Alert: Canvas Outage Update
Canvas access has been restored for our users, but the service reliability remains uncertain. Due to recent events, Canvas has had intermittent outages which are at the discretion of the vendor and may occur during a final exam. Faculty and staff may continue to use Canvas, but we strongly advise faculty and students to prepare a contingency plan for turning in assignments and final exams in the event Canvas access becomes unavailable again.
Instructure, the company that owns Canvas, has provided an FAQ about the incident, which may not answer all your questions. We will share more information if it becomes available.
Instructure, the company that owns Canvas, has provided an FAQ about the incident, which may not answer all your questions. We will share more information if it becomes available.
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Artificial Intelligence Work at CU Denver
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) presents both opportunities and potential risks for our university and society. As it increasingly becomes part of the lives of CU Denver constituents, we must continue to interrogate both observed and potential AI impacts in our community: on cognition, learning, teaching practice, and our work.
To lay groundwork, we convened Spring 2025 working groups in three areas: Teaching and Learning, Research, and Administration and Operations. They produced final deliverables available on their working group webpages. Based on their work and other university dialogues, CU Denver developed policy recommendations and in March 2026 appointed three AI faculty fellows to carry key recommendations forward.
AI Faculty Fellows
CU Denver's AI Faculty Fellows, reporting to the office of the provost, are:
- Farnoush Banaei-Kashani, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and data researcher whose creative reasoning in AI work was featured in this recent story
- Cameron Blevins, an associate teaching professor in history and a director of digital initiatives for CLAS who has explored the impact of generative AI on both research and teaching
- Soumia Bardhan, Department of Communication associate professor, director of CU Denver’s AI & Communication certificate, director of International Studies, CFDA and CETL Faculty Fellow, and AI Research Working Group member.
Dr. Banaei-Kashani and Dr. Blevins’ appointment began in March, while Dr. Bardhan’s will begin in May. They will continue their work into the 2026–27 academic year, supplemented by an additional fellow to be named in late spring 2026.
Summer 2026: AI Community of Practice
The Office of the Provost is engaging faculty liaisons from across the university to join a summer community of practice around generative AI. More information (including on how to apply) is available here.
Workstreams for AI Faculty Fellows
The AI faculty fellows will pursue the following efforts, most of which are based on AI Working Group recommendations:
Listening workstream
- Conduct listening sessions in all schools and colleges to identify support gaps since spring 2025 AI Working Group reports were released
- Collect information about AI guidelines and practices already in place in schools, colleges, and departments so that the campus can learn from established norms that could inform university-wide guidance and policy development
Practice workstream
- Implement a regular series of events for faculty to come together to share AI classroom and research experiences
- Develop recommendations for a Getting Started with AI resource center to launch in fall 2026
- Learn what support (technical, pedagogical, etc.) faculty need to deploy AI in their work, and liaise with relevant campus offices to implement professional development, training, and support
Policy and Guidelines workstream
- Develop a required syllabus statement on AI use, with sample variants, with the goal of approval in May and launch by the fall 2026 semester
- Develop faculty disclosure requirements and explore whether they should be a standalone policy, integrated into an existing policy, or otherwise
- Collaborate with the Office of Information Technology to develop and implement a transparent AI tool approval process and inventory
- Collaborate with SESS colleagues to develop Student Guidelines for AI Use
ChatGPT EDU FAQ
As announced by the CU System, The University of Colorado has entered into a three-year agreement with OpenAI, renewable annually, to provide ChatGPT Edu systemwide to students, staff and faculty. More information can be found here. Soon, we will update this area with answers to frequently asked questions that pertain to our campus.
AI Resources Around Campus
While one anticipated 2026 AI-related workstream is to coalesce CU Denver AI-related information, many resources on the topic have been available on these pages:
- Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (TIPS): Offers resources for faculty and students on how AI is disrupting and enhancing higher education
- AI Learning Hub Homepage: A one-stop shop, produced by OIT's Office of Planning, Analysis, and Change, for "How To" guides, prompt templates, and the AI toolkit; OIT also offers trainings and consultation through this page
- AI at Auraria Library: A research guide explains the purpose, benefits, limitations, and ethical considerations of using artificial intelligence in academia