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On-Demand Access: Now–January 31, 2025

Assessing Learning

If GenAI Can Do That, Then What’s a Teacher For?

Nicki Monahan, George Brown College
For attendees who have some experience with this topic

In this interactive session, the presenters will introduce labor-based grading as potential method to address power imbalances in grading, decrease stress, and enhance well-being. The presenters will answer questions about communication strategies, common challenges, and rewards of this novel approach to grading. Participants will then review research outcomes of the impact of labor-based grading on constructs related to student well-being, including test anxiety, academic stress, and alienation.  The session will end with reflection on the complex intersections between grading, equity, and well-being. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of labor-based grading practices, critically evaluate the potential impact of alternative grading schemas on student well-being, and reflect on future directions for research in labor-based grading.

Meaningful and Measurable Rubrics: Gathering Credible Evidence of Student Learning

Vicki Caruana, St. Petersburg College

This session explores the pivotal role of meaningful and measurable rubrics in improving faculty teaching through enhanced assessment techniques. It addresses the pressing need for robust assessment tools that foster deep learning, combat grade inflation, and bolster faculty assessment skills. By delving into the pivotal question of the value of college education, participants will engage with a student-centered philosophy of assessment, differentiating between grading and assessment. Emphasizing the customization of rubrics to align with institutional values and outcomes, the session equips participants with practical insights into designing effective assessment tools. Through discussions on purpose, best practices, and the principles of backwards design in rubric development, participants will gain valuable skills to advance their assessment capacity.

Student Engagement

Day One Activities in a First-Year Classroom that Build Community and Increase Engagement

Gina Burkart, Clarke University

First-year students often struggle with adapting to the college classroom. This presentation will demonstrate activities that help build relationships with peers and the professor on the first day. Additionally, it will show how students and professors can create a class constitution and student-learning plans that not only teach students how to use a syllabus—but foster increased communication and engagement throughout the semester.

Finishing Strong, How to Keep Students Engaged All Semester Long

Day Halsey and Christine Rizzo, Colorado State University

Promoting student engagement in online courses requires intentional design and instructor support. Join us as we explore effective strategies to incorporate interaction and motivate students in online classes. Explore onboarding meetings to capture student interest from day one and then dig into scaffolded projects with frequent and personalized feedback to keep them engaged to the end. Both facilitators have extensive experience teaching asynchronous online courses, although strategies could also be applied to synchronous formats. Participants will problem solve together as they apply these strategies to their online classes through interactive whiteboard activities and small group discussions, and attendees will leave with tools and strategies that they can implement immediately into their courses.

Infusing a Talent Development Model into Higher Education

Jessica Manzone, Northern Arizona University

Coursework for graduate and undergraduate students must build opportunities that strategically and purposefully nurture their talents and potential, and provide them with the self-reflection tools necessary to sustain agency and creativity throughout their careers. This session demonstrates how a research-based talent development model can be used as the vehicle to develop agency, confidence, and competence in graduate and undergraduate learners. Participants will explore how a talent development model can be employed to provide higher education faculty with a pedagogical framework to integrate candidates’ strengths, passions, and individual identities into programmatic coursework and classroom assignments. Participants will analyze their own syllabi for possible points of intersection and alternative pathways to ignite the talents and passions of their learners.

Lecturing: Seven Simple Strategies to Increase Student Engagement and Learning

Christine Harrington, Morgan State University

Lectures, when done well, can be one of the best ways to help novice learners develop the foundational knowledge needed to succeed. Attend this engaging, interactive lecture and walk away with evidence on and practical guidance related to implementing the following seven lecture strategies: activating prior knowledge, highlighting the big ideas, effectively using multi-media, elaborating through examples, offering brief opportunities for student to reflect, engaging students in retrieving practice and facilitating critical thinking through questioning. By the end of this session, you will be able to summarize the research illustrating the benefits of lecturing and explain how to incorporate seven evidence-based, inclusive practices into a lecture.

Setting the Climate for a Community of Engaged Learners

Celine Green and Mia Lamm, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Student engagement can be fostered through an intersection of the Community of Inquiry (COI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) frameworks. This session will cover teaching strategies aligned with both as they relate to creating and maintaining a positive classroom climate. This climate is an important component to fostering academic success and developing lifelong learning skills. A brief overview of the frameworks will be provided, emphasizing the intersection of COI’s teaching and social presences: “setting climate.” We will explore the core characteristics in a climate that values the learning environment, community rapport, emotional expression, and instructional management as its pillars. Participants will collaborate to imagine authentic activities aligned with strategies that support these key characteristics, while considering COI presence categories and UDL principles.

Technology Tools for Teaching

Breaking Boundaries: Interdisciplinary Faculty Development for Virtual Reality

JJ Wallace, Transylvania University

Faculty and staff work in collaboration to recount their experiences in using professional development sessions to integrate VR into various curricula. These sessions helped faculty from various disciplines to integrate VR, enriching experiential learning and heightening student excitement about coursework. Attendees will learn the significance of faculty development for VR adoption in education, gain insights from successful initiatives at a small private liberal arts college, and discover how to launch similar VR-focused faculty development efforts. Additionally, participants will explore basic VR applications that enhance the learning of key skills pertinent to general education curricula at most universities.

Creating Personalized Language Learning Paths with Gen AI Prompt Engineering

Dima Almoamin and Amany Nasser, Defense Language Institute

Explore how personalized learning paths and prompt engineering can revolutionize language education. This synchronous concurrent session demonstrates how educators can use Gen AI tools like Copilot, ChatGPT, and Gemini to create adaptive materials that cater to individual student needs. Key strategies include designing contextual prompts, developing adaptive materials, and utilizing AI-driven chatbots for language practice. Participants will gain insights through demos, practical applications, and discussions on integrating these tools into the classroom. This session will show how prompt engineering can enhance teaching methods and boost student proficiency.

Harnessing AI for Emotional Intelligence in Hybrid Classrooms

Tracie Lashley, Webster University

This session explores the integration of AI tools to enhance emotional intelligence among students in hybrid and online classrooms. Key takeaways include understanding the theoretical underpinnings of AI in education, practical demonstrations of AI tools, and strategies for fostering student engagement and emotional growth. Participants will leave equipped with actionable insights to implement these technologies effectively.

Qualitative Case Study Results: Adopting AI in Faculty Teaching Methodologies

David Wolf, Lynn University

In an era of digital-native students and rapid AI advancements, this session highlights the crucial role of AI in transforming teaching pedagogy and methods. Anchored in a study examining faculty utilization of AI in pedagogy and its impact on learning outcomes, this session will provide insights into boosting student engagement, customizing learning experiences, and enhancing instructional efficacy using AI. Participants will be introduced to cutting-edge technological practices in education and gain concrete examples of successful AI implementation in academic settings. This session will also discuss challenges in AI adoption, faculty integration resources, and curriculum and assessment redesign strategies. This session will also motivate educators toward effective AI integration, fostering collaboration and commitment to ethical practices in AI-based healthcare administration education.

Online Teaching and Learning

Advancing Multi-Modal Learning: Integrating UDL, AI, and Inclusiveness in Higher Education

Melissa Wells, SUNY Empire State University

In this session, you will explore the synergy of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and inclusiveness to enhance student engagement and success. Participants will gain practical strategies for creating adaptive content and assessments that cater to diverse learning styles and needs. Discover how AI can personalize learning experiences and ensure accessibility, while celebrating diversity. Key takeaways include effective techniques for implementing UDL and AI, and actionable steps to foster an inclusive learning environment.

Asynchronous Active Learning: Moving Beyond Discussions, Quizzes, and Lectures

McKenzie Rabenn, Universities of Wisconsin, and Rachelle Haroldson, University of Wisconsin-River Falls   

Maintaining student engagement and ensuring robust learning outcomes in online education requires moving beyond traditional methods like discussions, quizzes, and lectures. This session will explore innovative strategies for creating dynamic and interactive learning environments in Canvas. Participants will learn how to implement creative active learning strategies to keep students engaged and motivated in an asynchronous setting, enhance peer-to-peer interactions to build a collaborative online community, and diversify assessment methods to accurately measure student learning through various active learning activities. Join us to revolutionize your online teaching and empower your students with enhanced engagement and interactive learning strategies.

Creating Engaging Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Experiences

Alym Amlani, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Whether you teach synchronously online, or create asynchronous video content for your students, unless you have a dedicated production team, it has always been challenging to create professional-looking content – until now. In this session, we’ll explore how you can move beyond the limitations of platforms like Zoom and Teams to create engaging and interactive online learning experiences using Open Broadcaster Software (OBS).

While platforms like Zoom and Teams are great for synchronous meetings, your classes aren’t meetings! OBS allows you to seamlessly integrate multimedia elements, overlay slides, and more, transforming passive viewing into active learning. Furthermore, OBS is a powerful tool for producing high-quality asynchronous content. In this session, we’ll walk through the basics of OBS, from setup and essential equipment to creating scenes and transitions, regardless of prior technical expertise. Attendees will leave equipped with practical strategies and resources to elevate their online teaching and create impactful learning experiences for their students.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Conscious Communication within The LGBTQ Plus Community

Kiki Wilson, Fortis Institute – Online

Language is dynamic, with words and their meanings continually evolving over time. This shift affects how we communicate and the generational differences in understanding connotations. In this session, we will examine the term “Queer” and explore its evolving definition, including appropriate contexts for its use. Our goal is to foster a heightened awareness of how language can impact others, emphasizing the importance of sensitivity to potentially triggering words and phrases. We will create a safe environment to enhance conscious communication, clarify ambiguous language, and diversify communication strategies. By doing so, we aim to improve interpersonal relationships and promote positive change through effective reinforcement.

Creating Culturally Affirming and Meaningful Assignments

Christine Harrington, Morgan State University

Think beyond traditional assignments that are more likely to activate stereotype threat and amplify equity gaps and instead develop innovative assignments that validate, honor, stretch, and engage their diverse students. Through mini-interactive lectures and small group discussions, participants will explore research-based practices related to increasing assignment choice and transparency, and determine how to engage and support students in learning tasks that affirm their varied lived experiences. Participants will walk away being able to apply principles to create or revise assignments that students will find culturally affirming and meaningful, and will be ready to champion this approach with colleagues on campus.

Creating Open Educational Resources (OERs) for Underserved Populations

Caroline Fitzpatrick, Alvernia University

The stakes are high for higher education as the number of Americans attending college has decreased by nearly a million since the pandemic and by almost three million over the last decade, largely due to high costs and growing skepticism (Marcus, 2022). According to Education Data (Hanson, 2022), 25% of students worked extra hours and 11% skipped meals to afford books and materials, with underserved populations feeling the greatest strain. Open Educational Practices/Resources (OEPs/OERs) present a viable solution to enhance access and affordability. In this session, the presenter will share experiences and resources from creating a peer-reviewed OER textbook, covering opportunities in adopting and creating free texts, the impacts on affordability and retention, and challenges in quality control and adaptation time. An electronic handout of OEP/OER resources will also be provided.

Course Delivery and Instruction

Be a Playmaker: Enhancing Learning through Playful Pedagogy

Colleen Packer, Weber State University

Be a playmaker by integrating playful pedagogy into your teaching! Playful pedagogy is an educational approach that uses games, play, and interactive activities to engage students in the learning process (Forbes, 2021). The benefits of playful pedagogy are consistent with inclusive teaching practices in that all students can access and participate in learning activities, interact and collaborate with classmates, and participate in a safe learning environment. In this highly interactive session, participants will experience 4–5 playful strategies as they learn about the benefits of playful pedagogy. Participants will reflect on how they can integrate playful pedagogies into their own teaching and participate in the creation of a Pedagogy of Play document for use beyond the session.

Bring Your Existing Course Assignments to Life with Generative AI

Michael Rota, University of St. Thomas

In this session, attendees will explore a new software product that allows professors to create AI Tutors customized to their courses, so that as their students learn the material and complete assignments for a course, they benefit from immediate, personalized feedback and a one-on-one tutoring experience. Professors enter both problems/questions and solutions/evaluation criteria, allowing the AI Tutor to evaluate student responses and, when needed, Socratically guide students to greater understanding based on instructor-provided expertise. Ideal for homework assignments, reading engagement questions, and practice quizzes and tests. Attendees will have an opportunity to try the product (www.personifyai.app) during the session.

Re-Envisioning Course Delivery and Instruction: Supporting Students Hierarchical Needs

Amy Orville, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, and Emily Mazzant, Westminster College

Before students meet their fullest learning potential in our classrooms, a specific series of needs must be satisfied to attain high levels of achievement. Prioritizing students’ overall well-being is essential for establishing an enriching learning environment for optimal student growth and success. Using the motivation theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we will focus on implementation practices of restructuring syllabi, classroom delivery and instruction to better meet the needs of university students. Using this research-based framework to connect physical, emotional, and social needs within the learning environment will help instructors promote students’ holistic growth, impact and increase student motivation and engagement, and design instructional strategies that will enhance classroom management by creating an inclusive learning environment for all students and disciplines.

Outside the Classroom

Emotional Intelligence Smoothie Effect: Blend Your Way to Career Success

Cynthia Steele, Alabama State University

Ready to unlock the secret ingredient to a thriving career and student success? It’s Emotional Intelligence (EI)! Educators will be introduced to a powerful blend of EI to fuel their career journey. Just like a delicious smoothie has various ingredients, so does EI. Participants will identify their strengths and weaknesses in recognizing emotions related to academic demands (including emotional triggers that can affect decision-making and interactions with learners and colleagues); explore tactics for managing stress; and maintaining a positive outlook when faced with academic pressures; and use key techniques to enhance empathy and interpersonal skills to build rapport with others to foster a culture of care.

Tough Times Don’t Last: Develop and Implement Compassionate Outreach for Students

Nathan Pritts, University of Arizona Global Campus

Students don’t enroll in college to shirk deadlines and fail out; they enroll to change their lives for the better. But sometimes, somewhere along the way, barriers reveal themselves and obstacles block the path. As classroom teachers, there’s only so much we can do—but, truly, everything helps. So, let’s make sure we do everything we can! Whether a student is struggling with content or deadlines, is dealing with a major life issue or a series of never-ending bumps in the road, we can communicate to students that we’re there for them, to offer the support they need, whatever it may be. In this session, we’ll examine some teaching strategies we can put in place on day one to help convey our compassionate stewardship to our students. We’ll consider what we say to students, when we say it, and how we back those words up with actions in the classroom designed to help students overcome challenges and succeed at any level.

Where Have All the Students Gone? Chronic Absenteeism in Rural Colleges

Heather Wyatt, Jefferson State Community College

This session will explore a study completed on chronic absenteeism in rural community colleges. It asks the question: What are the causes of chronic absenteeism in rural community colleges? Chronic absenteeism has been on the rise in the past several years and seems to be worsening since the COVID-19 pandemic. This study hopes to shed light on the more specific area of rural community colleges when discussing the issue of chronic absenteeism by using existing data, observation, a questionnaire given to instructors at Jefferson State Community College, and an interview with five of the instructors who participated in the questionnaire. The goal is to discuss potential strategies to combat this problem.

For Mid-Career Teachers and For New Teachers

Crafting a Teaching Phi

Kaitlyn Ramos, Arizona College of Nursing

A teaching philosophy is a reflective document that expresses your beliefs, values, and methods in teaching and learning, shaping your professional image. This session will guide you through developing a clear and relevant teaching philosophy by starting with well-defined objectives that align with your teaching practices. We’ll explore how to address critical thinking, lifelong learning, and your discipline’s unique focus within your philosophy. You’ll learn to align your methods with your objectives, incorporating learning theory, curriculum design, and specific instructional strategies. We’ll also cover assessing effectiveness through student outcomes, course evaluations, and peer feedback. The session will conclude with advice on articulating your personal motivations for teaching, offering tips to keep your philosophy authentic, avoiding clichés, using concrete examples, and connecting your teaching approach with your research and service commitments.

Coaching for College Professors

Michael Alleruzzo, Carnegie Mellon University

College professors face unique workplace challenges. These have been exponentially exacerbated since 2020. This session will invite attendees to analyze a recent or current academic, professional, or personal challenge through a system the presenter uses with clients. This includes diagnosing the challenge, setting a goal for the situation’s outcome, reflecting on one’s natural style when confronted with similar challenging situations, and analyzing what strategies you can implement in order to achieve the outcome you seek.  We will also explore what coaching is, what it is not, and why seeking a credentialed professional coach might be the right option. This session will also offer engagement activities through a structured reflection and style assessment completion.

What Will Be Your Impact: Thinking About the Last Half of Your Career

Gretchen Oltman, Creighton University

This session explores ways to find new purpose and value in your work as a mid-to-late career faculty member. Too often, the years in academia pass us by as we strive for tenure, promotion, and publications. Often, we reach mid-to-late career and look back wondering why our work matters and how we can ensure the second half of our careers leave an impact. This session allows participants to: (a) recognize the unique value that mid-to-late career faculty bring to academia; (b) understand the importance of strategically planning to leave an impact; and (c) reflect on ways that impact might be recognized throughout the second half of one’s career.