Generative AI as a Thinking Partner
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About
Many of us have have tried using GenAI for some tasks. Far fewer have developed genuine fluency with it, and the distance between those two things is larger than it appears. Moving too slowly risks gradual disadvantage; moving too fast without a framework risks over-reliance on outputs that sound authoritative but may be flawed.
This workshop is designed to close that gap. Through hands-on practice and a set of concrete analytical frameworks, you will develop the prompting capability and interpretive habits needed to work with GenAI as a genuine thinking partner. You will leave with practical skills you can apply immediately, and a clearer sense of where your judgment is irreplaceable.
A full-day, hands-on workshop on using Gemini for challenges that keep coming back without resolving. You will develop practical prompting capability, learn four analytical moves for stuck problems, and build habits of evaluation that keep judgment where it belongs: with you. The course is for beginners and no prior experience is assumed, but is also relevant to more experienced users.
Registration includes a short form asking you to describe a problem from your own work that you will use through the day.
Learning Outcomes:
- Explain how large language models work and what this means for how their outputs should be interpreted and used.
- Apply a structured prompting framework to produce higher-quality, more reliable GenAI outputs across a range of leadership tasks.
- Use four analytical moves — Multiply the Lenses, Surface the Silences, Bridge the Levels, and Stress-Test the Categories — to generate fresh perspectives on stuck decisions.
- Practise interpretive vigilance by evaluating GenAI outputs as proposals rather than conclusions, and develop habits for maintaining accountability over AI-assisted work.
Eligibility
Workplace skills training is open to all University of Alberta employees.
Facilitator
Dr. Jennifer Sloan
Schedule
Click on the course date to register. Registration for upcoming training will be available two months prior to the course date.
| Date | Location |
|---|---|
| November 12, 2026 | North Campus |
Cost
Workplace skills training is free to all University of Alberta employees.
Availability
There are 45 seats in each workplace skills workshop.
Workshops that address the curriculum are offered and added throughout the year. Please visit the U of A Events hub to find available courses. If you are interested in offering a workshop to your team that currently has no availability, please contact org.learning@ualberta.ca to discuss options.
