The AI Studio at UMB: Faculty-Led Innovation in Responsible AI
Faculty Fellowship (AY 2025–2026)
The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) is pleased to launch the inaugural cohort of the AI Studio at UMB, a one-year faculty-led initiative supported by the Leaders in Education: Academy of Presidential Scholars (LEAPS).
The AI Studio offers a select group of faculty a high-trust, collaborative space to explore generative AI in graduate and professional education. With funding, mentorship, and structured scholarly support, Fellows will develop impactful AI pilot projects and contribute to UMB’s growing leadership in ethical academic innovation.
Faculty from all UMB schools and disciplines are encouraged to apply.
Program Overview
Beginning in September 2025, the AI Studio will support a small, high-impact cohort including:
- 3 Faculty Fellows: Leading AI-focused pilot projects and producing scholarly deliverables
- 3 Faculty Learning Partners: Providing feedback and cross-disciplinary insight to inform ongoing work
This 9-month experience includes monthly cohort meetings, project development time, and support for dissemination and publication.
- Faculty Fellows will receive $2,500 in professional development funds
- Faculty Learning Partners will receive a $250 honorarium
Through the AI Studio, faculty will:
- Design and lead a small-scale AI pilot project grounded in teaching or educational research
- Explore key concepts in AI ethics, pedagogy, and user-centered design
- Contribute to a Starter Toolkit for thoughtful and inclusive AI integration in teaching and learning
- Develop a case study or scholarly product for publication or presentation
- Participate in the LEAPS Symposium
- Engage in cross-disciplinary conversation and feedback
- Receive support navigating IRB processes, if applicable
- Join a growing network of UMB educators leading in academic innovation
Faculty Fellows can expect to spend 6-8 hours/month on Studio activities, including:
- Monthly cohort meetings
- Structured planning, check-ins, and mentorship
- Limited asynchronous reflection or resource sharing
- Participation in dissemination events and activities
Note: Additional time may be required during peak project phases (e.g., IRB submission, data collection, writing case studies), depending on the scope of the Fellow’s project.
Fellowship Timeline Overview
The AI Studio runs from September 2025 to May 2026. Fellows will engage in structured meetings, project planning, implementation, and scholarly dissemination throughout the academic year.
Key Dates
- Applications Due: August 1, 2025
- Review Period: August 2-12, 2025
- Notifications Sent: August 15, 2025
- Kickoff Meeting: Week of September 8, 2025
Fall Semester (Sept–Dec 2025): Planning and Project Design
- Attend monthly cohort meetings
- Define a pilot project and guiding research question(s)
- Draft and submit an IRB protocol (as applicable)
- Explore AI tools and relevant literature
- Begin developing instructional materials or research instruments
Spring Semester (Jan–May 2026): Implementation and Dissemination
- Implement your AI-enhanced teaching or research project
- Collect data and reflect on findings
- Contribute to the AI Studio Starter Toolkit
- Draft a case study or scholarly output
- Present your work at the LEAPS Symposium
- (Optional) Collaborate on a co-authored publication or conference proposal
Program Goals
The AI Studio supports faculty in advancing the ethical, pedagogical, and scholarly integration of generative AI in graduate and professional education. Specifically, the fellowship aims to:
- Support innovative, small-scale pilot projects that explore how generative AI can be meaningfully used in teaching, learning, or educational research.
- Foster reflective, evidence-informed inquiry into AI-enhanced pedagogy, grounded in research design and scholarly practice.
- Promote responsible experimentation with AI, emphasizing ethical use, inclusivity, and learner impact.
- Build an interdisciplinary community and capacity for academic innovation at UMB.
- Contribute practical tools and scholarship to a growing body of work on AI in higher education, including publishable case studies and public-facing outputs.
Eligibility and Application
The Studio is open to full-time UMB faculty from any school, department, or discipline who are interested in thoughtfully exploring the role of AI in graduate or professional education. Faculty teaching in clinical, classroom, or online settings are all encouraged to apply.
The Studio is designed for faculty who are ready to explore AI through a research-informed lens. While prior experience with education research, classroom-based research, or the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is not required, applicants should be prepared to develop and implement an education-focused pilot project, pursue IRB review if needed, and contribute to a publishable case study or scholarly output.
Ideal candidates are faculty who:
- Have a well-defined teaching context in graduate or professional education
- Are curious about AI’s role in pedagogy, assessment, or student experience
- Are ready to invest in a structured, collaborative, and mentored inquiry process
- Have the capacity to implement and study a small-scale instructional or curricular intervention during the spring semester (January—May 2026), or have an alternative timeline that supports meaningful implementation and analysis within the fellowship period.
What matters most is a commitment to ethical experimentation, reflective teaching, and contributing to a community of learning. Prior expertise with AI tools or SoTL methods is not required. The Studio will provide mentorship, structure, and collaborative support throughout the fellowship.
Interested faculty should submit an application form by August 1st, 2025.
How Applications Will Be Evaluated
Applications will be reviewed by the AI Studio team using the following criteria:
- Alignment with Program Goals: Clear connection to the ethical, pedagogical, and scholarly use of AI in graduate or professional education.
- Project Potential & Feasibility: The proposed idea addresses a meaningful teaching or learning challenge and is realistic for a 9-month timeline, with implementation in Spring.
- Defined Teaching Context: The project will occur in a clearly described course, instructional setting, or learning environment.
- Readiness & Support Needs: The applicant demonstrates openness to mentorship and identifies areas where support would help their success.
- Potential Contribution to Cohort: The applicant brings a unique perspective, disciplinary lens, or collaborative mindset that will enrich the Studio community.
- Growth in SoTL or Curriculum Design: If new to education research, the applicant shows thoughtful intent to develop in these areas with Studio support.
- Commitment to Fellowship: Willingness to attend meetings, implement a project, seek IRB (if needed), and contribute a scholarly product or case study.
Questions?
Contact Dr. Eric Belt (Studio Lead) at eric.belt@umaryland.edu for questions about the program or application process.