Over the past academic year, the Teaching in the Age of AI faculty learning community (FLC), led by Jennifer Ahern-Dodson, brought together faculty from across Duke to examine how generative AI is reshaping teaching, learning, and assessment. The cohort met regularly to share experiences, test new approaches in their classrooms, engage with emerging conversations in their fields about generative AI’s impact on learning, and think collectively about what meaningful learning should look like in an AI-driven landscape.
“What this space allowed for was for faculty to really think, with both curiosity and caution, about the implications of generative AI for their teaching,” Ahern-Dodson said. “Faculty are learners too, and they need an opportunity to think about what difference it makes for them and for their teaching.”
Unlike a one-time workshop or training session, the FLC emphasized sustained engagement and trust-building among participants. Faculty from the humanities, professional schools, and sciences brought different disciplinary perspectives to the table, helping one another navigate rapidly evolving questions around AI use, student learning, and course design.
“Conversations about AI with colleagues from different academic units broadened my perspective on the many dimensions of its use,” said Andrea Larson, instructor in the Department of German Studies. “The small and informal setting of the FLC created space for open, nonjudgmental dialogue that helped us better understand how AI is affecting disciplines beyond our own in both positive and negative ways.”
“My perspective on AI in teaching has changed to a more proactive versus reactive approach, to learning about the pros and cons of using AI, and ensuring that I am explicit about practical ways AI can be used in the classroom and in clinical practice.” said Tomeico Faison, Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of Innovation in Professional Pathways.
The FLC was both a sense-making space and a practical laboratory for teaching innovation. Participants were encouraged not only to experiment in their own classrooms, but also to carry those conversations back to their departments and broader campus communities. That broader engagement was especially visible this spring when Duke hosted the AI in Education at Duke Summit, where several FLC members contributed as planners, presenters, speakers, and workshop leaders. Their involvement reflects one of the FLC’s central goals: building a network of faculty leaders who can help guide Duke’s evolving conversations about AI and teaching.
Top: At the AI in Education at Duke Summit, Caitlin Donovan (far left) moderates a panel discussion on “Critical Cases in AI and Education” that includes Ahern-Dodson as a panelist. Middle row (left to right): Siobhan Oca presents about “New Fundamentals in Teaching;” Tomeico Faison and Kerry Ossi-Lupo present during the “AI Across the Disciplines: Lightning Talks.” Bottom: The lightning talks presenters, including Andrea Larson (second from left). Photos by Blythe Tyrone.
“The Summit showcased the power of sustained faculty engagement around AI,” said Aria Chernik, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Innovation at the Duke Center for Teaching and Learning. Chernik served on the program and planning committees for the AI in Education at Duke Summit. “The FLC participants didn’t just reflect on how AI is changing teaching and learning; they helped lead campus-wide conversations about what thoughtful, nuanced, and human-centered education can look like in this moment of rapid technological change.”
The FLC also benefited from contributions and support from CTL staff, including Chernik and Remi Kalir, who joined early meetings to share what they were hearing from both students and faculty about generative AI. Their insights helped frame the role teaching centers can play in supporting faculty as they navigate complex pedagogical questions around AI.
For Ahern-Dodson, one of the most important outcomes of the FLC has been the opportunity for faculty to learn alongside one another in a rapidly changing environment.
“If you’re going into [an FLC], it’s not a dissemination model,” she said. “Instead, it’s focused on idea exchange — reciprocity — learning from each other and with each other. This is uncertain ground for all of us. Our work together this year offers a model for faculty support that prioritizes thoughtful deliberation, collaboration with and connection to faculty across disciplinary contexts, and values-driven practical experimentation. These FLC priorities stand in intentional contrast to an AI-driven culture that prizes speed and productivity.”
As AI tools and practices continue to evolve, participants said communities like the FLC offer something increasingly valuable in higher education: time and space for thoughtful, human-centered conversations about teaching.
“Universities will distinguish themselves through their commitment to human-centered education, critical thinking, discussion-based learning, and meaningful faculty-student engagement,” Larson said. “To do this well, institutions must equip faculty with the pedagogical training, resources, and support necessary to adapt their teaching effectively in an AI-driven landscape.”
The FLC would like to express gratitude to the following guests who shared their expertise and experiences with them throughout the year:
- Aria Chernik, Center for Teaching and Learning
- Eileen Chow, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
- Alec Gallimore, Provost
- Jennifer Hill, Office of Assessment
- Remi Kalir, Center for Teaching and Learning
- Hannah Rozear, Duke Libraries
- Elizabeth Romage, Public Policy ‘26
- Kristin Stephens-Martinez, Computer Science
- Vic Szabo, Art, Art History, Visual Studies and the AI at Duke Steering Committee
- Hannah Taylor, Thompson Writing Program
- Aarthi Vadde, English and the Duke Initiative for Science and Society
