Author: Mazen Morrar
Mazen is a student employee with Technology Services.
The AI Professional Development Series continues this spring with workshops happening now across March and April. Building on the collaboration between The Office of the CIO and Illinois Human Resources, the Spring 2026 series offers a staff series and a leadership series on AI use.
Last fall, the Office of the CIO partnered with Illinois Human Resources and several campus units to deliver a collaborative AI Professional Development Series. Led by Illinois Human Resources and the Office of the CIO, with support from the Library and the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, the series brought roughly 1,300+ U of I professionals together to build confidence, awareness and practical skills around the growing role of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
Rather than focusing solely on new tools, the sessions created an open and supportive space where staff could explore how AI fits into everyday work, learn how to use it responsibly and consider how it can support problem solving without replacing human decision making. By bringing together participants from different departments and roles, the series demonstrated how building AI fluency is a shared effort across the campus community.
Two learning tracks for practical AI skills
Throughout the fall, the series offered two parallel tracks: one for employees looking to build a foundational understanding of AI for daily work, and another for leaders responsible for guiding teams and technology decisions. Sessions were offered both in person and online, making participation accessible across a range of schedules and work arrangements.
Engagement was strong last fall, with around 1,380 faculty and staff registered for the initial employee and leadership offerings. Continued interest led to an additional round of the employee series last December, which had 838 registered participants.
Sessions focused on practical questions staff and leaders were already grappling with, including how humans and AI can work together, how to experiment safely and responsibly, what foundational AI concepts matter most and how to write prompts that produce useful results. Participants consistently gravitated toward sessions on prompting and safe experimentation, often citing them as the most immediately applicable to daily work. Many questions reflected a desire for clear starting points, guidance on which tools to use first and reassurance about how to build skills gradually and responsibly. Overall, the series succeeded in its goal of increasing confidence and clarity around AI use, with participants reporting a stronger understanding of how AI fits into their roles and when it can support, rather than replace, human judgment.
The program included 12 original 90-minute sessions and 68 supporting documents, including activities, resources and thought exercises designed to help participants apply AI concepts within their teams and workflows.
Looking ahead
The fall series marked an important first step. Foundational sessions will continue in the coming months, with plans underway for an intermediate series focused more directly on using AI tools, as well as potential advanced offerings in the future. Based on early feedback, online and on-demand options will remain a priority as the program continues to evolve.
Together, these efforts are helping build a campus community that feels prepared, informed and ready to engage with the future of work at Illinois.
Faculty and staff interested in participating in the spring series can view the full schedule and register on the Illinois Human Resources AI Professional Development Series webpage.