2025 AI Summit for Smarter Learning offers new perspectives and expanded learning opportunities for faculty and staff
When the 2025 AI Summit for Smarter Learning takes place Wednesday, May 14, at The Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City, faculty and academic staff — for the third consecutive year — will have an opportunity to learn effective ways to apply artificial intelligence concepts and tools to their teaching to enhance student learning.
“The annual AI summit is a fantastic opportunity for learning, with faculty and staff showcasing and discussing innovative and practice-based approaches for AI use related to student learning,“ said Jennifer Troyer, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “It reflects the University’s growing artificial intelligence leadership, not only in teaching and learning but also in terms of research and professional development opportunities.”
Register for the AI Summit for Smarter Learning by Monday, April 7
Sponsored by UNC Charlotte’s Center for Teaching and Learning, this year’s summit focuses on human-AI partnerships for teaching and learning, building on the momentum generated by past summits and ongoing AI learning opportunities for Charlotte faculty and academic staff.
“We have arrived at a point of inflection in generative AI’s role in higher education. Some implications–such as challenges for class assignments and student assessment – are clear. At the same time, the potential to support teaching and research is only beginning to come into focus; we need to prepare ourselves and our students for a world in which it will become a ubiquitous tool.”
– Chris Boyer, dean, College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences
A full day of featured keynote and plenary sessions, lightning talks, panel discussions, workshops, and hands-on labs will encompass AI literacy and competency, disciplinary use cases of AI use in teaching and learning, research, and ethics. A broader focus this year is driving panel conversations from campus leadership, industry experts from Microsoft, Apple, Bank of America, and Lumen Learning, as well as the AI faculty task force and CTL AI Fellows across colleges.
“Today’s students will be expected to have an AI-enabled mindset, where they can leverage different tools to assist them in their work. Charlotte faculty are giving their students the important early foundation they will need later.”
– J.Garvey Pyke, executive director, Center for Teaching and Learning
As greater numbers of Charlotte professors incorporate AI tools into their teaching and classroom strategies, they are eager to share acquired knowledge with their peers. Consequently, faculty responded to the call for proposals for the upcoming AI Summit at twice last year’s rate, prompting a substantial expansion of faculty engagement and learning opportunities. Their enthusiasm parallels Charlotte’s institutional embrace of AI for teaching, research and administrative functions.
“The AI Summit has been a catalyst for developing my pedagogy and expertise around AI; I leave each year better equipped to work with AI ethically and effectively. The summit is the perfect space to develop future-focused, interdisciplinary partnerships as we continue to implement artificial intelligence in education and across society.”
– Jessi Morton, lecturer, Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies, AI Faculty Fellow
For example, over the past year UNC Charlotte has codified its artificial intelligence expertise to demonstrate University wide commitment to the ethical and responsible use of AI to enhance academic, research and administrative endeavors. The AI Research Council evaluates and strengthens the University’s research infrastructure to support the use of artificial intelligence in all forms of research. The Charlotte AI Institute elevates and accelerates UNC Charlotte’s nationally recognized AI research expertise in a variety of fields to positively shape a quickly evolving AI environment. And an AI Steering Committee guides the responsible and ethical use and adoption of AI at the University, makes recommendations and develops best practices.
“Since attending my first AI Summit in the inaugural year, I always look forward to the next one. There is no better way to cap off an academic year than by gathering with AI-engaged individuals from across campus, celebrating the success of previous projects and identifying opportunities for new collaborations.”
– Daniel Maxwell, lecturer, Cato College of Education, AI Faculty Fellow
UNC Charlotte’s Center for Teaching and Learning within the School of Professional Studies offers a broad range of professional development opportunities and enterprise-level instructional technologies for faculty to bring them up to speed technologically and theoretically about AI’s purpose, value and potential.