Center for Digital Innovation and Artificial Intelligence- CINIA - USJ

🚀 Calling all Higher Education Educators!

As part of NUMŪ – Lebanon’s National Digital & AI Capacity-Building Program, led by MITAI, educators are invited to join the inaugural session of the NUMŪ Educator AI Readiness Program.

This free interactive online training will explore practical AI tools that can support teaching, learning, and productivity, including Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Teach.

📅 June 29, 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Beirut Time)
💻 Online
🔗 Register here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=6vKzqw-Un0ObgpJ8KnAA68jRvYatWw1EkDInRmhxrH9UNzZDVUFPVTI5Q1VHNTBIWU1WSklBUVU2WS4u&route=shorturl

Participants will learn how to:
✅ Integrate AI into lesson planning, assessment, and communication
✅ Improve productivity using Microsoft 365 Copilot
✅ Apply responsible and ethical AI practices in education
✅ Build confidence in using AI in their daily academic workflows
✅ Create a personalized AI assistant using Copilot’s agent capabilities

Beyond training, NUMŪ serves as a national platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange, supporting the responsible adoption of AI and strengthening Lebanon’s digital capabilities.
We encourage all faculty members and educators interested in AI-enhanced teaching to register and participate.

🚀 From student innovation to institutional impact!

Developed as a final-year engineering project in collaboration between ESIB and CINIA, Smart Grading is an AI-powered Moodle solution designed to transform assessment practices. Now entering its beta deployment phase, the platform automates the evaluation of programming assignments while providing meaningful feedback and supporting educators in their teaching mission.

A concrete example of how innovation, artificial intelligence, and student talent can shape the future of education at USJ. 💡🎓

🚀 Digital Transformation Starts with Skills

At USJ, we are proud to support the national NUMŪ initiative, empowering learners across Lebanon with the digital and AI skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

We are happy to announce the appointment of Mrs. Wadad Wazen Gergy, Director of CINIA at USJ, as a NUMŪ Ambassador by the Ministry of Technology & Artificial Intelligence (MITAI).

This prestigious appointment underscores USJ’s leadership in advancing digital transformation and artificial intelligence in Lebanon. It reflects the University's unwavering commitment to empowering individuals and institutions through innovation, education, and the responsible adoption of emerging technologies.

As NUMŪ Ambassador, Mrs. Wazen will play a strategic role in strengthening collaboration between USJ and MITAI, championing national AI and digital skills initiatives, and expanding opportunities for students, educators, researchers, and professionals to engage with Lebanon’s growing digital ecosystem.

Through a range of specialized training tracks—including Microsoft AI Academy, Lebanon Coding, and Digital Literacy & Inclusion—NUMŪ offers accessible, high-quality, and industry-relevant learning opportunities designed to equip learners with future-ready competencies and address the evolving needs of the workforce.

Through CINIA, USJ continues to contribute actively to shaping a future-ready generation equipped with the knowledge, skills, and mindset needed to drive innovation and support Lebanon’s digital transformation journey.

Together, we are building a digitally empowered and AI-ready Lebanon.

🎓 Exploring the Role of AI in Doctoral Research

As part of the seminar “AI for the Thesis: Tools and Best Practices”, organized by the Doctoral School of Humanities and Social Sciences, on Monday 1st June and Wednesday 3rd June, 35 doctoral students from several USJ faculties participated in two interactive training sessions led by Mrs. Wadad Wazen Gergy, Director of CINIA, and Mr. Mario Gharib, CINIA Team Leader.

The first session, entitled “Optimizing the Researcher’s Workflow: Contributions of AI,” focused on large language models and prompt engineering techniques.
During the second session, participants explored four AI tools supporting different stages of the research process: Semantic Scholar and PaperGuide for literature discovery and scientific research,
NotebookLM for reading, analyzing, and understanding academic papers and Napkin for transforming complex ideas into clear visuals and communicating research findings in a more engaging and accessible manner.

Through initiatives such as these, CINIA continues to support doctoral students and researchers in developing the skills needed to integrate artificial intelligence effectively, critically, and ethically into their academic work.

To know more, please read the full article: https://cinia.blogs.usj.edu.lb/en/2026/06/recherche-doctorale-et-intelligence-artificielle-des-outils-des-methodes-et-des-reflexions-ethiques/

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We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Wadad Wazen Gergy, Director of the Center for Digital Innovation and Artificial Intelligence (CINIA) at USJ, has joined the Lebanon Internet Governance Forum (IGF) as a member.

Through this engagement, CINIA continues to contribute to national multi-stakeholder dialogue on Internet governance, digital transformation, and the role of technology in advancing sustainable development in Lebanon.

To learn more, visit Mrs. Gergy’s profile on the Lebanon IGF website: https://igflebanon.org/members/academia/wadad-wazen-gergy/

🚀 Proud moment for CINIA and USJ!

Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ) has officially ranked among the Top 100 universities worldwide in the 2026 WURI Rankings for AI-Based Teaching and Learning Transformation, securing the 75th position globally. 🏆

This international recognition reflects USJ’s strong commitment to innovation, digital transformation, and the meaningful integration of artificial intelligence in higher education.

At CINIA, we are proud to contribute to this vision by supporting innovative pedagogical practices, empowering educators and students with AI-driven tools, and fostering a culture of digital excellence across the university community.

L’Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth parmi les 100 meilleures universités mondiales au classement WURI 2026 dans la transformation de l’enseignement par l’intelligence artificielle L’Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth a été classée parmi les 100 meilleures universités au monde dans le cadre du classement international World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) 2026, dans la catégorie « AI-based Teaching and Learning Transformation ».L’USJ occupe ainsi la 75.....

🔐 Toward more secure digital examinations at USJ!

As part of USJ’s institutional strategy to reinforce the security and reliability of digital assessments, CINIA organized an online working session with the teams responsible for examinations at the Faculty of Dental Medicine (FMD) on May 14, 2026.

Led by Mr. Mario Gharib, Team Leader at CINIA, and Mr. Elie Bechara, Platform Administrator, the meeting focused on the progressive transition of quizzes and examinations from Moodle to the Moodle Exam platform, designed to provide a safer, more stable, and more efficient assessment environment.

This initiative reflects USJ’s ongoing commitment to digital transformation and secure educational innovation. 🚀

🚀 A new step forward in educational innovation at USJ!

The Center for Digital Innovation and Artificial Intelligence (CINIA) at Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ) continues to drive pedagogical innovation and digital transformation through the development of Quiz Download, a new Moodle plugin designed to enhance the security, quality, and traceability of academic assessments.

Officially released on Moodle.org, this innovative solution enables authorized teaching staff to export Moodle quizzes — including correct answers — into structured, professional, and highly secure PDF documents tailored to the needs of quality assurance and accreditation processes.

🔒 Encrypted and access-protected PDFs
🛡️ Confidentiality watermarking and download traceability
🌍 Full multilingual support, including Arabic and French
🎓 Ethical and secure handling of assessment data

Developed through a collaborative effort bringing together expertise in cybersecurity, pedagogy, educational technologies, translation, design, and artificial intelligence, this project reflects CINIA’s commitment to delivering impactful, secure, and internationally aligned digital solutions for higher education.

Direct link to the plugin on Moodle.org: https://moodle.org/plugins/quiz_downloadquiz

Read the full article on the CINIA website: https://cinia.blogs.usj.edu.lb/en/2026/05/cinia-developpe-un-plugin-innovant-sur-moodle-pour-renforcer-la-securite-et-la-qualite-des-evaluations/

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Une série, des idées, et surtout une communauté engagée.

Merci pour votre participation aux AI Toolkit Break.
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