AI Initiatives

The DoIT AI site is here to help the community with information on using artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI (GenAI), to support UMBC’s Administrative, Instructional, and Research efforts. This site is designed to support employees looking to advance their use of GenAI. We recommend that our UMBC community start by visiting GenAI Tools, this page will highlight what free resources are available to use and what options exist to safely use GenAI while safeguarding UMBC institutional data.

For staff providing support, we encourage people to look at Administrative AI, as a starting point. Our goal is to save people time and hopefully improve the quality of their work, thus increasing productivity. We highlight some tools that DoIT is providing for support and we are seeking partners to work with DoIT on expanding myUMBC Answers. The real key to your office leveraging myUMBC Answers is to be able to provide validated and accurate content, such as FAQs or a handbook produced annually.

For faculty, we encourage you to also explore instructional AI and research AI. A wonderful resource in the College of Engineering Center for AI.  You can follow news about the UMBC Center for AI on social media through its sites on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, 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

Dec adds unique group due dates, more sort controls in Ultra

Features authentic discussion opportunities using AI tools

As 2023 comes to a close, the December Ultra update brings several features to enhance group functionality and gradebook management. With this update, instructors can assign a unique due date to...

Posted: November 30, 2023, 2:58 PM

Test Drive New Blackboard Faculty AI Course Design Tools

Discover how AI can support your course design process

The U.S. Distance Learning Association (USDLA)'s National Distance Learning Week focuses on how artificial intelligence (AI) impacts education and training.  Instructional Technology invites...

Posted: November 10, 2023, 8:24 AM

AI and Accessible Images for Inclusive Courses

National Distance Learning Week 2023

Providing accessible images is a crucial step to ensure inclusivity and equal access to learning. When images are properly described, students using screen readers are able to access an equitable...

Posted: November 8, 2023, 6:46 AM

Sorting & submission enhancements for Ultra gradebook in Nov

Search & use stock images in Ultra docs, discussions, etc.

Continued enhancements to the Ultra gradebook provide greater flexibility and usability. In the November update to Ultra courses, additional sorting controls allow instructors to sort grade...

Posted: October 23, 2023, 12:56 PM

DoIT's Tom Penniston Presents Paper at Copenhagen Conference

Sharing UMBC's Story Globally

DoIT's Coordinator of Learning Analytics, Tom Penniston, recently presented his paper (UMBC login req'd), Toward a New Paradigm: Learning Analytics 2.0, at the 25th International Conference on...

Posted: September 15, 2023, 8:27 AM