By Laurel White

A UW–Madison program aimed at helping educators ethically and effectively use artificial intelligence (AI) to support their work will continue for a second year. In its second year, the program will be offered to educators within the Universities of Wisconsin System.

The Disillusioning AI for Teachers Fellowship, which launched in fall 2025, offers in-depth sessions aimed at increasing educators’ skill in using artificial intelligence thoughtfully, ethically, and productively with their students. The upcoming program will offer six virtual sessions to a limited number of participants between September and April. Registration is open.

Shamya Karumbaiah, an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology, developed the fellowship with support from Sandra Taylor-Marshall, an outreach program manager at the School of Education’s office of Professional Learning and Community Education (PLACE). Karumbaiah has spent more than a decade researching the use of artificial intelligence in educational settings, always with an eye on practical application in the classroom. 

Karumbaiah says she’s looking forward to supporting other members of the higher education community as they learn about the complex nuances of deploying AI in the classroom.

“I am very excited to have space for our colleagues at the Universities of Wisconsin to come together as a community and engage with the opportunities and challenges higher education is facing with AI use for teaching and learning,” she says. 

The previous cohort of fellowship participants included educators across grade levels. One participant, an instructional technology coach for the Madison Metropolitan School District, said the experience “transformed” their perspective on AI. 

“I have moved beyond the initial role of being only an AI champion to better recognizing and understanding the viewpoints of all potential users,” they said. “As a result, I now possess a much clearer, grounded understanding of the concerns and complex issues surrounding responsible AI use, and I am better equipped to discuss them with colleagues and students.”

The extension of the Disillusioning AI for Teachers Fellowship was funded by the Office of Civic Engagement for the Universities of Wisconsin.