Calling all CUNY Graduate Center students in this group!

I’m excited to invite you to apply for the focused inquiry group I’ll be running in Spring 2026 through the GC’s Teaching and Learning Center. Participants will receive a $500 stipend to collaborate on developing critical AI methods and teaching practices to scale sustainably at the GC and throughout CUNY.

The newly extended deadline for submission is Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. Please see the CFA below for more info:

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AI and Open WebUI Working Group

Building on Fall 2025’s AI workshop series, this Focused Inquiry Group shifts from policy and critique to practice and experimentation through engagement with Open WebUI, an emerging open-source AI platform used by researchers at the CUNY Graduate Center.

This FIG seeks to cultivate a community of practice among graduate students who will document, test, and refine approaches to integrating open-source AI infrastructure into their research or teaching while contributing to the disciplinary and pedagogical formation of the Open WebUI platform.

No prior knowledge of generative AI or large language models (LLMs) is required. However, we do ask that participants be willing to experiment and tinker under the hood with open digital tools.

Participants will be paid a $500 stipend.

We welcome applicants who demonstrate:

• Interest in instructional design, digital pedagogy, and/or open educational resources
• A conscientious approach to generative AI within their research or academic discipline
• Commitment to collaborative documentation and reflection on teaching experiments
• Willingness to engage critically with the possibilities & limitations of AI tools in education

Eligibility

To be a currently enrolled Graduate Center student.

Requirements:

FIG participants will meet at least once a month throughout the Spring 2026 semester.

How To Apply

• Email a single PDF to [email protected] by Monday, October 20, 2025.
• Name your file: LastName_OpenWebUIFIG26.pdf

This document should contain:

1. A two-page CV
2. A statement of interest (maximum 500 words) that responds to these prompts:
   • What kinds of encounters, practices, or projects have shaped your experience with generative AI so far?
   • How do you understand its emerging impact on your discipline, and in what ways might you approach this impact through experimentation, tinkering, or critical intervention?
   • What specific research questions, pedagogical challenges, or scholarly projects of yours might benefit from participating in this working group?

If you have questions, please contact Zach Muhlbauer at [email protected].

Calling all CUNY Graduate Center students in this group!

I’m excited to invite you to apply for the focused inquiry group I’ll be running in Spring 2026 through the GC’s Teaching and Learning Center. Participants will receive a $500 stipend to collaborate on developing critical AI methods and teaching practices to scale sustainably at the GC and throughout CUNY.

The newly extended deadline for submission is Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. Please see the CFA below for more info:

—

AI and Open WebUI Working Group

Building on Fall 2025’s AI workshop series, this Focused Inquiry Group shifts from policy and critique to practice and experimentation through engagement with Open WebUI, an emerging open-source AI platform used by researchers at the CUNY Graduate Center.

This FIG seeks to cultivate a community of practice among graduate students who will document, test, and refine approaches to integrating open-source AI infrastructure into their research or teaching while contributing to the disciplinary and pedagogical formation of the Open WebUI platform.

No prior knowledge of generative AI or large language models (LLMs) is required. However, we do ask that participants be willing to experiment and tinker under the hood with open digital tools.

Participants will be paid a $500 stipend.

We welcome applicants who demonstrate:

• Interest in instructional design, digital pedagogy, and/or open educational resources
• A conscientious approach to generative AI within their research or academic discipline
• Commitment to collaborative documentation and reflection on teaching experiments
• Willingness to engage critically with the possibilities & limitations of AI tools in education

Eligibility

To be a currently enrolled Graduate Center student.

Requirements:

FIG participants will meet at least once a month throughout the Spring 2026 semester.

How To Apply

• Email a single PDF to [email protected] by Monday, October 20, 2025.
• Name your file: LastName_OpenWebUIFIG26.pdf

This document should contain:

1. A two-page CV
2. A statement of interest (maximum 500 words) that responds to these prompts:
   • What kinds of encounters, practices, or projects have shaped your experience with generative AI so far?
   • How do you understand its emerging impact on your discipline, and in what ways might you approach this impact through experimentation, tinkering, or critical intervention?
   • What specific research questions, pedagogical challenges, or scholarly projects of yours might benefit from participating in this working group?

If you have questions, please contact Zach Muhlbauer at [email protected].