AI Essentials and AI Studio now available to summer students
Following the launch for employees in April, AI Essentials (self-paced literacy course) and AI Studio (Penn State’s enterprise generative AI platform) are now available to students enrolled in summer courses and will be rolled out to all students this fall. These offerings are part of Penn State’s commitment to providing every Penn State student the opportunity to develop AI literacy skills that will serve them in academic and professional settings after graduation. All summer students will see AI Essentials automatically appear in their Canvas dashboards.
Penn State also is continuing to strongly encourage University faculty and staff to complete the AI Essentials course this summer to expand their own foundational AI literacy and so they can help support students this summer and fall. UE/FA leadership have an expectation that all UE/FA staff will be familiar with the concepts in AI Essentials. Employees can continue to access the course through the Learning Resource Network.
As a reminder, Penn State's portfolio of AI-related services includes AI Studio, Microsoft Copilot, and Adobe Firefly.
Events and Deadlines
- 7/1 Second Six-Week Summer Session Classes Begin
- 7/1 Begin 2026–27 Fiscal Year
- 7/1 First Day of Class Photo Booth | Student Orientation and Transition Programs
- 7/1 Playfair | Student Orientation and Transition Programs
- 7/2 Rock the Ice | Student Orientation and Transition Programs
- 7/3 Independence Holiday, No Classes
- 7/4 Central PA 4th Fest
- 7/8–7/12 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts
- 7/9–7/12 People's Choice Art Festival
- 7/9, 7/23 The Summer Reads Program | Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence
- 7/11 Summer Tours at the Sustainability Experience Center | Sustain Penn State
- 7/13 SustainaLions Employee Resource Group Monthly Virtual Lunch | Sustain Penn State
- 7/14 From First Year to Future | Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success
- 7/14, 7/22 Study Smarter Workshop | Penn State Learning
- 7/16–7/17 Board of Trustees Meeting
- 7/18 Summer Day of Service | Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success
- 7/20 LEAP Into Time Management | Penn State Chaiken Center for Student Success
For additional Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence events, visit schreyerinstitute.psu.edu.
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