech, retail and telecommunications.
Building the Future: Agents, Gems, and CustomGPTs
This workshop will introduce participants to emerging forms of AI customization, including autonomous agents, AI “gems,” and custom GPTs. The focus will be on building tailored AI tools for teaching, learning, and professional context
What to Expect Through demonstrations and guided activities, attendees will learn how to create and experiment with customizable AI tools. The workshop will explore potential applications, ethical considerations, and strategies for future-proofing skills as AI technologies continue to evolve.
The Students’ Perspective: Student Views and Voices on GenAI This webinar will spotlight student voices on how Generative AI is shaping their educational, personal, and professional experiences. A panel of students will share candid insights into both the benefits and challenges of engaging with AI.
What to Expect Participants will hear directly from students about their expectations, concerns, and aspirations regarding GenAI in higher education. The session will provide faculty, staff, and community partners with a deeper understanding of student perspectives as they prepare for a GenAI-enabled future.
