Artificial Intelligence Lightning Talks

AI Lightning Talks are monthly hour-long events over lunch time that feature a series of short 3-5 minute talks covering topics such as AI Use cases, projects, concepts, or impacts. 

The goals of these events are to:

• Share knowledge and insights about the latest AI trends, tools, best practices, and practical uses of AI.
• Encourage collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas across campus.
• Inspire innovative applications of AI within our IT community and beyond.

These talks are open to all and take place on a monthly basis; they take place online and the next AI Lightning Talk is on Thursday, October 30 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. 

CLAS Faculty and staff regularly participate in these sessions. Here are a few examples of recent presentations shared by CLAS colleagues from the archive of previous presentations: 

1. September 2025: Sasha Khmelnik, Assistant Director, Iowa Writers’ Workshop, on Building HTML interactions and automations
2. February 2025: Stephen Cummings, Social Work Program Director & Clinical Associate Professor, on AI in classroom assignments
3. October 2024: Kristine Munoz, Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and Director of Global Health Studies Program, using AI to help students read scientific papers; using AI to prepare for classes (worksheets, etc.)
4. September 2024: Erin Talbert, Assistant Professor, Health and Human Physiology, on using AI to create distractors for quiz questions
5. August 2024: Carmen Langel, Director, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Grant Support Office, on grant-related prompts. 

Writing Assignments in the age of AI (November 2025)

In the age of AI, many instructors are creating writing assignments that lean into learning and away from polished product. This interactive session led by the Center for Teaching staff will dig deeper into what it means to have a process orientation and discuss feedback and revision as essential elements for building learning into writing assignments. 

Event details:
Title: Prioritizing Process in “Writing to Learn” Assignment Design
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 12
Time: 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: 2070E University Capitol Centre (UCC)

Join this event by registering at: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9T9Y3WhsWCDQ5Rc

Students & GenAI Research Event (October 2025)

Curious about how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is shaping student learning? 

The Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology (OTLT) has partnered with a cohort of University of Iowa faculty members to research how students are using AI tools and their impact on learning.

Event details:
Date: Friday, Oct. 17
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Location: 106 Gilmore Hall (GILH)

Join this event by registering at https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0vSRDxYG5724OKW:

• Learn key findings from the research, including students' experiences with AI tools integrated into their course materials, their perceptions of their impact on learning, and preferences for course guidance and policies.
• Take away practical strategies for leveraging AI tools to enhance teaching and learning.

The Department of Chemistry faculty and OTLT Research and Analytics jointly coded conversations between students and an AI homework chatbot to uncover how learners engage with AI tutors—and whether those interactions support or hinder learning. In this session, we will explore the types of questions students ask AI tutors, how they navigate AI interactions, and how certain engagement patterns are associated with stronger learning outcomes.

Beyond conversation data, the team also gathered input from thousands of students on AI’s role in their learning. This presentation will highlight students’ expectations, concerns, and ideas for how AI could be integrated into the classroom.

Note: this memo was also published on Oct. 8, 2025.