Concurrent Sessions
⸻ Look for sessions in these tracks: ⸻
Invited Session
Teaching for Transformation: Strategies to Help Students See the World Differently
Michelle Blank, Goshen College
Transformative learning empowers adult learners, like college students, to critically reflect, challenge assumptions, and shift perspectives—key skills for thriving in today’s complex world. This session highlights how fostering critical reflection and perspective-shifting in the classroom can lead to deeper student engagement, improved critical thinking, and meaningful connections to course content. By integrating transformative practices into course design and curriculum, educators can move beyond surface-level learning to create experiences that encourage personal growth and lasting impact.
Prepping Myself and My Course for Underprepared First-Generation College Students
Angela Brown and Tad MacMillan, Piedmont College
First-generation college students often face unique challenges, including unfamiliarity with academic expectations, financial pressures, and feelings of isolation, which can impact their confidence and academic success. By designing inclusive syllabi, providing clear expectations, and fostering a supportive classroom environment, educators can help these students navigate higher education more effectively. This session explores practical strategies for supporting first-generation students, ensuring equitable access to learning, and enhancing student engagement through thoughtful course design and teaching practices.
Short and Smart: Team Challenges Hit the Mark
Patsy Totusek, University of Texas at Dallas
Are you tired of hearing students complain about social loafers on team projects? Do students report difficulties in scheduling meetings for team collaboration? Consider replacing your team project with a series of team challenges. Team challenges are graded projects completed primarily during class time. While not a panacea, team challenges help students acquire important skills while decreasing the potential for group dislike. Upon conclusion, attendees will be able to: articulate the advantages of team challenges; work with others to create a team challenge that can be completed within one class session; and receive feedback on the team challenge developed.
From Panic to Progress: Metacognition, Accountability, and the Flipped Classroom
Rachel Glazener, Pellissippi State Community College
Balancing content delivery with student engagement in high-volume, problem-solving courses—especially in STEM—can be challenging. This session explores strategies to help students take ownership of their learning through metacognitive reflection, low-effort learning journals that foster accountability without increasing grading load, and flipped classroom models that maximize in-class problem-solving time. Rooted in STEM but broadly applicable, this session provides practical approaches for designing courses that enhance learning outcomes and foster student ownership.
From Player to Creator: Using Board Games for Interdisciplinary Learning
Joanna Claudy, Trine University
Board games offer a powerful yet underutilized tool for fostering interdisciplinary learning, critical analysis, and student engagement. This session explores how to use commercial board games and student-designed prototypes to enhance storytelling, audience awareness, and soft skills. Participants will interactively explore the four frames of game use—action, structuring, bridging, and designing—and discover strategies for integrating board games into their own courses.
Curriculum Cultures in Conflict: Rethinking Vocational Education for the Future
Sally Vinden, Vancouver Island University
How do tensions between prescribed curricula and real-world competencies shape Trades, Vocational, Education, and Training (TVET)? This session uncovers the conflicting forces at play in TVET curriculum design using Q Methodology to analyze instructors’ perceptions. Findings reveal systemic contradictions between competency-based education and training (CBET) and existing curricular beliefs, leading to pedagogical inconsistencies. Participants will explore how Cultures of Curriculum Theory can inform professional development and curriculum adaptation. Walk away with strategies to navigate these tensions, build adaptable TVET programs, and align course design with workforce demands.
Students as Design Consultants: Enhancing Engagement and Inclusivity
Toni Gist, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
This session explores how leveraging students as design consultants can transform classroom dynamics, boost student engagement, and foster inclusivity. By allowing students to take an active role in designing course components, educators gain invaluable insights into the learning experience from the students’ perspective. Attendees will discover methods to integrate student feedback into instructional design, making the learning environment more relevant, accessible, and effective.
Advisory Board Session
Looking for an AI Resistant Teaching Method? Try PBL!
Madeline Craig, Molloy University
As artificial intelligence reshapes education, ensuring students engage in critical thinking and authentic learning experiences is more important than ever. This session explores Project-Based Learning (PBL) as a strategy that prioritizes process over product, fostering collaboration and problem-solving skills. Participants will be introduced to the research-based “Gold Standard PBL” model and examine case studies of successful implementation in teacher preparation programs. Through discussion and reflection, attendees will explore ways to integrate PBL into their online, hybrid, or face-to-face courses to enhance student engagement and deeper learning.
Enhancing Research and Critical Thinking Through AI Literacy in First-Year Research
Russell Michalak, Bret Shephard, and Kevin Hunt, Goldey-Beacom College
This presentation explores how structured AI-focused course sessions enhance critical engagement, ethical awareness, and practical research skills. Using the CLEAR framework, students can develop responsible AI usage habits, balancing human oversight with technological capabilities. In this session, attendees will learn how to incorporate a curriculum with prompt engineering, AI ethics, and hands-on practice with tools like Grammarly, Scholarcy, and ImageFX. Through embedded assignments—including narrative revision, response paper summarization, and visual expression projects—students can gain a nuanced understanding of when to leverage AI versus human judgment.
Equipping Minds for a Digital Revolution: Literacy in an AI and Metaverse Era
JJ Wallace, Transylvania University
As digital and media literacy become increasingly essential, faculty must not only comprehend these changes but also adapt their teaching practices to prepare students for a technology-driven society. AI and the Metaverse offer unparalleled opportunities for personalized learning, immersive experiences, and data-driven decision-making, but they also present challenges related to privacy, equity, and digital misinformation. By understanding these dynamics, faculty can create learning environments that support all students, foster digital responsibility, and harness the potential of these powerful tools to enhance educational outcomes.
Bite-Sized Best Practices for Integrating Generative AI into Teaching
Lisa Low, Texas Tech University
This session offers practical, micro strategies for using AI in instructional design, student engagement, assessment, and inclusive teaching while safeguarding intellectual property and student privacy. Attendees will gain best practices for protecting student data, designing AI-based assessments that promote authentic learning, and shifting from AI detection to fostering ethical AI engagement. Faculty will leave with actionable tools to enhance their teaching while preparing students for an AI-driven future.
Elevating Deep Reading in the AI Era: Collaborative Annotation and Other Reading Engagement Strategies
Susan McDowall, Central Community College
As AI reshapes education, fostering deep reading and scholarly engagement remains critical. This session explores how collaborative annotation tools like Harmonize and Perusall can enhance students’ critical reading skills while building a supportive, engaged learning community. Drawing from real-world implementation, the presenter will share strategies for integrating these platforms and engage with diverse student populations. Attendees will gain practical techniques for cultivating close reading practices in an AI-driven landscape and fostering peer collaboration through digital annotation.
Empowering Success: Leveraging LinkedIn, YouTube, and AI for Learning
Christopher Hirschler, Lorain County Community College
In today’s digital-first education landscape, helping students build a professional online presence and develop essential career skills is more important than ever. This session explores innovative strategies for using LinkedIn as an e-portfolio tool, student-created YouTube videos for presentations and career development, and non-credit Canvas modules for exam prep and pre-course resources. Attendees will also discover how AI can be integrated into coursework to enhance critical thinking and digital literacy. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to empower students in building a professional digital identity and excelling academically.
For Better or Worse: Teaching and Learning in the Era of AI
Hoda Mostafa, American University in Cairo
This session explores how generative AI can enhance student engagement, personalize learning experiences, and create AI-resilient assessments. Presenters will discuss real-world applications of AI in education, strategies for upskilling faculty, and approaches for fostering critical AI literacies in the classroom. Participants will leave with a structured framework for faculty development, practical methods for integrating AI into teaching, and strategies to empower students with essential AI skills. By reframing AI as an opportunity rather than a threat, this session will help faculty build confidence in navigating the evolving educational landscape.
Invited Session
Joyful Online Teaching: Finding our Fizz in Asynchronous Classes
Flower Darby, University of Missouri
Let’s face it. Sometimes online teaching doesn’t feel like real teaching. There’s no buzz of interaction like we experience in the classroom. We struggle to engage with our asynchronous online students. Indeed, synchronicity is a key ingredient of meaningful connections. What happens when that’s missing, by design? We’ll acknowledge the challenges of online teaching, then identify ways to spark and sustain our own joy in our online spaces. You’ll walk away with practical tips and tricks to support your well-being first and foremost, and that of your students, too. Plus, these strategies work in person, too! Join us to find and sustain your teaching joy in every class you teach.
Online College Success: Preparing Students for Online Learning
Jim Harger, Elizabeth Harger, and Courtney McKnight, Colorado Christian University
As online education continues to expand, equipping students with the skills to succeed in virtual learning environments is more critical than ever. This session explores practical strategies for fostering time management, effective communication, and digital readiness among online learners. Participants will gain actionable methods to enhance digital literacy, support self-discipline, and improve student engagement in online courses. By addressing the unique challenges faced by non-traditional and online students, this session provides faculty with essential tools to help learners thrive academically in virtual settings.
Beyond the Screen: What Makes an Exceptional Online Instructor?
Art Mollengarden and Lisa Marie Chervenak, Post University
What makes an exceptional online instructor? This session explores key predictors of effective online teaching, including instructional clarity, empathy, adaptability, and student-centered learning. Through research-backed insights and collaborative discussion, participants will examine strategies for fostering engagement, designing interactive assignments, and leveraging technology to enhance learning. Presenters from marketing and psychology will share cross-disciplinary approaches, providing universal principles applicable to all educators. Attendees will leave with practical strategies, new perspectives, and a renewed enthusiasm for online teaching.
Invited Session
Beyond Asynchrony: Markers of Quality Technology-Mediated Teaching
Tom Tobin, University of Wisconsin-Madison
The research and advice in Evaluating Online Teaching (2015) covered the range of then-possible online instructional scenarios: what we might nowadays call “traditional” online spaces like learning management system (LMS) shells that afforded a highly mediated and structured range of possible interactions among instructors, learners, and the tool sets within those spaces. Largely asynchronous, online teaching left a clear trail of observable phenomena. We now find ourselves in an instructional world where the bounded environment of the LMS seems almost simple. For those of us tasked with observing, evaluating, crediting, and critiquing the teaching that happens at our institutions, we can no longer assume that looking in one “place”—whether that is a classroom, an LMS shell, or a Zoom recording of a live remote session—will afford us a representative sample of the teaching practices and behaviors that instructors exhibit. This session outlines what has changed in online teaching and offers ways to offer observation and assessment of online teaching that are consistent, equitable, and fair.
Creating Resilient Learners: Strategies for Fostering Well-Being in the Online Classroom
Karen Gordes and Violet Kulo, University of Maryland Baltimore
This session offers faculty an evidence-based framework for promoting student well-being and resilience in online courses. Attendees will explore six guiding principles that support key facilitators of student success, including safety, belonging, connectedness, and self-agency. The session provides actionable strategies to create an inclusive and supportive online learning environment, addressing growing challenges to student mental health and engagement.
Level Up Learning: Using Games to Engage Students
Laura Kelly, University of Mount Union
Discover how in-classroom games can transform engagement and deepen learning across disciplines. This session begins with a brief overview of games as powerful tools in education, focusing on their impact on student motivation, retention, and comprehension. Participants will then explore three adaptable game formats designed to fit diverse subject matter. Attendees will work in small groups to customize these games, aligning them with their specific teaching goals and topic areas. Leave equipped with practical, ready-to-use game ideas and new insights into how play can support active learning in your classroom.
Ludic LEGO: Increasing Student Engagement One Brick at a Time
Trent Tucker, Thompson Rivers University
Ludic pedagogy is an innovative teaching approach that incorporates play, discovery, and fun into the classroom to enhance student engagement and learning. This session will explore how LEGO bricks have been used to make complex concepts more accessible and engaging for students. Attendees will gain insight into how LEGO and other playful tools can be used to foster critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving in a variety of disciplines.
Mythbusting in the Classroom: Building Baloney Detection Kits to Empower Critical Thinkers
Amber Emanuel, University of Florida
Engaging students to critically evaluate information is essential across disciplines. This session focuses on empowering students to be “mythbusters” by building their own metaphorical “Baloney Detection Kits.” These kits equip students with tools to identify biases, spot common fallacies, and utilize heuristics and key research methodological concepts to evaluate claims and information. By creating these kits early in the semester, students have a foundation to continually assess source credibility, distinguish between misinformation and disinformation, and apply evidence-based reasoning to further course topics.
Invited Session
Keeping Us Engaged: Student Perspectives on What Works and Why
Christine Harrington, Morgan State University
The student’s voice is often missing from conversations about student success. Come hear stories from students attending various colleges and universities across the nation about what professors can do to motivate and engage students. Discover the research evidence behind the strategies suggested by students and walk away with an action plan to increase student engagement in in-person and online classes. We’ll discuss the following topics: engaging students on the first day of class, connecting with students in and outside of the classroom, using powerful teaching strategies such as demonstrations and collaborative learning activities, creating meaningful assignments, and using feedback to engage students.
Ticket to Play: Motivating Students with Token-Based Rewards
Michelle Kurtyka and Stephen Kanicki, Penn State University
Looking for ways to increase student engagement? This session will explore the use of a ticket reward system to encourage positive behaviors such as class attendance, participation, and performance on quizzes. Students can redeem tickets for bonus points or a chance at a prize drawing, creating an incentive for greater involvement. Participants will also learn how to integrate ticket rewards into class projects, including an interactive activity using the MapMyRun app, where students create images by walking around with their phones.
Bringing Large Classes to Life: Connecting, Engaging, and Assessing Students
Rob Eaton and Travis Searle, Brigham Young University
Helping learners become active learners in large classes is a problem that has plagued higher education for decades. The economic advantages of teaching large classes will continue to propel universities to offer them. Educators must become more adept at enhancing learning and use strategies that help students feel connected, engaged, and fairly assessed. Large classes can cause students to feel lost, unengaged, and unfairly assessed. This presentation will provide actionable tools for teachers to help their students become engaged learners who have the tools to become active participants in the learning process and lifelong learners.
Using Visual Learning Strategies to Understand Abstract Concepts
Suzanna Ramos, Texas A&M University
In this session, participants will discover how visual learning strategies can enhance the comprehension and retention of abstract concepts across various content areas. By incorporating visual learning strategies, students are engaged in metacognitive practices that can foster self-directed learning and higher-order thinking skills. This session will introduce “Mindsketching,” a visual learning strategy that helps students comprehend and articulate abstract concepts in their own words.
Developing Student Capacity for Self-Regulated Learning to Improve Achievement
Cathy Box, Brian Fisher, and Jessica Rogers, Lubbock Christian University
Many students enter their first semester of college underprepared for the academic challenges of higher education. To address this, our university launched a campus-wide initiative focused on helping students develop self-regulatory skills to improve both academic achievement and success on major exams. This session will explore the self-regulated learning tools and strategies identified through our research that have significantly improved student outcomes. Participants will gain insights into innovative engagement strategies designed to assist first-semester students and will leave with practical knowledge of how to foster behaviors that lead to higher achievement and persistence to graduation.
Game On! Collaborative Learning Techniques for the Modern Classroom
Jono Anzalone, Thomas College
This session explores the dynamic impact of games and simulations on student engagement and collaboration. This session offers practical strategies for integrating team-based competitions, role-play, and simulations that promote critical thinking and teamwork. Attendees will learn how to align game-based activities with course outcomes, design inclusive games, and use debriefing to deepen reflection and understanding.
Engaging and Motivating Students in a Time of Distraction
Mandi Campbell and Keith Pacholl, University of West Georgia
In today’s fast-paced world, students juggle numerous demands that make engagement and motivation a growing challenge for faculty. This session offers fresh strategies to re-energize your teaching through assignment feedback and active learning. Participants will identify their unique instructional hurdles and explore practical solutions to engage students while streamlining grading.
Invited Session
How Optional Assignments Can Improve Student Engagement
Andrew Davies, Virginia Commonwealth University
To tackle maintaining student engagement throughout a semester, higher-ed teachers have taken to incorporating video game techniques. One such tactic, side quests, offers students optional challenges and rewards to supplement in-class learning. Well-designed side quests can empower students, allowing them to practice skills and explore topics beyond the curriculum. When paired with an effective rewards system, these activities can make learning enjoyable rather than overwhelming.
Authentic Assessment in Action: Inspiring Learners through Meaningful Assessment
Katie Alaniz and Kristie Cerling, Houston Christian University
This session will guide participants through an interactive journey of discovering purposeful and applicable strategies for designing and implementing authentic assessment opportunities. Participants will engage in a reciprocal learning experience while exploring the “why” for authentic assessment and gaining ideas that can be immediately implemented within teaching and learning endeavors. As educators harness the enthusiasm students have for content creation into everyday assessment opportunities, they position themselves to enhance student engagement, motivation, and achievement in academic contexts.
AI-Powered Self-Reflection: Crafting a Learning Autobiography with AI
Stacy Ybarra, San Antonio College
This presentation explores the innovative use of Gemini AI in the design and implementation of a learning autobiography assignment. Rather than focusing on student use of AI, this session demonstrates how instructors can leverage AI to create a rich, personalized learning experience. Participants will learn how Gemini was used to develop the assignment from scratch, including generating prompts, crafting instructions, and designing feedback mechanisms. These transferable strategies emphasize universal pedagogical principles, AI as a tool for enhancement, and the creation of more accessible and inclusive learning environments.
Invited Session
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.
Rethinking Assessment: Challenging the Normal with “Ungrading”
Richard Priore, Tulane University
In traditional grading models, faculty often struggle to assign scores, limiting their ability to provide impactful feedback that fosters genuine learning and development. This session introduces ungrading, an innovative assessment approach that replaces conventional scoring with a focus on student autonomy, self-reflection, and deep engagement with course content. Ungrading shifts the focus from merely earning a score to mastering the complex concepts essential for students’ future careers. Through interactive discussions and practical examples, participants will explore how ungrading can transform assessment into a core element of the student learning journey.
Advisory Board Session
Assessment Strategies for the AI Era that Promote Student Learning
Jeremy Rentz, Trine University
In this session, we’ll explore practical strategies—from small shifts to big ideas—to ensure students actively engage in their own learning. We’ll cover every aspect of the class, from grading structures to alternatives for essays and papers. You’ll learn how to incorporate uniquely human elements into assignments and discover ways to motivate students to complete their work without relying on AI. We’ll also emphasize the value of in-person assessments, where you maintain the most control over the use of AI.
Invited Session
Doing DEI In a Time of Crisis
Nimisha Barton, California State University
Against the nation-wide assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, many higher education institutions have begun to scale back their equity and inclusion initiatives. Drawing from her recent book, A Just Future: Getting from Diversity and Inclusion to Equity and Justice, this session will discuss the history of DEI in higher education and suggest a path forward in these tumultuous times. In particular, this session will discuss how social justice advocates have weathered political crisis before, highlight institutional strategies that have been effective in the past, and provide recommendations for action that faculty can implement immediately.
Voice and Choice Across the Curriculum: What, How, When, Why
Bryan Wang, Laura Cruz, Joseph Houck, and Kristen Osborne Carroll, Penn State Berks
Student voice and student choice have emerged as key strategies to foster inclusive teaching and enhance learning environments. However, empirical research has been limited to date, with existing studies focused on specific course contexts or student populations. We assessed the impact of varied strategies to increase voice and choice in nine different courses ranging from 10 to 250 students. Instructor-researchers empowered students as decision-makers in curriculum and policy, while also offering choices in content, assignments, and assessments. Pre- and post-course surveys demonstrated significant improvements in both sense of belonging and agentic learning across diverse student populations. The session will conclude with guided free-writing exercises to encourage reflection, imaginative thinking, and future planning.
A Brave New World: Creating Inclusive and Engaging Spaces
Elaine Swain and Alexis Scurry, Columbia College
Creating brave spaces is not just about what we teach but how we teach. As educators, we are tasked with fostering environments that not only promote learning but also support the holistic development of our students. The rapid changes in society, coupled with increasing awareness of systemic inequities and the emotional complexities students face, challenge us to rethink traditional classroom dynamics. A “brave new world” in higher education—one that is inclusive, engaging, and student-centered—requires us to interact and deeply connect with the diverse needs of our students, navigate uncomfortable conversations, and create spaces where both intellectual and emotional competence can bloom.
Enhancing Accessibility in Higher Ed: Practical Strategies for Inclusive Digital Content
Sandeep Patil, Luleå University of Technology
Creating accessible digital content is essential for fostering an inclusive learning environment and supporting all students, including those with disabilities. This session will provide educators with actionable strategies to enhance the accessibility of their teaching materials. Participants will explore the significance of digital accessibility in higher education, learn practical methods for making content more inclusive using everyday tools like Microsoft PowerPoint, and understand how these efforts positively impact student engagement and learning outcomes.
Going Beyond Diversifying: Decolonization in Teaching and Learning
Sera Mathew, University of Pittsburgh
Decolonization is a growing focus in educational development, yet its meaning and implementation often remain unclear. This session engages educators in critical discussions and activities to uncover colonial influences in university teaching and learning. Participants will explore how decolonization can inspire innovative and equitable educational practices, moving beyond diversification to create systemic change. Through guided dialogue and reflexive exercises, this session provides a foundational understanding of decolonization as a praxis of equity and actionable strategies for transforming classrooms and institutions.
Co-Creating Agile Academic Integrity Guiding Principles for AI with Equity
Maha Bali and Hoda Mostafa, American University in Cairo
As AI continues to shape education, it is crucial for educators to maintain a commitment to equitable learning environments. This session presents a global co-design process that engaged students, faculty, and university staff in developing ethical guidelines for AI use while preserving equity in pedagogy within a postplagiarism era (Eaton, 2023). Participants will gain insights into how we structured these conversations and the key findings that emerged regarding the need for equitable academic integrity guidelines in the age of AI. Such policies can help educators make compassionate pedagogical choices and cultivate classroom environments that redress inequities and other potentially harmful practices.
Educating Changemakers: Competency-based Antiracist Education
Phillipe Copeland, Boston University
We are living through an escalating, international racist backlash. This backlash seeks not only to undermine any progress towards more equal and democratic societies, but to take away any tool that made that progress possible. Higher education must ensure that every learner is prepared and equipped to meet the challenge of racism. The session provides a transdisciplinary model of competency-based, antiracist education (CARE). CARE focuses on ensuring that learners demonstrate the ability to integrate and apply knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes to engage in antiracist change. CARE involves three core competencies, recognition, analysis and change. The most important takeaways for participants will be comprehension of the CARE model and how to apply it to their own curriculum development and pedagogy.
Creating ePortfolios for Personal Reflection and Professional Branding
Lynn Meade, University of Arkansas
Students need a way to connect their academic learning to the professional world. ePortfolios provide a valuable platform for meaningful assignments that promote personal and professional growth while helping students develop their personal brand. It is essential to show students that their learning not only contributes to their intellectual development but also holds significance in their career opportunities. Drawing on nearly two years of research, this session shares insights from the development of a university-wide ePortfolio program, including a Professional ePortfolio course and an OER textbook. Participants will gain practical strategies for integrating ePortfolios into courses or programs, emphasizing self-reflection, professionalism, and personal branding.
Self-Efficacy as a Key Learning Condition
Jennifer Kukis, Lorain County Community College
Self-efficacy—the belief in one’s ability to succeed—plays a vital role in student motivation, engagement, and academic achievement. This session explores how faculty can intentionally foster self-efficacy in their students, promoting a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset tied to self-esteem. Through interactive discussions and scenario-based applications, participants will gain practical strategies for integrating self-efficacy into their teaching, including the use of AI-enhanced assignments. This session emphasizes how strengthening students’ confidence in their abilities leads to greater persistence and deeper learning. Faculty will leave with actionable techniques to create a more engaging, empowering, and student-centered learning environment.
Let Them LEAD: Fostering Student Leadership Beyond the Syllabus
Ashanti Foster, Sidney Foster, and Julius Davis, Bowie State University
Empower students to become leaders both in and beyond the classroom by integrating leadership development into coursework, campus initiatives, and community partnerships. This session explores strategies such as Open Educational Resource (OER) curriculum development, student-led organizations, service-learning projects, and mentorship programs to cultivate student agency and leadership. Participants will gain actionable insights into fostering a diverse pipeline of future educators, particularly supporting underrepresented groups in teaching professions. Featuring different perspectives, attendees will leave with concrete strategies to create inclusive, student-centered environments that inspire the next generation of educators and leaders.
From Classroom to Career: Strategies for Teaching Transferable Skills
Dianna Jones and Amanda Hassan, University of Texas in Arlington
As higher education evolves, heutagogy—self-directed, student-driven learning—is emerging as a powerful approach to prepare students for the modern workforce. This session explores how flipped classrooms, and experiential learning can foster transferable skills, adaptability, and career readiness in adult learners. Participants will examine strategies for designing student-oriented course materials, integrating real-world applications, and engaging students in active learning that enhances both conceptual understanding and practical experience. The session will present a Quality Matters (QM) course that incorporates self-directed learning (SDL) principles in both face-to-face and online formats. Attendees will leave with actionable insights on preparing students for success beyond the classroom through innovative, student-centered teaching practices.
Pathways to Career Readiness: Real-World Company Projects in Higher Education
Courtney Jansson, Stonehill College
As employers increasingly report a gap between graduates’ skills and workforce demands, higher education must adopt innovative teaching approaches to bridge this divide. Experiential learning—particularly through real-world company projects—offers a powerful way to develop students’ career readiness by enhancing their communication, problem-solving, and professional competencies. This session explores best practices for integrating company-based projects into courses, highlighting institutional support requirements and student success outcomes. Participants will gain insights into how these projects transform learning, boost student confidence, and create tangible connections between coursework and career preparation.
Invited Session
Preparing Our Students for an AI-Enhanced Workplace
Lisa Blue, Eastern Kentucky University
Industries are rapidly transforming with the adoption of Generative AI, automating routine tasks while amplifying creativity, innovation, and efficiency across every sector. To ensure our students don’t just adapt but lead in this evolving landscape, we must redefine the skills we teach and how we teach them. This presentation introduces a dynamic framework that integrates ten essential employability skills, or “soft skills,” with seven key GenAI competencies—bridging the gap between theory and real-world application. Participants will explore strategies for AI literacy, ethical and inclusive AI use, workflow automation, and human-AI collaboration, all grounded in sound pedagogical principles. We’ll also address the critical importance of adaptability in a rapidly shifting technological environment. Prepare to equip students with the critical thinking, creativity, and leadership skills needed to thrive in an AI-enhanced workplace—and to shape the future of it.
The Art of Communication: A Professional Development Course Model
Kristen Bowen, University of Alabama at Birmingham
More and more employers are looking for interpersonal skills related to teamwork, self-efficacy, and communication. This poster session will walk through how we integrated a professional development seminar into our master’s level program focused on the art of communication. This three-prong approach starts with students’ self-exploration through an individual development plan and learning their strengths. The second unit is focused on community building and how one interacts with others. The final unit focuses on preparing students for the next step: mock interviews, resume building, and application tips.
Creating an Effective and Impactful Teaching Portfolio
Toni Weiss, Tulane University
An effective teaching portfolio is a narrative, where each component—teaching philosophy, syllabi, assessments, and evaluations—works together to tell the story of who we are as educators. It reflects both past achievements and future goals, creating a cohesive portrait of our teaching journey. For educators at all levels, from adjuncts to tenured professors, crafting a thoughtful portfolio allows us to reflect on our growth and articulate our aspirations. Too often, portfolios become “document dumps,” failing to convey the value we place on teaching. A well-constructed portfolio advocates for our professional development, signaling our commitment to continuous improvement.
The Educator’s Journey: Cultivating Longevity Beyond the Classroom
Ann Williamson, Bernard Black Entreprenurial Academy
Educators in higher education face increasing demands that can lead to burnout and a loss of passion over time. “The Educator’s Journey: Cultivating Longevity Beyond the Classroom” addresses the importance of sustaining mental health, resilience, and joy throughout a long career. This session provides practical, research-backed strategies for educators to enhance their well-being and maintain fulfillment in teaching, directly impacting their effectiveness and student engagement. The session fits perfectly in the wellness and resilience track, offering tools that are crucial for educators to thrive professionally while promoting a healthy academic environment.
Advisory Board Session
Mastering Your Academic Balancing Act: Strategies for Success
Ken Alford, Brigham Young University
Join us for a dynamic and fast-paced presentation packed with ideas and insights to help you excel in the multifaceted world of academia. We’ll dive into practical strategies for balancing teaching, scholarship, and citizenship responsibilities, to help you to thrive in all three areas. Whether you aim to enhance your classroom presence, boost your research or publication output, or make a more meaningful contribution to your institution and discipline, this session will offer valuable insights and actionable advice. Engage in an empowering discussion designed to help you achieve increased excellence and satisfaction in your academic career.
Empowering Student Voice: Creating a Culture of Resilience, Reciprocal Feedback, and Introspective Reflection for Continuous Growth
Alyssa Cavazos, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Student voice in teaching and learning is a well-documented practice that has been linked to student self-efficacy and sense of belonging. This session provides practical, research-based strategies to embed student voice seamlessly into course content. Participants will explore: (1) resilience-focused weekly prompts tied to learning outcomes, (2) reciprocal feedback loops using writer’s memos, and (3) reflective strategies to foster continuous improvement.
Helping Students Build Resilience Within a Higher Education Program
Jennifer Scully, Marymount University
Research shows that students who to develop secure attachments, healthy emotional regulation, and good interpersonal skills tend to develop a stronger inclination to be resilient. This session is designed to have participants diagnose gaps in resiliency in their collegiate settings and formulate a plan to address those concerns within the walls of their universities. When there are record numbers of professionals leaving education, it takes a collaborative mindset to help retain strong and talented faculty. Oftentimes, faculty/staff put their own mental health aside for the sake of their students. This will not only acknowledge faculty/staff’s need to be heard but will offer tangible actions to help them be more resilient, and in turn, provide socio-emotional support to their students.
Teaching with Balance: Integrating Mental Health and Well-Being into Everyday Practice
Roslyn Burton-Robertson, Monroe University
Mental health, well-being, and resilience are crucial for faculty, staff, and students in academia. This session explores practical strategies, including scenario-based simulations, interactive self-assessments, and resilience-building exercises, to actively address these challenges. Participants will engage in realistic academic scenarios, assess their own stress levels and coping strategies, and practice resilience techniques through structured reflection and feedback. These evidence-based methods foster a culture of well-being, enhance teaching effectiveness, and improve student success.
Pandemic Positives: Lessons that Can Improve Mental Wellness and Student Success
Karen Gross, Rutgers, and Edward KS Wang, Harvard Medical School
This session will address what we term “Pandemic Positives,” lessons we have collected from the lived experiences of many educators during the Pandemic. Given the frighteningly poor state of student well-being, we can, indeed we must, improve the mental wellness of our students and our educators. What we have learned from the Pandemic, some of which we have sadly discarded, can inform positive change in students’ mental health at the micro, meso, and meta levels within institutions. In this session, we will focus on the specific positives that address mental wellness of students.
From Burnout to Brilliance: Lifestyle Strategies for Sustainable Faculty Wellbeing
Melissa Bernstein and Alicia Craig-Rodriguez, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Declining mental wellbeing along with stress, anxiety, depression, and lack of motivation are increasingly common symptoms of burnout in academia. Harnessing both personal strengths and leadership skills related to the challenges facing today’s academic workforce, this presentation will support cultivating a healthy work environment beginning with self-care. Participants will complete a self-assessment to create a personal action plan and will learn strategies to improve workplace systems to engage in effective, positive team and student interactions across academic environments.
Promoting Student Academic Self-Efficacy and College Adjustment through Reflective Learning Journals
Kelley O’Carroll, Mount Holyoke College
An Education Advisory Board (2023) survey of 20,000 US high-school students’ feelings about attending college found that 26% cited “whether I’ll be successful” as their main concern. Furthermore, 28% of first-generation students and 20% of non-first generation students planning to attend college reported feeling “not mentally ready.” A student’s first year in college can bring new social interactions, new academic material, new identity exploration, and general uncertainty (Jones et al., 2018). For students from non-dominant campus cultures, college can require new social and cultural capital to understand the hidden curriculum (Samuolis et al., 2015). To support students’ development of these skills, this teaching strategy employs reflective learning journals with new students.
How Can Embracing Universal Design for Learning Foster an Inclusive Course Design?
Michelle Parker-Katz, University of Illinois at Chicago
Teaching is a core task for higher education faculty, yet few have been prepared to design a course and teach it. Participants will draw upon the highly touted principles and guidelines of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to enhance success for diverse student assets and learning while blocking traditional barriers. Through a UDL lens, we can provide multiple pathways to use for student understanding and demonstration of their knowledge in active ways.
How Can Instructors Encourage Students to Engage with Assigned Readings in the Age of AI?
Rachel Rigolino, SUNY New Paltz
Whether one teaches online or in-person, motivating students to engage with assigned texts is always a challenge, as is assessing student comprehension of texts. Participants will learn how to leverage social annotation (SA) tools like Hypothes.is to replace online discussion boards and reading quizzes. These tools can be used to prepare students to contribute to in-person class discussion or can operate as an alternative to online discussion boards in asynchronous classes.
How Can Faculty Use OER Materials to Tailor Online Courses to the Needs of Students?
Leigh Suzanne Hall, University of South Carolina Upstate
Peer engagement, instructor presence, and personal learner self-efficacy can be developed within an online course to create an encouraging environment for all involved. This session provides an example of how OER materials can be utilized to tailor make course exercises designed to connect learners, create an inclusive classroom, and provide an outlet to engage directly with the instructor. Through incorporating the eight pillars of adult learning theory, this session demonstrates how OER materials can be used to design a course students feel comfortable to participate in.
Can Nearpod Replace Online Discussion Boards?
Kristin Morgan, Texas A&M San Antonio
Discussion boards have been a fundamental component of online courses, yet their effectiveness in fostering meaningful engagement is often limited. Discussion boards can fall short due to limited contributions, surface-level posts, and repetition (Shroff et al., 2019). This session will describe how student survey data indicated patterns and themes to redesign the online learning experiences using Nearpod. Participants will learn how instructors can design online modules to create meaningful experiences through presentations, videos, open-ended questions, polls, and collaboration boards using Nearpod, and hear testimonies from college students who found that Nearpod enhanced their learning compared to traditional discussion boards.
How Can Faculty Spark Instant Engagement in the First Few Moments of Class with Focus Passages?
J.D. Wright, University of Pittsburgh
“By the time students start engaging, it’s almost time to wrap up.” “It feels like my students have nothing to say.” “They can paraphrase but struggle with analysis.” Are these familiar concerns? Focus passages offer a simple yet powerful solution. By displaying a provocative quote, image, or fact at the start of class, instructors can prompt students to respond with short, informal reflections that activate higher-order thinking skills. This quick, easily assessable strategy encourages every student to participate, deepens analytical thinking, and sets the stage for meaningful discussion. Over 90% of former students found this approach beneficial, with qualitative data reinforcing its impact.
Can a Tree of Inquiry Approach Help Faculty Engage Students?
Rhonda Pugh and Nina Zimmermann, Maryville University
The Tree of Inquiry is a pedagogical framework that enhances student engagement through structured exploration of case studies. This approach effectively transforms traditional learning by positioning students at the center of the inquiry process, encouraging them to formulate questions, investigate real-world scenarios, and collaboratively seek answers by working on a case study by writing the solutions on a large Post-it using a picture of a tree. The tree’s roots represent the cues, the tree’s trunk represents the prioritized problems, the branches represent activities, and the leaves represent the outcomes.
How Can Selfies, Memes, and Podcasts Transform Your Course Assessments?
Dustin Quirk, Red Deer Polytechnic
Not only can using alternative forms of assessment increase student engagement, but it can also expose students to new and creative ways of demonstrating their knowledge. This session will explore various forms of assessment that create engagement and interest through creative expression (selfies and memes) and alternative ways of demonstrating knowledge (podcasts). Examples of assessment guidelines, grading rubrics, and student work will be shared to inspire you to think about different ways to assess course learning outcomes and transform your course assessments.
How Can Embedding Career Competencies in the Classroom Enhance Student Success?
Christy Ball, University of Arizona
Embedding career competencies into courses bridges the gap between academic content and real-world skills that students need after graduation. This approach addresses the growing demand for career readiness, empowering students to apply classroom knowledge in practical, professional contexts. Graduates with key competencies like communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership have a competitive edge in the job market. This session provides practical tools for faculty looking to boost engagement and foster student success through career-oriented learning.
Advisory Board Session
How Can You Use Quick Polling to Enhance Feedback Processes?
Sarah Wackerbarth and Madeline Aulisio Miller, University of Kentucky
Improving course feedback processes can be challenging for many instructors. This session reports on the experiences of an instructor who implemented quick polling to improve course feedback processes. Quick polling refers to brief, timely surveys checking student understanding and confidence. Data on quick polling’s influence on student learning behavior, impact on learning and engagement with resources, and student reactions to quick polling were collected in a mixed methods study. The session also provides advice for quick polling implementation. Attendees will gain an understanding of the importance of course feedback processes and an understanding of what quick polling is and how to implement it.
How Can Educators Link Classroom Knowledge to Career Readiness Effectively?
Rosie Dutt, Washington University in St. Louis
In today’s rapidly evolving job market, bridging classroom knowledge with career readiness is essential to student success. This session will provide actionable strategies for aligning course material with real-world applications, teaching soft skills such as communication and adaptability, and preparing students for professional expectations. Participants will leave with practical ideas to enhance student readiness for the workforce.
How Can Instructors Engage Gen Z Students Today?
Regina Johnson, Harford Community College
Instructors are entering classrooms and encountering a “new” generation of students who have experienced a global pandemic, unprecedented technological advancements, and mental health challenges. As we know, these students are struggling to acclimate to the college environment and face unique academic challenges. Therefore, instructors have had to adapt their pedagogical approaches to meet the specific needs of this “new” student population. This presentation offers strategies for helping Gen Z students meet college expectations and raise success rates by exploring the characteristics of this unique population, their perceptions of high-impact teaching strategies, and the barriers they face.
How Can We Increase Student’s Knowledge Retention without Course Redesign?
Mary Ritchey, Pennsylvania State University
Instructors continually improve their courses to increase student learning and knowledge retention. But what if we could accomplish this goal without focusing on our teaching but rather our assessments? The strategy presented here outlines an alternative assessment that is compatible with most existing curricular structures and does not require a course redesign. At the same time, it has been shown to strengthen student learning and success through increased knowledge retention. A study was conducted in an introductory chemistry course in which students’ exams included them creating videos teaching the key concepts and rationale for solving complex problems. Students (n=56) all completed videos, but for different concepts. When the concepts were tested again on the final exam, students who had created videos did better on those concepts compared to students who did not.
Do I Have to Keep that Group Assignment in My Course?
Amanda Hassan and Dianna Jones, University of Texas at Arlington
Academic group work is a common component to coursework in higher education. Working in groups aims to help students understand the value of working with others and collaborating with those of not only different socioeconomic backgrounds, but also different cultures. One benefit to academic group work is student engagement and interactions with those of different cultural backgrounds prepares the students to participate in a globalized world (Poort, et al., 2020). Another benefit is that group work can give students the opportunity to meet others and form meaningful and lasting friendships after the conclusion of the course. However, challenges can occur in collaboration attempts, as well as grading requirements (Li & Campbell, 2008). In this session, attendees will define and identify the roles and responsibilities of faculty and students in academic group work, the benefits and challenges, and go through illustrative examples of academic group assignments as well as non-bias grading techniques.
How Can You Support Underprepared Students with Disciplinary Literacy Skills through Vocabulary Acquisition Strategies?
Kelly Ballard, Bryn Athyn College
Faculty teaching in institutions of higher education are encountering students who are underprepared to meet the rigor and complexity of college-level material. Addressing this relatively new challenge has created an opportunity for faculty to add additional literacy instructional tools to their belts so that they mitigate the challenges experienced by these students, thereby increasing vocabulary acquisition and comprehension of complex texts. This session will be filled with practical evidence-aligned tips and strategies to support vocabulary acquisition in any discipline.
What Inclusive Teaching Interventions Positively Impact Student Sense of Belonging Within a Class?
Ashley Jordan and Sarah Kyte, University of Arizona
This presentation addresses the critical role of the classroom in fostering students’ sense of belonging, a key predictor of academic success, particularly for first-generation and historically underrepresented students. By focusing on an inclusive teaching intervention in an online statistics course, the session provides evidence of how targeted activities such as academic coaching and strength-based assessments can improve belonging. The significant gains observed, especially among first-generation students, underscore the value of inclusive practices for closing equity gaps.
How Can Educators Use Community-Engaged Education to Support Learning?
Ayesha Khan, McMaster University
Post-secondary institutions are being called to update pedagogical approaches to align with a rapidly evolving workforce. The private sector highlights the need for learning experiences that enhance “human skills” like active listening, critical thinking, and social perceptiveness. This requires educators to move beyond content-focused teaching and expand experiential opportunities that support intellectual growth and social responsibility. Community-engaged education (CEE), a form of experiential pedagogy, enables students to apply classroom concepts in real-world settings. CEE has shown benefits, including a deeper understanding of course content, better application of concepts, and stronger problem-solving skills.
How Do Power Skills Shape Leadership Success Within an Educational Framework?
LaQue Perkins and Robert Brown, Saint Leo University
Physics defines power as the amount of energy transferred or converted per unit of time. In project management, the conversion of energy is used to complete high value projects successfully on schedule. The project manager leads the project team responsible for completing the project. In 2022, Project Management Institute (PMI) revised the name on their Talent Triangle from “Leadership” to “Power Skills.” PMI stated that power skills are the behaviors that enable people to succeed. Power skills are also called soft skills and interpersonal skills that are essential to lead a team to success. Subsequently, PMI surveyed their members about power skills which resulted in ranking the relative importance of 12 power skills. This session explores how these power skills align with Saint Leo University’s six Core Values, providing a structured approach for educators to cultivate leadership and interpersonal effectiveness. By integrating these values with power skill development, we can better prepare students and educators to lead with confidence and purpose.