This abstract was part of the 2026 UCSF AI and Education Symposium
This 90 minute workshop explores how to analyze complex archival documents including letters, legal texts, and articles from the UCSF Industry Archives. The session is designed to be fully accessible to participants across all skill levels and provide a model for integrating AI and code based analytical methods into a workshop or classroom environment.
The session will begin with an overview of the dataset and analytical tools, along with a discussion of how the mix of tools can be adjusted. Some inquiries will rely heavily on Python and SQL for data management, while others will primarily use direct GenAI Large Language Model (LLM) prompts for rapid analysis. Many projects will use a combination of both code and AI. Crucially, the use of AI reduces the time spent on routine data cleaning, preparation, and visualization tasks, allowing groups to focus on real time discussion, critical thinking, and collaborative problem solving during the analysis phase.
This introductory phase will be immediately followed by a hands-on group activity where teams identify a research question and experiment with these tools on the Industry Archives dataset. The workshop will conclude with a discussion of the practical merits and limitations of their chosen methodologies and the pedagogical impact of these choices in a classroom or workshop environment. Group mini presentations or report outs will be encouraged!
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
1. Evaluate AI/Code Based Tool Mixes
2. Practice using key functions in a basic coding environment (Google Colab) and/or a modern AI interface (Gemini, ChatGPT, or other GenAI environments).
3. Assess the benefits and challenges that rapid AI-based analytical capabilities bring to in-class group collaborations and projects.
Request for a 90-minute workshop:
Because this session will involve a technical presentation, coding/analysis group collaborations, and team report-outs, an extra 30 minutes (90 minutes total) will help ensure we have time to fully explore and discuss the analytical and pedagogical benefits and challenges of this approach. However, I can adapt this workshop to fit a shorter time frame if needed.
Contact
Geoffry Boushey, [email protected]