Rice Digital Learning sets out faculty-first responsible AI push with funding and pilots

Four-track program offers cohorts, classroom experimentation, AI-integrated courses, and public-facing offerings.

Rice Digital Learning (RDL), the university unit supporting teaching and learning across modalities, has announced Accelerating Responsible AI for Education at Rice, a faculty-first initiative to put responsible AI into practice through funded cohorts, classroom pilots, new or revised courses, and public-facing offerings. The program aligns with Rice’s Momentous strategic plan and aims to build a campuswide community of practice around ethical, effective AI use.

Funding opens across four faculty tracks

RDL has opened four participation routes for Rice faculty across schools and disciplines:

• School-based Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs): funded cohorts of 4–8 faculty per school meeting across two semesters to explore discipline-relevant AI topics and produce shareable deliverables.

• AI Experimentation Grants: seed funding for small, classroom-level pilots (for example, assessment redesign, feedback loops, engagement), with outcomes shared via blogs, podcasts, or a campus symposium.

• AI-Integrated Course Development: stipends for new or significantly revised undergraduate or graduate courses slated for spring, summer, or fall 2026.

• Public-Facing Offerings: support for Rice faculty—funding, instructional design, and video production—to share AI expertise with global learners; rolling proposals welcomed.

Campus groundwork and industry partnerships

RDL points to recent steps that set the stage for this initiative: selection for the AAC&U Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum; the launch of a Responsible AI Hub for faculty, staff, and students; OpenStax partnering with Microsoft to bring peer-reviewed OER into Microsoft’s Learning Zone on Copilot+ PCs; and a partnership with Google to provide FERPA-compliant AI tools (Gemini for Education and NotebookLM) to all faculty, staff, and students.

RDL is finalizing the search for an Assistant Director for AI for Education to help execute the initiative and lead AI efforts across the division’s portfolio. Over the next year, RDL plans to scale what works and share findings—expanding faculty learning communities, increasing classroom pilots with public reporting, adding AI-integrated courses, and growing public-facing offerings. Plans also include a new podcast and social channels featuring faculty practitioners, program architects, campus technology leaders, and industry partners.

Daniel Villanueva, Jr., Ph.D., Senior Director of Growth Marketing and Analytics, says: “In a rapidly evolving landscape, responsible AI isn’t just an ethical imperative; it’s a critical market differentiator. By operationalizing ethical AI with industry partners like Google and providing funding for new initiatives, Rice is solidifying its position as an academic leader at the intersection of advanced technology. Our leadership is evident not just in what our faculty teach, but in how Rice Digital Learning delivers value to faculty and learners worldwide. These programs are designed to scale that advantage.”