Writing and AI are top of mind for many at UMB. From informal Q&As to faculty‑led workshops, these events offer multiple ways to engage with evolving questions about writing and learning.
Across the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), students, faculty, and staff are grappling with questions about writing and generative artificial intelligence (AI), especially how this technology affects teaching, learning, assessment, and student development. Some of us have experimented with some of the tools; some have fully embraced them; some of us are deeply skeptical of the implications of AI-powered writing.
Wherever you are on this spectrum, the UMB Writing Center invites you to join one or all of these four upcoming opportunities that are happening with UMB involvement this month and next month.
Weekly Writing and AI Q&A Hour (UMB Writing Center)
Thursdays, 2-3 p.m. on Zoom
An informal, drop‑in space to ask questions about AI and writing — related to assignments, feedback, academic integrity, learning goals, or classroom practice. Open to all members of the UMB community.
Use our Elm calendar entry for these sessions to register and/or ask a question.
Writing That Matters: Critical Approaches to AI in Writing Education
1-3 p.m., Thursday, April 23 (Workshop), and 9 a.m.-3:15 p.m. (Showcase), Zoom
Check out the preconference workshop on April 23 featuring a panel and facilitated discussion led by the UMB Writing Center. The following panelists will guide our conversation that day:
- Kofi Adisa is a writing scholar and assistant director of the Writing Center at Towson University whose work centers on literacy development, writing pedagogy, and critical AI literacy in higher education.
- Megan McIntyre is an assistant professor and director of rhetoric and composition at the University of Arkansas, where her research examines writing pedagogy, assessment, and critical responses to generative AI in writing studies.
- Shyam Sharma is a professor of writing and rhetoric at Stony Brook University whose work focuses on writing pedagogy, critical approaches to generative AI, and writing as a process of learning and discovery.
Together with our panelists, we will explore how generative AI reshapes writing pedagogy, assessment, and student learning, and how educators can support writing as a process of thinking and discovery. The workshop also includes small‑group discussions focused on participants’ own teaching contexts.
This workshop is part of the Spring 2026 Generative AI Virtual Showcase organized by the University System of Maryland (USM) Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. Registration for the workshop is currently full, but please contact imay@umaryland.edu to get on the waitlist if you are interested in joining the session.
Microteaching Methods for Motivating Students in the Age of AI
12-1:30 p.m., Monday, April 27
A hands‑on Writing Center workshop facilitated by Shyan Sharma, professor of writing and rhetoric at Stony Brook University. Sharma will introduce short, adaptable teaching strategies designed to support student motivation, transparency, and learning when AI tools are part of the writing landscape.
Use our April 27 Elm calendar entry for this event to register.
From Quills to Copilot: Deconstructing and Reimagining Writing Assignments with AI
12-1:30 p.m., Thursday, May 21, Zoom
Join UMB faculty and UMB’s AI Pedagogy Fellows Cory Stephens, DNP, RN, NI-BC, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, assistant professor, Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, School of Nursing, and Scott J. Riley II, PhD, instructor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, for a discussion‑based workshop highlighting instructional decision‑making, course design choices, and practical lessons learned from teaching with AI across disciplines.
Use the workshop’s registration form to sign up for this session.
Together, these events reflect the many ways writing and AI is being actively taken up at UMB: through conversation, experimentation, and shared inquiry. Whether you’re seeking guidance, community, or space to think critically about writing in an AI‑rich environment, these opportunities offer multiple entry points to engage.
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash