AI Initiatives

The Division of Information Technology’s AI site will help the UMBC community with information on using artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI (GenAI), to support UMBC’s Administrative, Instructional, and Research efforts. This site has been created to help employees advance their use of GenAI.

We recommend that our UMBC community begin by visiting GenAI Tools, a page that highlights free resources and provides guidance on using GenAI while safeguarding UMBC institutional data safely.

For staff seeking support, we encourage people to look at Administrative AI, as a starting point. Our goal is to save folks time, improve the quality of their work, and increase productivity. We showcase tools that DoIT provides to support these objectives.

We have launched myUMBC Answers, an AI-supported search bar. We are seeking partners to expand this tool. The key to leveraging myUMBC Answers is providing validated and accurate content, such as annual FAQs or handbooks.

Faculty, are encouraged to explore Instructional AI and Research AI. The UMBC Center for AI in the College of Engineering is an excellent resource for AI-related research and innovation.  Stay informed by following the center’s social media chnnels on LinkedIn, BlueskyX, and Facebook.

Members of the UMBC community can subscribe to the UMBC AI Group to receive email about AI-related news and events. If you have news to share with the UMBC AI community or suggestions or comments on the site, please send them to umbc-ai@cs.umbc.edu.

 

AI News

Showing items tagged ally. Show All

Ally’s New PDF “Quick Fixes” Empower Faculty in Minutes

Fix titles, language, OCR issues, right inside Blackboard

Imagine encountering a PDF flagged in Ally for having no embedded title, missing language metadata, or being a scanned-only image. Ally’s latest update brings a trio of PDF "quick fixes" that turn...

Posted: September 9, 2025, 3:28 PM

A human figure with outstretched arms inside a circle of two curved arrows, suggesting movement. Below the figure are two words: digital accessibility.

Fix This Fast! How to Use Ally to Instantly Improve Your Course

Use Ally to find and fix course issues in minutes

Need to boost your course accessibility but short on time? Blackboard’s Ally tool is built right into your course and gives you instant feedback on how to improve content for all students —...

Posted: September 4, 2025, 8:05 AM

A human figure with outstretched arms inside a circle of two curved arrows, suggesting movement. Below the figure are two words: digital accessibility.

Ally Now Supports AI-Generated Descriptions for Images

Leverage AI to provide inclusive resources for students

Recent updates to federal guidelines for digital accessibility underscore the critical need for educators to ensure that all course materials are accessible to every student. One of the most...

Posted: August 13, 2024, 9:26 AM

Accessible Course Design Supports Diverse Learning Styles

Save the dates! Accessibility Workshop and Bb Ally Webinar

Creating accessible courses requires thoughtful consideration of diverse learning styles and strategies that result in fostering engaging learning experiences for all students. These strategies...

Posted: December 12, 2023, 10:04 AM