Fall 2026 - Center for Teaching and Learning

The Center for Teaching and Learning offers a variety of events, programs, and resources to help you with your teaching while keeping generative AI in mind. We’re also availible for one-on-one confidential consultations to help you prepare your fall course.

In addition to the programming listed here that directly engages generative AI, keep an eye on our events page for the full list of all of upcoming faculty programming as it comes out, including the faculty reading community, Teaching Triangles, the Early Career Seminar, Teaching with Joy, and many other non-AI workshops and events. This fall we’re also offering confidential Midterm Instructor Reflection and Review (MIRROR) focus group sessions and teaching observations.

Pre-semester Events

In the days before the Fall 2026 semester begins, the CTL offers events and workshops to help you prepare for the upcoming academic year.

Advance registration required via the links below.

Creating Effective AI Use Policies

Tuesday, August 18th, 10:00am – 10:30am, Zoom
Friday, August 21th, 12:00pm – 12:30pm, Zoom

The more transparently you communicate your AI use expectations upfront, the more likely students are to follow them… and the less you’ll have to navigate ambiguous cases later on! This session will provide practical language and strategies for communicating AI expectations transparently in both syllabi and on individual assignments. Participants will learn about sound pedagogical frameworks to ground their policies and will leave with practical tools to create AI guidelines that are clear, consistent, and tailored to their own course goals.

Getting Started with WashU’s AI Tools for Teaching

Thursday, August 20th, 3:00pm – 4:30pm, In-person (Somers Family, 249)

Wondering what AI tools are available to you as a WashU instructor and how to access them? This beginner-friendly workshop will introduce faculty to WashU’s suite of AI tools including how to log in, write effective prompts, and use these tools securely with course materials. Through live demonstrations, participants will see practical applications for everyday teaching tasks, such as organizing course readings and creating engaging class activities. No prior AI experience is necessary, just bring a laptop to follow along and explore!

Writing Assignments in the AI Era

Thursday, August 13th, 10:00am – 11:30am, In-person (McDonnell Hall 361)

Many faculty wonder about what makes a good writing assignment, especially when students now have ready access to generative AI tools. In this workshop, we’ll examine what we are really asking students to do in our writing assignments. From there, we’ll walk through a practical process for designing (or redesigning) assignments that help target the skills we want our students to develop. We’ll also discuss setting clear, thoughtful expectations around AI usage and consider what makes writing assignments more resistant to shortcuts. You’ll leave with a portable framework for designing effective writing assignments in your courses. If you have a specific writing assignment in mind, bring your assignment prompt if you’d like feedback during the session.

From Vulnerable to Vetted: Redesigning an Assignment for AI

Tuesday, August 18th, 3:00pm – 4:30pm, In-person (January 110)

Not sure if your favorite assignment still holds up in the age of AI? This hands-on workshop will help you take an assignment you suspect may be vulnerable to AI misuse and redesign it to ensure your original learning goals are still met. Our time will be dedicated to hands-on work time and small-group collaboration, so come prepared with an assignment you’d like to revise and you’ll leave with a substantially reworked version (or a strong start on one) that reflects your learning goals in light of possible AI use. Please bring an assignment that you think may be vulnerable to AI misuse and a laptop.

Fall 2026 Events

Take a look at this preview of Fall 2026 AI-related programming. Further details and registration will be added as availible and announced in the CTL’s biweekly newsletter.

The Principles and Practices of AI-aware Teaching: A Faculty Learning Community with Derek Bruff

Derek Bruff, host of the popular Intentional Teaching podcast and co-author of the just published The Norton Guide to AI-Aware Teaching, will facilitate a virtual learning community this fall for WashU faculty. The group, meeting every-other Tuesday during the semester on Zoom, will explore practical strategies for teaching effectively in the age of AI – whether you’re embracing AI, setting firm boundaries, or finding a balance. Registration will be limited to ensure a close cohort and productive learning community. Further details and application information coming soon.

AI Workshop Series

This fall the CTL is offering a series of workshops to help instructors grapple with various issues related to genAI, teaching, and learning. Participants can attend as many or as few as they like; each workshop stands alone. Planned topics include an introduction to AI with frameworks to help think about your teaching, innovating with AI tools to promote teaching and learning, and receiving peer-feedback on new AI aware assignments and activities.

GenAI, Teaching, and Learning: A Faculty Journal Club

Much ink has been spilled about genAI, but the research is still very much in flux. Each month, the journal club on AI in education will discuss 1-2 research articles on genAI as it connects to teaching and learning. (If you’re not familiar with the term, a journal club is a gathering of scholars to discuss recently published academic papers.) You are welcome to join whenever you can – whether once or every month!

+AI Perspectives Week

The CTL will continue to support the next +AI Perspectives Week, which begins September 17, by offering a Build-a-Bot workshop followed later in the week by a Test-Your-Bot workshop. This week of events and conversations is co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Digital Intelligence & Innovation (DI2) Accelerator, and the Center for Teaching and Learning.