Free Webinar: When AI Joins the Course Design Team

As campuses become AI literate (but not necessarily fluent), the role of the instructional designer is evolving dramatically. Drawing from real faculty collaborations, this session explores the humorous and insightful experiences of supporting faculty who use AI for online content development—and the difficult conversations needed to maintain quality while leveraging AI’s potential.

Discover two complementary frameworks that transform AI from a shortcut into a strategic partner. The INQUIRY Framework provides structured guidance for students and teachers navigating AI collaboration through seven strategic stages. The Amplification of Critical Thinking Framework addresses a fundamental truth: AI amplifies what you bring to it—clarity or vagueness, critical thinking or shortcuts, excellence or problems. Together, these frameworks tackle four critical challenges: making learner thinking visible, teaching critical AI collaboration, reducing workload spent policing AI, and creating authentic AI-augmented assignments. Participants will reflect upon real-world scenarios, practice proven AI prompting techniques, and draft AI transparency statements tailored to their institutional or organizational needs.

Key Takeaways

• Master the Amplification Principle – Learn why AI amplifies what’s already there: clarity or vagueness, critical thinking or shortcuts, good practices or bad ones. Discover how to amplify excellence instead of problems through intentional framework use.
• Navigate Difficult Conversations About Quality – Gain strategies for addressing “artificial instructors” in online courses while respecting faculty autonomy and maintaining institutional standards. Learn to recognize “red flag” prompts that bypass learning.
• Implement Multi-Level AI Transparency Statements – Draft transparency statements at assignment, course, personal, and departmental levels that build trust and set clear expectations for AI use.
• Take Home Immediately Scalable Tools – Leave with editable prompt templates, framework reference tables, assessment strategies that keep students “in the loop,” and practical approaches you can implement the next day.

Register online with OLC

Please Note: While attending the webinar live is free for OLC members and non-members, on-demand recordings is only available for institutional members. Please use your UMBC.edu email address when registering to access these resources.