Monthly Archives

April 2026

Francesca Joyce
In Accessibility

Accessibility@Smeal: PDF Remediation Session

This hands-on session for everyone who creates PDFs, regardless of purpose, introduces practical strategies for remediating existing PDFs for accessibility using Adobe Acrobat Pro. Participants will learn how to use Acrobat’s built-in accessibility checker along with manual review methods to help ensure PDFs are usable with assistive technologies and accessible to all learners.Prior to joining this session, we recommend that you request access and download Adobe Acrobat Pro. Follow these instructions to request and access Adobe Acrobat Pro. Session objectives include:

  • Diagnose common PDF accessibility issues and prioritize fixes
  • Correct reading order, tags/headings, alt text, links, language/title
  • Remediate simple and moderately complex tables
  • Add accessible form fields with labels/descriptions
  • Validate fixes with Acrobat’s Accessibility Check and manual review

 

RESOURCES:

Contact [email protected] or use our Bookings page to schedule a consultation with the eLDIG team. 

Francesca Joyce
In GenAI, Smeal Academy Sessions

Sustainable AI in Higher Education: Hidden Costs, Real Impacts, and a Path Forward

AI is rapidly becoming core educational infrastructure. Yet, as institutions adopt these tools and as students use them to bypass, supplement, and replace traditional forms of instruction, we are contributing to an untracked AI carbon footprint, and our most

valuable educational IP is being uploaded to external technology platforms every day. The environmental cost of AI is hidden behind the meter in data centers with undisclosed energy consumption, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions. The strategic cost of ceding our sovereignty over foundational knowledge creation and credentialing is an existential threat to higher education.

We can be disrupted by external forces and accept their terms, or we can proactively set Penn State standards for the ethical, sustainable use of AI in teaching and learning. I propose the latter.

In this innovative Smeal Academy session, Smeal’s Eli Andrews:

  • Clarifys the scope and scale of energy consumption and the associated carbon footprint of data centers and accelerating AI deployment, including two examples of how this is already impacting the Pennsylvania grid, utility bills, and electricity demand
  • Shares how he built a locally hosted AI system in his home office, powered by solar energy
  • Shares frameworks for how we might measure and manage AI’s carbon footprint with a locally hosted model at Penn State
  • Highlights opportunities for Penn State and Smeal to protect their IP and provide global leadership in sustainable AI
Francesca Joyce
In GenAI, Smeal Academy Sessions, SmealAI@Work

Smeal AI@Work Working Smarter with Microsoft Copilot in Word: Advanced Strategies for Faculty and Staff

This advanced session builds on the introductory Copilot for Word workshop and is designed for faculty and staff who want to use AI more strategically in their document workflows. Participants will learn how to craft effective prompts, restructure and analyze
complex documents, and use Copilot to streamline tasks such as summarizing reports, refining tone, and generating structured content. Through demonstrations and practical examples relevant to academic and administrative work, attendees will explore how Copilot
can support more efficient writing, editing, and collaboration in Word. The session will also highlight best practices for verifying AI output and maintaining your professional voice.

 

RESOURCES:

Francesca Joyce
In GenAI, Smeal Academy Sessions, SmealAI@Work

Smeal AI@Work: Microsoft Copilot 365 for Word (Beginner)

This beginner-level session is for people who are new to Microsoft Copilot 365 Copilot for Word and are ready to build their skills and confidence. Join us for an interactive session focused on how Copilot can support the drafting, editing, and collaboration of documents in Word.

Whether you’re drafting meeting agendas, polishing a departmental report, or summarizing meeting notes, Copilot can support this work. In this session, participants will learn how to:

  • Draft, rewrite, and refine documents ranging from memos to proposals using AI assistance.
  • Summarize lengthy content into concise, actionable takeaways to support quicker decision-making.
  • Generate outlines, tables, and visuals, or expand bullet points into polished paragraphs (and vice versa).
  • Adjust tone and format to fit your audience (professional, friendly, or academic) without losing your personal or departmental voice.
  • Collaborate effectively with Copilot to enhance your writing.

This session will include live demos, hands-on tips, and examples directly relevant to Smeal workflows. Whether you’re a frequent Word user or just exploring how AI can streamline your day-to-day tasks, this session will help you build your Copilot skills.

 

RESOURCES: