Tearing off the bandaid: A faculty and staff book club about AI

As educators, we have been collectively grappling with the sudden emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and its impact on teaching and learning. In our teaching contexts, we have found that experiential learning and collaborative research have been the most valuable tools we have to manage change. We were curious about how other educators were managing, so we conducted a research study in spring 2024 that explored faculty attitudes and integration of GenAI in English language programs (Toncelli & Kostka, 2024). Overall, there were mixed feelings about using GenAI in teaching and learning, but everyone highlighted the importance of collaboration and learning about GenAI in a hands-on way. This study inspired us to find other ways to create opportunities for educators to get together, learn from each other, and feel motivated to experiment with GenAI in their classrooms.

To address this need, we facilitated a book club in spring 2025 for faculty and administrators in an English language program at a university in the United States. We invited everyone to read a book about GenAI integration in English language teaching, reflect on its ideas, experiment with GenAI in their classes, and meet over Zoom to talk about their experiences. Our main goal was to explore the opportunities and challenges of implementing a book club to advance their professional learning. Because the entire educational ecosystem is impacted by GenAI disruptions, we invited administrators, staff, and educators to participate in the book club. Administrators wanted to create a community where instructors could better understand GenAI and in turn better serve their students. They also wanted to be well-positioned to support instructors around GenAI integration. Instructors’ goals were to gain practical insights to support their teaching efforts. Together, we aimed to form a cohesive group that focused on integrating GenAI into teaching and professional activities in innovative ways and push the program forward.

At the outset of the book club, participants filled in a survey which asked them to set professional learning goals. We divided the book into three sections and met for one hour to discuss each section together. To prepare for each meeting, participants read, experimented with ideas, and then completed an electronic reflection form to capture the steps they took to integrate GenAI.  At the end of the book club, participants completed a final survey to reflect on the project, and we interviewed two of the participating administrators who could offer us a unique perspective. Overall, we wanted participants to develop their AI literacy skills while engaging in a supportive community anchored in sustainable pedagogical innovation.

What worked well?

Overall, we believe the project was successful. Participants started the book club with a range of experiences and attitudes regarding GenAI, yet participation in collaborative professional learning seemed to have a positive effect as it “expanded [...] ideas about what’s possible.” In the closing survey, all participants said this book club contributed to their learning. Even a self-proclaimed skeptic noted that the book club expanded her understanding of “AI as a comprehensive tool and how it can best be used.” We were pleased to discover that participants felt they learned a lot in a short amount of time.

Participants also appreciated the opportunity to collectively explore GenAI together as it cultivated mutual empathy within the group. As one instructor said, “It is good to know that people are feeling the same way that I do.” For instance, one person noted that a benefit of the project was “keeping everyone energized on this topic and trying to get others who are afraid, lazy, or insecure about their skills an opportunity to explore.” Another participant noted that they valued being in a place “where those of us who were not as experienced were reminded just how this is an evolving knowledge base and really supported our learning wherever we were in the roadmap." Discussions also led to a mutual recognition that GenAI developments in teaching and learning were both beneficial and problematic.

Another strength of the book club is that it provided structure to professional learning. There were pre-scheduled meetings for which participants needed to have read specific chapters and experimented with the ideas in them, a process which one participant noted “helped [her] carve out time to focus on this and learn from others.” This approach allowed participants to “compartmentalize” their learning over a period of time and achieve some balance between “workshops [which] are one and done” and others which are “too much of an investment in time.” Other participants highlighted the value of accountability for participants. They knew they needed to read, experiment, and reflect before each meeting; one participant noted that this “did force you in some way to reflect and think before the session.” Having accountability likely played a large role in encouraging participants to experiment with GenAI in a hands-on way, which is a valuable way of learning how to use AI tools.

Lastly, we were pleased to find that participants appreciated the safe and supportive environment in which the book club was run. Given the hot-button nature of GenAI integration, offering a place where all views were welcome was important to this project. All views were welcome, and participants with all levels of comfort and experience with GenAI were able to equally participate. This was especially important for novices who needed to “tear off the bandaid,” as one participant noted, and begin learning more about GenAI. One way we created a collegial environment was with the purposeful choice of the book. We chose one that allowed for a range of participant experiences, so those who were new to using GenAI could implement new ideas as easily as experienced users could. We also shared our own balanced approach to using GenAI in which we discussed both benefits and drawbacks. This is because we wanted to create space for criticism of GenAI and any frustrations or setbacks with experimentation and encourage all views about GenAI. Above all, we were fortunate to have institutional support in carrying out this project and believe that it contributed tremendously to the supportive nature of the book club.

What was challenging?

While the book club ran smoothly, we encountered some challenges. First, the group was made up of program administrators and instructors, so there was a mix of different needs and roles. Instructors focused on contextualizing the book’s content to their teaching, while staff aimed to integrate GenAI into other tasks while providing professional development to innovate and advance the program. This means that the book club had to serve different needs: provide practical teaching ideas for instructors while addressing programmatic implications for administrators. In addition, some participants reported that they would have liked more time to fully engage with the ideas in the book and apply them to teaching. Bringing busy people together is always difficult, and striking a balance between having enough time to fully discuss the book and not taking too much of their time is difficult.  Lastly, the book club included seven participants, but there were others in the same program who chose not to participate due to fear or opposition to GenAI. Resistance like this, which has even been recognized among pre-service educators (Kohnke et al., 2025), can be a challenge to building educators’ AI literacy skills and leveraging the affordances. Moving forward, we hope to find ways to ensure that all educators are included in these important conversations about GenAI.

What have we learned?

This was the first time either of us had run a faculty book club, and we learned several lessons that will inform future iterations. First, access to the book in terms of content and price is an important factor. The administrators in this project bought copies of the book for each participant, and the content was geared toward educators with all levels of GenAI experience. Having access to the ideas and to this opportunity made it easier for participants to engage and participate. Nonetheless, in programs where there is no budget to buy books, a small group of colleagues could still convene to read, discuss, and reflect on open-source materials (e.g., research reports, webinars). We also learned that prioritizing inclusion and flexibility are key. We scheduled meetings at a convenient time in terms of teachers’ schedules, and while we preferred to meet in person, we offered meetings online to accommodate participants who are not on campus at the same time. Lastly, we learned that starting in simple yet meaningful ways could provide a launchpad to future work in GenAI. This book club met three times to discuss the book, but we heard ideas for continuing discussions about GenAI in lunch and learn events, in faculty meetings, and across the university’s network. Indeed, fostering collaborative spaces for exploration will remain essential as GenAI continues to evolve rapidly and require ongoing adaptation and continual learning for faculty and academic leaders. A book club or a similar iteration can provide a flexible and accessible means of professional learning for educators and staff.

References

Kohnke, L., Zou, D., Ou, A.W., Gu, M.M. (2025). Preparing future educators for AI-enhanced classrooms: Insights into AI literacy and integration. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 8, 100398.

Toncelli, R. & Kostka, I. (2024). A love-hate relationship: Faculty implementation of GenAI in academic English language courses. International Journal of TESOL Studies. 6(3), 77-94. https://doi.org/10.58304/ijts.20240306