AI for Teaching & Learning Institute

The AI4TL Institute is a national professional learning community that helps colleges and universities develop thoughtful, coordinated approaches to AI in teaching and learning. Through coaching, peer collaboration, and project-based work, participating campus teams build practical strategies, policies, and resources that support student success and responsible AI adoption.

AI100 focuses on helping individual faculty redesign courses and assessments for an AI-enabled world. The AI4TL Institute focuses on institutional change, bringing together cross-functional teams of faculty, staff, and administrators to develop campus-wide strategies, policies, professional development programs, and teaching and learning initiatives related to AI.

The two programs are complementary: AI100 supports course-level innovation, while AI4TL supports coordinated institutional action.

Many institutions are grappling with questions about AI’s role in teaching, learning, assessment, academic integrity, and student support. The AI4TL Institute provides:

• Structured professional development and coaching
• Access to AI experts and peer institutions
• A framework for cross-campus collaboration
• Support for developing institutionally relevant AI strategies
• Opportunities to create and share practical resources that can benefit the broader higher education community

Participants leave with tangible products, stronger institutional alignment, and a clearer roadmap for AI adoption.

Teams should consist of 4 to 6 participants and include:

• At least three teaching faculty members
• Professional staff such as instructional designers, librarians, academic technologists, or teaching and learning center staff
• Academic leaders such as department chairs, deans, or other administrators

The most successful teams bring together individuals who can influence both classroom practice and institutional decision-making.

The Institute runs from January 15 through June 15, 2027.

Participants should expect to engage in:

• A self-paced online AI learning course
• Monthly coaching meetings
• Three virtual plenary sessions
• Affinity-group discussions with peers
• Team-based project development and implementation

Institutions should be prepared to support sustained participation throughout the five-month program.

Participants will build knowledge and skills related to:

• AI literacy and responsible use
• Evidence-based teaching and learning practices
• Equity-centered approaches to AI adoption
• Instructional design in an AI-enabled environment
• Institutional policy development
• Student support and success strategies

The program combines foundational learning with practical application.

Institutions will select one primary project track:

• Updating course design and assessments
• Developing shared AI guidelines and policies
• Designing faculty professional development programs
• Piloting AI-supported learning practices
• Promoting student AI literacy
• Evaluating and selecting AI tools for teaching and learning

Projects should address an institutional need and produce resources that can be adapted or adopted by others.

By the end of the Institute, teams will produce a tangible artifact related to their project, such as:

• Revised syllabi or assessment frameworks
• AI classroom guidelines
• Faculty development programs
• Student AI literacy materials
• Tool evaluation frameworks
• Institutional policies or recommendations

Artifacts will be openly licensed and shared as part of a national public-good repository.

No. The Institute is not centered on promoting a particular platform or vendor.

Instead, participants will explore how AI can support teaching and learning while considering pedagogy, equity, ethics, student success, and institutional goals.

Each institutional team will be paired with an AI4TL Coach who provides:

• Subject matter expertise
• Structured guidance
• Feedback on project development
• Support for navigating implementation challenges

Coaches help institutions move from ideas to actionable outcomes.

Yes. A major benefit of the Institute is the opportunity to learn alongside peers from broad-access institutions across the country.

Participants will engage through:

• Institute plenaries
• Affinity groups
• Shared discussions and resource exchange
• Opportunities to showcase project outcomes

Participating SUNY campuses will receive $10,000 to help offset participation-related expenses.

The Institute includes a research and evaluation component led by the Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group).

Participants will be asked to:

• Complete pre- and post-program surveys
• Provide feedback about their experience
• Contribute information about institutional progress and outcomes

Faculty implementing AI-informed instructional changes will also be asked to distribute a student survey within participating courses.

No.

The goal is thoughtful, evidence-based exploration of AI’s role in teaching and learning. Institutions determine the scope of implementation that aligns with their goals, culture, and readiness.

Strong applicants typically demonstrate:

• Commitment to student success and educational opportunity
• Interest in evidence-based teaching and learning practices
• Institutional readiness to move beyond individual experimentation with AI
• Support for cross-functional collaboration
• Capacity to sustain engagement throughout the five-month program

Institutions will leave with:

• A completed project or implementation plan
• Shared institutional knowledge about AI
• Resources that can support future work
• Connections to a growing network of peer institutions
• Greater capacity to make informed decisions about AI in teaching and learning

The ultimate goal is to help institutions establish sustainable approaches to AI that advance their educational mission and improve outcomes for students.