Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help staff work more efficiently, reduce repetitive tasks and support day-to-day responsibilities. These resources are designed to help NIU staff explore practical, responsible ways to use AI in their roles.
Featured Event
Artificial intelligence is showing up everywhere. What does that actually mean for the people, not just faculty and leadership working across higher education, but the staff keeping things running every day? In this conversation‑style webinar, Tynan Fischer, SVP of Learning Operations at Educate 360, sits down with Aadhar Garg, head of AI, to explore how AI is reshaping work across academic departments, student services, admissions, marketing and more. They’ll dig into practical, real‑world examples of how employees can use AI every day to save time, improve communication and boost productivity—without needing a technical background.
The session will also tackle ethical concerns, adoption tips and what skills will matter most in the future. Whether you're curious, cautious or already experimenting with AI, this session will give you the clarity and confidence to engage with these tools in meaningful ways. (*Free for EDUCAUSE members; NIU is an institutional member).
Join the NIU AI Network
The NIU AI Network is a community of practice that brings together faculty, staff and students to explore and advance ethical, equitable and mission-aligned uses of artificial intelligence. Through collaboration and shared learning, the network supports the discovery and exchange of AI use cases, needs and approaches across campus. It also promotes understanding of AI’s opportunities, risks and trade-offs in support of teaching and learning.
The guidelines below were developed to support students, faculty and staff navigating the use of AI technologies at NIU.
Concise set of values and practices to guide responsible, equitable, and transparent use of AI in teaching and learning at NIU.
Framework for building foundational awareness, effective teaching applications, and reflective practices for integrating AI responsibly into instruction at NIU.
Rubric to guide the selection of academic student support services AI tools at NIU.
Guidance supporting faculty and students in navigating the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning, while preserving course-level flexibility and alignment with NIU policies.
The university continues to evaluate the impact of artificial intelligence on teaching, learning and student engagement as part of our broader academic and operational planning. Faculty and staff are encouraged to stay informed about their responsibilities related to protecting the security and privacy of personal data and intellectual property when using AI tools.
NIU provides a number of approved AI tools and technologies to support teaching and learning. These tools are covered by agreements with vendors to ensure compliance with university policies and applicable data privacy laws. Because they offer important protections not guaranteed by publicly available large-language AI tools, NIU recommends that students, faculty and staff use only AI tools that have been vetted and approved through the appropriate university processes.
These tools have been licensed by NIU and are available to all NIU faculty and align with the NIU AI Ethical Guidelines.
Authoring, Communication, Digital Literacy, Digital Storytelling
Use AI-powered features like image generation in Adobe Firefly and Express, generative fill in Photoshop, automated design assistance in InDesign and Illustrator and automated transcription in Adobe Podcast and Premiere Pro.
For NIU faculty, staff and students
Authoring, Communication, Digital Literacy, Digital Storytelling
With AI Assistant in Adobe Acrobat, you can ask your document questions and get quick answers linked to sources in the doc. One-click generative summaries automatically pull out key points to help you navigate and get important info fast.
For NIU faculty and staff
Chat, Productivity
Chat with Copilot in Windows, mobile apps, at m365.niu.edu or in Microsoft Teams. NIU’s M365 license includes commercial data protection to safeguard sensitive university data when stored and processed within the platform.
For NIU faculty, staff and students
Available on-demand training for on how to get started with Microsoft Copilot. You can filter or search to find the training that's right for you.
Quickly learn the basics of Microsoft Copilot by viewing these introductory tutorials that introduce the Copilot Chat features avialable to all NIU users.
Find recommended help articles for step-by-step guides on how to get started using the version of Microsoft Copilot available to all NIU students, faculty and staff users.
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding Microsoft Copilot at NIU.
Often yes, as long as you:
See NIU’s AI ethics guidance that stresses privacy, security, transparency and accountability.
As a baseline, avoid entering sensitive or personally identifiable information (PII) unless you are using an approved tool and you understand how data is stored/used. NIU's AI Ethical Guidelines call for careful handling of sensitive data and "extreme caution" with PII and vulnerable populations.
This includes information such as:
When working with these types of information, do not enter them into AI tools unless their use is explicitly approved and appropriate safeguards are in place.
Start by checking NIU's list of licensed AI tools. If your need isn't met, consult appropriate unit leadership and campus experts to evaluate privacy/security, bias risk and fit for purpose—consistent with NIU's emphasis on protection/security review and ethical deployment.
If you have a resource you’d like to suggest, please share it with us at ai@niu.edu.