Competence development in using AI strengthens the University’s education
The AI initiative provides substantial support for teaching staff and course administrators. Training courses are currently underway, and the latest dates and times can be found on the Staff Gateway. Lovisa Håkansson (left), Coco Norén and Jörgen Bengtsson (right) emphasise the importance of the organisation having access to professional development and comprehensive support: “University staff should feel confident when using AI tools.” Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University.
Uppsala University is investing in competence development and coordinated support for teaching staff and course administrators. The goal is to increase knowledge about generative AI and develop the staff’s confidence in how the technology can be used in an educational, legally certain and ethically grounded way.
Uppsala University’s AI initiative for teaching staff and course administrators aims to develop their knowledge and skills in generative AI linked to teaching based on their current competencies in the area.
The overall goal is for the University’s teaching staff and course administrators to feel confident in using generative AI tools in a way that strengthens the quality of education and prepares students for their future professional lives.
“Generative AI has changed the conditions for teaching and raises educational as well as legal and technical questions. Uppsala University wants to create a level playing field for teaching using AI by strengthening the support available for teachers and promoting collegial discussion. Through learning more about the possibilities and limitations of AI, teachers and students can make informed choices about when the technology is appropriate – and when it is not,” says Deputy Vice-Chancellor Coco Norén, who initiated the project.
Collegial discussions and educational development
Jörgen Bengtsson and Lovisa Håkansson are educational developers at the University Administration who work with support for the development of instruction at the University. If the University does not manage the AI question, there’s a risk that inequalities between courses and study programmes will arise,” says Bengtsson.
“We aim to support collegial discussions and educational development. By better understanding the technology and its limitations, teachers can discuss, in dialogue with their students, whether it’s appropriate to use generative AI within a module or in a course, or whether it’s best to refrain from using it,” he says.
The Unit for Academic Teaching and Learning in the Division for Quality Enhancement is working together with the Legal Affairs Division and University IT Services (UIT) in this AI initiative.
“Teaching staff and course administrators seek support on legal matters and questions about IT infrastructure. Since questions related to teaching and learning often also concern IT and the law, it is important that the support is offered through one channel rather than several separate ones,” Lovisa Håkansson explains.
In need of competence development and coordinated support
During the past year, ten focus group interviews were conducted within the framework of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s working group on the responsible use of generative AI in education.
“What we hear within the University is that competence development and coordinated support are what is needed. Department-level lectures and workshops will be taking place during the autumn semester of 2026 and continue during 2027. We will also develop a self-study course as an additional format that will be updated regularly based on developments in the area,” says Jörgen Bengtsson.
Another Deputy Vice-Chancellor seminar, this time on the theme of AI and learning, will be held on 29 October 2026.
“This will be the third seminar in a well-attended series and will be conducted in the form of a panel discussion followed up with reflection and analysis,” says Bengtsson.
Lots of support and resources available
The initiative also includes a lot of different resources, support and training for teaching staff and course administrators.
“Competence development is provided at three levels: an introductory lecture (in both Swedish and English) open to all via Zoom; a continuation lecture more closely related to subject areas for the departments that also deals with assessment, data sovereignty, licensing issues and upcoming regulations; and a workshop on the application of generative AI in teaching based on the participants’ own subject area contexts,” says Lovisa Håkansson.
These lectures and workshops have started up, with dates and times for the open introductory lectures via Zoom available at Competence development in generative AI on the Staff Gateway. For a subject-area contact, the head of department, director of studies or programme coordinator can contact aisupport@uu.se.
In addition, an open Zoom room is being provided for easy-to-access support for teaching staff and course administrators who have questions about AI in teaching, legal questions or IT questions. Questions and answers will also be put together, de-identified, in a set of FAQs.
Johan Ahlenius