Multiple departments team to present 'Hour of AI Week' initiative

January 13, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 9)
Article by Cass Wainwright

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GVSU’s first Hour of AI Week is scheduled for January 26-30, a week filled with opportunities for faculty and staff to learn about safe and effective AI resources.

Photo Credit: Kendra Stanley-Mills

GVSU’s first Hour of AI Week is scheduled for January 26-30. During this week, faculty and staff will be encouraged to spend at least an hour a day during the week learning about or engaging in discussion about Artificial Intelligence.

Code.org began the Hour of AI initiative to increase AI literacy and to inform participants about AI and how to use it creatively, effectively, and ethically. 

GVSU’s Hour of AI Week is spearheaded by CLAS Center for Experiential Learning (CCEL), in collaboration with the Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center, College of Computing, Institutional Technology Division, Digital Literacy Initiative, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Deborah Herrington, director of CCEL, said: "We're supposed to be lifelong learners, so we should be learning about it from all perspectives. We also owe it to our students to make sure we're educating them about this, so that we are preparing them the best that we can for whatever future is out there for them."

The first Hour of AI Week focuses on encouraging faculty and staff to spend time learning about or discussing AI individually or with their colleagues, department or students. However, in future years, Herrington said they would like to see it expand its focus to include students. The week will be filled with events and activities designed to provide faculty and staff with multiple ways to engage with AI or discussions around AI.

“We’re coming from a place of helping to demystify what AI is and what it isn’t, and giving people space to explore it in ways that feel accessible, practical and relevant to their work,” said Larry Wyn, computer science program manager for CCEL.

Faculty and staff can participate in Hour of AI Week by devoting a class period to AI literacy, attending a planned university event or training, devoting a department meeting to engage with or discuss AI using pre-developed materials found on the website or materials or their own, or using other resources posted on the Hour of AI website. 

The website will include a brief form that faculty and staff are encouraged to complete to share their activities during the week.

– Cass Wainwright is a senior majoring in writing and a student writer for University Communications.

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