AI Insights And Opportunities From UNO's AI Learning Lab

published: 2025/08/27
contact: UNO Division of Innovative and Learning-Centric Initiatives (ILCI)
email: innovate@unomaha.edu

Graphic with the heading ‘AI Learning Lab: Insights and Opportunities.’ Illustration shows a person holding a large cursor arrow, a pencil, and a smiling robot icon, symbolizing technology and artificial intelligence.

UNO is entering our second year of exploring how AI can be helpful to us in operations, teaching and learning, and research. As we begin this year, we wanted to highlight the success we saw in year 1 and share opportunities available for faculty and staff at UNO.

Summarizing Year 1

In year one, we saw amazing results – here are a few highlights from the different initiatives from the AI Learning Lab:

Open AI Challenge

Through our partnership with OpenAI, we explored how AI can help us in our class and work. Here are some results from our end of semester survey of over 200 respondents:

95% of faculty and staff reported that they saved time each week using ChatGPT. With 20% saving they saved 5 or more hours per week. Faculty are using the time saved to:
- improve the quality of their work
- reallocate time to high-priority tasks
- minimize stress from workload
96% of faculty and staff said ChatGPT improved productivity to some level, with 80% saying it moderately or significantly impacted productivity.
91% of faculty and staff agreed or strongly agreed that using ChatGPT improved their overall academic/work experience.
55% of faculty and staff use AI daily, while 86% use it several times a week or more.

AI-Powered Teaching Grants

We also helped faculty incorporate AI into their courses. This year there were

36 AI grants completed across all 6 colleges

AI Trainings and PD Opportunities

We dedicated time to preparing faculty and staff for AI use through trainings and professional development opportunities. In the past year, we saw:

Over 1300 faculty, staff, and students complete the Generative AI Cybersecurity Training
124 Faculty and Staff awarded the AI Advantage Badge
189 Faculty and Staff awarded the AI Jumpstart Badge

AI Summit

36 presentations from faculty, staff, and community members at UNO
Over 200 attendees

AI Core Consortium

A representative group from the university worked to discuss and create the following resources that will be launching during the 2025-2026 school year:

Guiding Principles of AI use at UNO
Sample Syllabi Statements for faculty

Opportunities for 2025-2026 school year

Below are opportunities the AI Learning Lab is offering at UNO this year. We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities and reach out to Cassie Mallette, Program Manager of the AI Learning at cassiemallette@unomaha.edu if you have any questions.

Open AI Challenge

Access to ChatGPT EDU

Applications for ChatGPT EDU (formerly enterprise) for faculty and staff are now available on a rolling basis. ChatGPT EDU provides exploration with added safeguards and security, where it does not train on your data and it stays in our EDU environment; you also have access to create custom GPTs, use deep research, higher limits of file uploads, and more. There are a few ways to gain access:

Faculty and Staff: Faculty and Staff can apply for a license to explore how AI can be beneficial to them in work, research, and/or class prep/execution.
Student use in Class: Faculty can apply for up to 50 licenses for students to use ChatGPT while taking your class (students are removed at the end of each semester).

NOTE: All users will need to complete the generative AI cybersecurity awareness training before gaining access to ChatGPT EDU.

Coming soon during the 2025-2026 school year – ChatGPT x Students Pilot Program

UNO is looking to explore how AI can be helpful to the student learning experience, so we are launching the ChatGPT x Students Pilot Program to build skills in our students and to better understand how AI can be helpful to students in their studies. Students can learn more and apply on the ChatGPT x Students Pilot Program website.

This program is available to any graduate or undergraduate student who is:

Eager to experiment with AI coursework and will dedicate time each week to explore
Strong desire to gain hands-on experience using AI tools like ChatGPT
Open to sharing honest feedback about their experiences

NOTE: students will need at least one faculty or staff member to write a recommendation letter on their behalf, explaining why they are a good fit for exploring AI in their studies and/or should be approved for the pilot program.

Students who apply and are approved for ChatGPT EDU access will have access through the spring semester and will have the ability to:

Use AI to study and breakdown concepts
Create custom GPTs for personalized support
Use the projects feature
And more

All students with access must agree to:

Complete the Generative AI Cybersecurity training
Use AI in accordance with each course policy.
Complete a monthly check-in on how they are using AI and how it is helping them
Potentially present on how they have been using AI at our spring AI Summit

NOTE: Failure to follow through on these student participation expectations will result in the student being removed from the ChatGPT Edu environment.

Spots are limited! Encourage students to Apply early to secure their place!

Trainings and PD Opportunities

Generative AI Cybersecurity Training: We highly recommend all faculty, staff, and students complete this 5-10 minute bridge training to understand what you can and cannot put into free, paid non-enterprise, and enterprise tools.
PD Opportunities: Currently we have two AI PD Courses, with more micro-courses (courses that are 1 module), on the way. These are rolling start dates, allowing faculty and staff to register at any time. These PD opportunities are at no cost to the faculty or staff member. Select the links below to register for either course.
- AI Jumpstart: 1-week (1 module) micro-course introducing faculty and staff to AI (this is the first module of the AI Advantage course) - no stipend for completing this course.
- AI Advantage: 6-week (6 modules) course walking faculty and staff through implementing AI into their work or into their course - $300 stipend for completing this course.

Workshops: This fall we will have 3 workshops focused on AI
- Getting the Most out of ChatGPT EDU (formerly Enterprise) Monday, September 8, 2-3pm.
- AI-Enhanced Course Design: Elevating Your Courses with AI - Tuesday, October 28, 1-2pm.
- Balancing AI and Environmental Concerns - Wednesday, November 19, 10-11am.

AI Resources and Support

The AI Learning Lab has created several resources to help faculty and staff with AI implementation:

AI Help Guides: resources about developing a syllabus statement, evaluating assessments, detection tools, how to cite AI, providing clarity on AI use on assignments, past and future workshops, and more
AI for Students Page: Recommended for all courses. Provides a place for an AI syllabi statement, and an overview of what it means to use AI responsibly. Available in Canvas Commons – faculty can customize the page to add or take away what they do not (once in their course).
AI Prompt Book for Faculty/Staff: Provides examples prompts and ideas for incorporating AI into classes and work.
AI Prompt Book for Students: Provides examples of how students can use AI in their studies and resources on being a good prompt engineer, what it means to be an ethical user, and more on the way.

AI-Powered Educator Grants

The AI Learning Lab offers AI grants where you work with an instructional designer to implement AI into your course in responsible and ethical ways. These are a tiered system, providing opportunities to incorporate:

Tier 1: individual assignment
Tier 2: a module or project using AI, 3-4 times throughout the course
Tier 3: full implementation throughout the course.

Apply at the bottom of the AI support page.

AI Consortium

Interested in hearing what the core consortium is discussing with AI at UNO. Apply to be a part of the broader AI consortium. You’ll have the opportunity to provide feedback once a semester on what we’re discussing and feedback for the learning lab and UNO. Email Cassie Mallette (cassiemallette@unomaha.edu)if interested.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.