2026-2027 Call for Applications
The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost and the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) invite applications for the Faculty AI Guides program. This program is designed to advance the understanding of generative AI (GenAI) across Grounds and to empower faculty across Grounds to make informed and intentional decisions about the role of GenAI in their teaching.
For the 2026-27 academic year, Faculty AI Guides will explore the theme Advancing Student Learning in the Age of AI. Together, they will contribute to the University’s understanding of and response to GenAI in relation to four key questions:
- How should academic programs respond to AI not just at the course level, but also at the curricular level?
- What challenges and opportunities do frontier AI models and tools offer to teaching in higher education?
- When and how should instructors engage students in analog, low-tech, or AI-free learning experiences?
- How might instructors design AI-aware assignments and activities to minimize cognitive offloading and maximize learning?
We anticipate a cohort composed of both new and experienced Guides from a range of disciplines and with diverse perspectives on GenAI in teaching and learning–including faculty who are engaging with AI to support student learning and those who are resisting AI’s negative impacts on student learning. Importantly, Guides should be eager to work with other faculty in their spheres of influence to help them think more critically about teaching choices in the age of AI.
Detailed Responsibilities
Faculty AI Guides will:
- Participate in the August AI Institute: In mid-August, Guides will attend the one-day August AI Institute for Guides.
- Engage in Peer Learning: Biweekly during the academic year, Guides will engage in a small-group learning community with fellow Guides, collaboratively exploring the guiding questions above and developing strategies to share this learning with colleagues across the University.
- Lead Instructor-Facing Learning Opportunities: Guides will offer at least three opportunities spaced across the academic year for their colleagues to learn about GenAI and its impact on teaching and learning. These may take many forms, such as lunch-and-learns, presentations, and/or workshops.
- Offer Consultations and Support: Throughout the academic year, Guides will serve as an ongoing resource for fellow instructors, being available for consultations and referring colleagues to University or school resources as appropriate.
- Contribute AI-Related Resources: Guides will contribute syllabi, assignment descriptions, or other teaching materials of their choice that reflect thoughtful responses to AI for sharing on the UVA Teaching Hub, or curate AI-related collections on the Teaching Hub.
- Complete Program Assessments: Guides will participate in CTE assessment of the program by completing feedback surveys, logging learning opportunities, and responding to other assessment requests.
Support for Faculty AI Guides
The CTE will provide support for the Guides’ key responsibilities. CTE team members will design and facilitate the August AI Institute and will be participants in the small-group learning communities. CTE team members will be available to consult with Guides on the planning of instructor-facing learning opportunities and can offer some logistical support for Guide-led events. Some of those events might be part of other CTE programming (e.g., the statewide Virginia AI Symposium). CTE team members can consult on AI-related scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) projects of interest to Guides.
Guides will also have access to funds to support the learning opportunities they plan for colleagues.
Eligibility
All full-time faculty (tenure-eligible, tenured, and general faculty) are eligible to apply.
Qualifications
Applicants should be curious about the potential and pitfalls of GenAI in higher education and excited about sharing their knowledge and experiences with colleagues, as well as supporting others’ exploration of the pedagogical implications of this technology. Experience with the pedagogical implications of GenAI is required.
Term
The Faculty AI Guide will serve a one-year appointment from August 2026–August 2027.
Compensation
The Faculty AI Guide will receive $5,500 for their work (see Detailed Responsibilities).
Application Materials
Applicants should apply via the online application. Applicants will be asked to answer three short open-ended questions in approximately 200-400 words or 1-3 paragraphs each. The application will take about 20-30 minutes to complete. These length guidelines are not requirements; they are meant to provide transparency about expected workload. Shorter or longer responses will be accepted. Questions are included below to allow for preparation in advance, if desired:
- Which of the guiding questions for this year’s theme interests you the most–and why?
- Who do you see as your target audience (or in your sphere of influence) for your GenAI-related learning opportunities, and how would you like to engage them in exploring questions related to this year’s theme?
- What kind of support from the CTE and other Guides do you anticipate would be helpful in your potential work as a Faculty AI Guide?
Application Deadline and Process
The call for applications will remain open until July 10, 2026. Review will commence after the deadline. Selections will be based on fit to the qualifications and to arrive at a slate of Guides representing a broad cross-section of departments and disciplines across the University. Any questions can be directed to faculty-ai-guides@virginia.edu.
N.B. Once Faculty AI Guides are selected, we will jointly develop a Memorandum of Understanding between the CTE, Guide, and the Guide’s department chair and academic associate dean. In addition to agreeing to the position details, the chair and dean will confirm that the responsibilities are consistent with the expectations of the Guide’s position.