AI for the Notre Dame Community

Two students talk outdoors at a silver laptop that is sitting on the pedestal of a bronze statue. One gestures toward the screen while the other looks attentive.

AI Literacy Through Story, Ethics, and Practice

Developed by Nathaniel Myers, a faculty member in the University Writing Program, and Roberto Cásarez from the Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) team in partnership with Notre Dame Learning’s Office of Digital Learning, AI for the Notre Dame Community invites students on a guided journey to build foundational knowledge of generative AI while growing confidence using today’s most powerful AI tools.

Through a campus-based narrative following two Notre Dame students as they solve AI-related riddles, learners develop critical AI literacy skills that prepare them to engage AI ethically, responsibly, and effectively across academic, professional, personal, and civic contexts.

Upon completion, students receive recognition on their Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR).

A splitscreen featuring two different stills from a video. On the top, two students talk on a sunny college campus, with the following words appearing in yellow above them: To delegate responsibility is to risk forgetting your own. On the bottom, the same two students chat with a man in a suit in front of a reflecting pool. — Screenshots from one of the AI for the Notre Dame Community narrative videos. In the bottom one, student actors Claire Capdeveille (left) and Theresa Thomas interact with course co-instructor Nathaniel Myers.

Designed for the Notre Dame Context

Exploring AI Where Students Live and Learn

The course was intentionally crafted for the Notre Dame community, blending:

Campus-specific storytelling
Realistic AI use cases
Ethical reflection grounded in Catholic values

This approach makes abstract AI concepts concrete, relevant, and immediately applicable.

Learning Modality

Accessible, Flexible, Self-Paced

Non-credit course (roughly equivalent to a one-credit offering)
Fully asynchronous delivery through Canvas
Designed for broad student access across disciplines

This format allows students to engage with AI learning on their own schedule while maintaining a high-quality learning experience.

A man looks directly at the viewer in a still from a video, speaking and gesturing with his hands against a blue and teal background. — AI for the Notre Dame Community includes short onscreen interviews and lectures, including from co-instructor Roberto Cásarez.

Early Impact

Growing Confidence, Campus-Wide

Following its launch in fall 2025, AI for the Notre Dame Community demonstrated strong engagement and learner impact. As of January 2026:

400+ student enrollments
90 percent learner satisfaction
85 percent of completers report increased confidence and proficiency in using AI

These outcomes pointed to a clear need for AI literacy education for Notre Dame students grounded in University and Catholic values. To help meet this need, a shortened version of the course was developed and debuted in summer 2026 and shared with all incoming first-year undergraduates. Students who wish to have the course added to their CLR still have the option to complete the full-length version.

Access for Notre Dame Instructors

Notre Dame instructors are welcome to access AI for the Notre Dame Community in Canvas at any time and draw on its content as they see fit. If you would like to access the course in Canvas Commons and need help, please consult this guide or contact online@nd.edu.