Ten faculty named inaugural Provost AI Fellows to develop courses
Tuesday, September 2, 2025

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, the University of Iowa is developing innovative educational offerings to prepare students for success in an AI-driven world. 

Beginning in fall 2026, the UI will offer an undergraduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence. Open to students from all academic backgrounds, the certificate will provide a broad, interdisciplinary foundation in AI. Students will gain an understanding of AI’s capabilities, limitations, and ethical implications, along with practical experience using AI tools. 

“Being proficient in artificial intelligence is becoming an essential skill across industries,” says Kevin Kregel, executive vice president and provost. “This certificate ensures our graduates are equipped to apply AI in the workplace, while also utilizing the critical thinking and communication strengths that employers expect from Iowa students.”

Rather than focus solely on technical aspects, Iowa’s certificate will emphasize both proficiency in using AI tools and human-centered applications of AI. Students will learn how to integrate AI into their academic and professional work while exploring connections between the technology and their field of study.

“The certificate is designed to help students see AI as more than a technical tool,” says Barrett Thomas, associate provost for faculty and strategic operations. “We want them to understand how it can expand human creativity and communication, and how they can use it responsibly in whatever field they pursue.”

To complete the certificate, students will take an introductory course covering fundamental AI concepts, followed by their choice of an additional four-to-six elective courses to achieve the semester hours required for the certificate.

The introductory course is scheduled to pilot in spring 2026, with the certificate officially launching in fall 2026. Development of the certificate is supported by the AI in Undergraduate Education P3 project, which was awarded $195,000 over three years. The effort also aligns with the goals outlined in Iowa’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Action Plan to integrate AI into teaching, research, and university operations. 

Provost AI Fellows and AI course development

In spring 2025, a call for course proposals for the AI certificate generated more than 30 submissions from faculty across a range of academic disciplines. From these, 10 courses were selected for funding, along with the new core introductory course that will serve as the foundation of the certificate.

Faculty whose courses were selected will serve as Provost AI Fellows. The fellows will meet regularly to discuss certificate goals, share course progress, and collaborate on continuous improvement of AI education at Iowa.

Core Course

Tyler Bell, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering
Ali Hasan, associate professor and department chair of philosophy

Bell and Hasan will collaborate to develop and teach the certificate’s required introductory course, AI Fundamentals. This course will provide students with a conceptual understanding of AI, an overview of its ethical and responsible uses, and preparation to work with common commercial AI tools. 

Elective Courses

The elective courses selected for funding reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the Iowa’s certificate and are designed to encourage critical thinking, creativity, and hands-on engagement with AI-related topics across disciplines ranging from history to art to political science and more.

  • Mark Berardi, assistant research scientist, communication sciences and disorders
    Human Voice and AI Technologies: Accessibility, Security, and Healthcare will bridge the critical gap between speech science and AI literacy, preparing students to navigate the intersection of human communication and artificial intelligence.
  • Colin Case, assistant professor of political science
    Artificial Intelligence in American Politics will allow students to apply AI tools for political analysis and communication while weighing ethical concerns and societal impacts surrounding the use of AI in politics.
  • Jovana Davidovic, associate professor of philosophy
    Ethics of Artificial Intelligence will provide a critical introduction to the ethical challenges posed by AI and related technologies.
  • Paul Dilley, Erling B. “Jack” Holtsmark Associate Professor in the Classics; DEO of the Department of Religious Studies
    Interrogating Artificial Intelligence: Exploring New Ancient Worlds will encourage students to use AI tools to study the ancient world while critically evaluating the output provided by AI.
  • Steven Hitlin, professor of sociology and criminology 
    Bull$#!+: Moral Interaction in an AI World will focus on providing students hands-on interaction with AI sources to examine how information is generated and how interacting with these systems influence users, teaching students to become thoughtful consumers and creators of AI technologies.
  • Brett Johnson, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
    The Law and AI will introduce students to the developing legal environment around artificial intelligence.
  • Anita Jung, professor of art, art history, and design
    Artificial Intelligence and Art: From Pixel to Print will provide a conceptual framework for understanding generative modeling, prompt-based creation, and the ethical and cultural dimensions of AI in the arts.
  • Alberto Segre, professor and chair in the Department of Computer Science and Gerard P. Weeg Faculty Scholar in Informatics
    Computing in Context: From Antikythera to Nvidia and Deep Learning will explore how computing devices have amplified, supported, and may potentially supplant human reasoning in a historical context.
  • Jan Steyn, associate professor of instruction, French and translation; director of graduate studies, Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures
    Language Work in the Age of AI: The Products and the Poetry will allow students to evaluate AI language tools, develop hybrid human–machine work practices, articulate ethical positions, and appreciate how thoughtful AI use can illuminate the interpretive nature of translation.
  • Elizabeth Yale, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies, Department of History
    Science, Technology, and Society in the Modern World will contextualize the development of artificial intelligence, robots, and computing within the history of science, technology, and society.