May 28, 2026 – 3:00–4:00 p.m.
Location: This hybrid event will be held in person in 127 Dwinelle Hall and also on Zoom.
Intended Audience: Faculty, Instructors, Graduate Student Instructors, Academic Support Staff
Custom AI chatbots are becoming a practical tool for classroom support, tutoring, and assessment. In this workshop, Eric VanDusen walks through how he built chatbots grounded in his own course materials — using custom GPTs, Gemini Gems, and RAG-style approaches — and how instructors can do the same without a technical background.
In this session instructors will learn to:
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Parse and load their own syllabus, readings, and course content into a chatbot
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Build a custom GPT or Gemini Gem tuned to their course
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Understand the tradeoffs between no-code tools (custom GPT/Gem) and more flexible approaches
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Design chatbots for specific use cases: office hours support, concept tutoring, or formative assessment
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Think through pedagogical and ethical considerations for AI in the classroom
Registration is not required, and you’re welcome to simply drop in, but it is encouraged to help us gauge attendance and provide you with a calendar invitation and Zoom details. ➡️Register for this session⬅️
This session builds on ideas introduced in Vibecoding for Curriculum.