Disillusioning AI Fellowship for Universities of Wisconsin Educators

Are you an educator in higher education who works with diverse students? Are you intent on creating more diverse, classroom environments? Have you been dabbling with artificial intelligence (AI) on your own? Are you interested in learning how it might or might not support your work in the classroom in responsible and equitable ways? Join us for this year’s Disillusioning AI Fellowship for Universities of Wisconsin Educators!

With the advent of generative AI, teachers are faced with the difficult choice of trusting advanced technologies to take advantage of their transformative potential. Trusting educational AI is getting harder as these systems become less transparent, less predictable, and raise equity concerns. During this fellowship, you will have the opportunity to collaborate and learn alongside fellow educators in higher education across the University of Wisconsin system to improve your AI literacy, engage in hands-on exploration of AI tools, and discuss what you’re learning with colleagues. Participants who successfully complete all program expectations will receive a $250 stipend.

Program Details

Course Outcome: Navigate opportunities and challenges in using AI to support teaching and learning

Learning Objectives

  1. Develop critical understanding of AI to maximize benefits and minimize harm to students
  2. Apply conceptual understanding to authentic use of AI in your own classroom
  3. Evaluate where AI succeeds and where it fails via hands-on exploration of student work
  4. Deliberate with peers the value tradeoffs in using AI responsibly

Online

Program Expectations

  • Attend and participate in all six 3-hour virtual sessions
  • Complete all activities by their assigned due date(s) to promote engagement and ensure understanding during live, virtual sessions 
  • Complete a pre- and a post-fellowship survey 
  • Reflect and provide feedback on each virtual session via an exit slip
  • Complete pre- and post-surveys related to the use, analysis, and implementation of tools in your professional context 
  • Use, analyze, reflect on, and write about AI in your professional context via Canvas discussion fora and written assignments
  • Collaborate and iteratively reflect on value priorities and conflicts in a series of deliberation sessions

Time Commitment

You can expect approximately 4-6 hours of additional work between the monthly sessions to engage with and complete the tasks in preparation for the next month’s session. All materials will be housed in Canvas.

Virtual via Zoom from 5:00 – 8:00 pm CT 

Specific dates will be determined by participants’ availability via survey results.

  • September 2026
  • October 2026
  • November 2026
  • February 2027
  • March 2027
  • April 2027

Program Fee (non-refundable): $50*

Sign up now! Space is limited!

Register Here

*The Disillusioning AI Fellowship for Universities of Wisconsin Educators is hosted by the UW-Madison School of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology and the office of Professional Learning and Community Education (PLACE). This partnership was made possible by the generosity of the Universities of Wisconsin Office of Civic Engagement.

*During the 2026-27 academic year, the Disillusioning AI Fellowship is being offered only to faculty, staff, and instructors in higher education across the University of Wisconsin system.

 

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Testimonials

Still deciding? Read what last year’s K-16 educators had to say about their experience. 

  • “This fellowship was one of the most thought-provoking professional development activities I have ever participated in… I expected to learn about different AI programs that are popular among teachers of different subjects, but I feel like this turned into an interrogation of what the purpose of AI is in the classroom and further a rethinking of what the purpose of the teacher is in the classroom. Hearing from other teachers about the potential benefits and pitfalls of using specific programs in their specific subjects and considering how this might need to be adjusted based on students’ age was eye-opening.” Outreach Specialist, UW-Madison
  • “Human mediation is key to an AI tool in the classroom being successful. I will be filled with less dread about the notion that AI may take away my job or make me unnecessary in the classroom.” English Teacher, DeForest High School
  • “… the ability to engage in talks with teachers provided essential, real-world insights and strategies I rarely access… This profoundly influenced my thinking on AI and ethics by moving me past general optimism toward a grounded understanding of the specific concerns, issues, and challenges required for a responsible and safe AI rollout in schools.” Tech Coach, MMSD

Interested in learning more?

Check out these articles featuring Dr. Karumbaiah’s work!

For additional Information about Dr. Shamya Karumbaiah and her work, visit:

More Disillusioning AI Offerings

Past Disillusioning AI Fellowship Offerings

  • Spring 2026 (virtual), Completed by 13 K-16 educators, Supported by UW-Madison’s School of Education Dean’s Office
  • Fall 2025 (in-person), Completed by 14 K-16 educators, Supported by UW-Madison’s School of Education Dean’s Office

Related Offerings

  • May 20, 2026: Responsible AI in Classrooms, Webinar, PLACE Exchange (add link to recording)
  • April 9, 2026: Responsible AI in Classrooms, Workshop, Madison West High School Equity Symposium
  • February 26, 2025: Auditing for and Mitigating Algorithmic Bias in the Era of LLMs: Challenges and Opportunities, Guest Lecture, LIS 640: Games & Libraries, iSchool, UW-Madison
  • July 31, 2025: Trusting Your AI, Workshop, Early Career Teaching Institute
  • July 29, 2025: Trusting Your AI, Workshop, Greater Madison Writing Project: Teaching Writing in the Age of Chat GPT
  • July 17, 2024: Trusting Your GPT, Workshop, Play Make Learn Conference

Dr. Shamya Karumbaiah

Assistant Professor, Learning Sciences Area

Karumbaiah holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and completed a postdoc at Carnegie Mellon studying human-AI teacher partnerships. She combines expertise in computer science and learning sciences to examine bias and equity in AI-based education. Her work focuses on how AI can responsibly support teaching and learning in real-world classrooms.

Anurag Maravi

Software Engineer, TRAIL Lab

Anurag Maravi is a Software Engineer with the TRAIL Lab at UW–Madison. He works on creating classroom tools that help teachers understand student conversations, support multilingual learners, and use AI in meaningful ways. Anurag builds the systems behind SLAI, AIBAT, and other lab tools that make it easier for teachers to explore how students talk, think, and collaborate in classrooms. He enjoys working closely with researchers and educators to design technology that feels supportive, practical, and easy to use.

Sandra Taylor-Marshall

Outreach Program Manager, PLACE

As an Outreach Program Manager at PLACE, Sandra leads educator-focused programs at PLACE that turn research into meaningful practice. With a Master’s in Education and extensive PK–16 experience, she supports educators through coaching and collaborative program design.

Contact Info

Are you interested in learning more about the responsible use of AI in classrooms? Reach out to Sandra Taylor-Marshall at taylormarsha@wisc.edu.