Teaching Symposium

Our originally scheduled keynote speaker is no longer able to attend. We are in the process of confirming a new keynote and will share details soon.

Registration is outside the Gold Rooms. Once you’ve signed in, step inside to enjoy light morning refreshments and connect with colleagues.

Welcoming remarks in the Gold Rooms from CETL Faculty Director Sarah Hosch and Provost Amy Thompson, offering reflections that set the tone for the day’s conversations.

AI in the Classroom: Empowering Student Vision without Losing the Human Touch

Gold Rooms: interactive sessions in shared space, 9:30 - 10:35 AM
Generative AI acts as a "creative equalizer" in film education by removing technical and budgetary barriers to imaginative exploration. Students use these tools to prioritize directorial intent and storytelling depth while preserving their unique artistic voices.
Daewon Kim, Assistant Professor of Film Studies and Production (Department of English, Creative Writing, and Film)

AI in a Creative Classroom: Student and Audience Responses and Reflections

Gold Rooms: interactive sessions in shared space, 9:30 - 10:35 AM
A case study of an undergraduate opera production demonstrates how AI tools can serve as ideation partners and rehearsal organizers under faculty mediation. The design emphasizes artistic discernment and clear authorship boundaries between human creators and technology to foster metacognitive awareness.
Drake Dantzler, Associate Professor of Music, Voice (School of Music, Theatre and Dance)

Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Using AI as a Cognitive Scaffold to Foster Deep Learning and Belonging in Cybersecurity

Gold Rooms: interactive sessions in shared space, 9:30 - 10:35 AM
Generative AI serves as a cognitive scaffold to reduce inquiry fatigue and technical jargon overload in introductory technical courses. By separating AI-assisted research from core analytical reasoning, this model fosters a measurable boost in student belonging and objective mastery.
Amartya Sen, Associate Professor (Computer Science & Engineering)

Fashioning Critical Dispositions around Gen AI in the Digital Writing Classroom

Gold Rooms: interactive sessions in shared space, 9:30 - 10:35 AM
Generative AI is positioned as an object of rhetorical and ethical inquiry rather than just a productivity tool. Students use analytic frames like power and justice to develop individualized techno-ethical frameworks and intervene in communication inequities.
Nick Sanders, Assistant Professor of Writing (Department of Writing and Rhetoric)

From Recall to Real Cases: AI-Integrated Exams that Produce Professionally Relevant Deliverables

Gold Rooms: interactive sessions in shared space, 9:30 - 10:35 AM
Traditional exams are redesigned as AI-enabled, case-based evaluations where students use AI as an analytical partner. This model emphasizes the application of course concepts and critical evaluation of AI output through competency-based rubrics.
Douglas Carr, Professor and MPA Director (Political Science)

Learning with an AI Duck

Gold Rooms: interactive sessions in shared space, 9:30 - 10:35 AM
The "protégé effect" allows students to learn by explaining concepts to an AI configured with a specific persona. Tools like Gemini and NotebookLM are used to limit AI knowledge, increasing its pedagogical value as an "explainee" or duck.
Kieran Mathieson, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems

Leading Cross-Border Innovation in Business Education: Implementing COIL between Legal Environment of Business and Consumer Behavior

Room 125, 9:30 - 10:00 AM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
Virtual collaboration between US and Mexico business students facilitates shared case analysis on ethical decision-making. This model provides global learning access to students who face financial or logistical barriers to traditional study abroad.
Jennifer Cordon Thor - Professor of Management & Director Interdisciplinary Studies, & Agarzelim Alvarez-Milán - Professor of Marketing

Building Accountability and Belonging through Weekly Study Logs and Collaborative Quizzes

Room 125, 10:05 - 10:35 AM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
Weekly study logs and collaborative quizzes improve student accountability and engagement in introductory statistics. These practices shift the focus from performance to a shared learning process where students take ownership of their habits and learn from each other.
Ervisa Zhamo - Special Lecturer (Department of Mathematics and Statistics)

Anti-Oppressive Pedagogy in Action: Experiential Strategies for Inclusive Higher Education

Room 126, 9:30 - 10:35 AM (55 min + 10 min Q&A)
An anti-oppressive, case-based teaching framework centers student strengths and identities to cultivate psychologically safe learning environments. Strategies include educator self-reflection on privilege and decentering dominant narratives through diverse and intersectional perspectives.
LaShauna Dean, Associate Professor (Department of Counseling at University of the Cumberlands)

Self-Directed Mentorship: A Framework for Building Connected, Equitable, and Engaged Growth

Room 127, 9:30 - 10:00 AM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
This mentee-centered framework empowers individuals to diagnose their own needs and build personalized mentorship portfolios. By utilizing diverse resources across sectors and digital platforms, this model democratizes access to guidance and creates scalable growth pathways.
Changiz Mohiyeddini - Professor (Department of Foundational Medical Studies)

Utilizing Debriefing Techniques for Teaching and Learning across Disciplines

Room 127, 10:05 - 10:35 AM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
Debriefing is a structured, bidirectional, self-reflective process designed to identify knowledge gaps and bridge theory with practice. Effective facilitators use these techniques across any discipline to optimize student growth through psychologically safe dialogue.
Lisa Daily, Ashley Frost

Moving Beyond "Welcoming": Cultivating Belonging through Inclusive Curriculum Design

Room 128, 9:30 - 10:00 AM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
A strategic course redesign shifts the environment from passive welcoming to active inclusivity through an audit of texts and example work. Faculty assume responsibility for inclusion by curating diverse perspectives that foster a genuine sense of student belonging and persistence.
Sheryl Ruszkiewicz, Special Lecturer (Department of Writing and Rhetoric)

Humanizing Practices to Support Identity Work in the Classroom

Room 128, 10:05 - 10:35 AM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
Humanizing practices support undergraduate students performing deep identity work and unlearning biases. Communal, reflective, and critical tasks lay the groundwork for a safe learning community conducive to personal growth before students enter their own future classrooms.
Danielle Ligocki - Associate Professor/Chair (Organizational Leadership Department)

Enjoy a 10-minute pause to stroll, stretch, and relax in the OC, or take the opportunity to connect and chat with colleagues over coffee, tea, water, and light refreshments.

Join us for Claire Howell Major's keynote presentation. Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Alabama and expert in teaching innovation and student engagement. More details coming soon!

Open Discussion with Keynote

Gold Rooms, 1:15 - 2:20 PM
Join Claire Howell Major for an interactive Q&A session following her keynote. Bring your questions and ideas to engage directly with our distinguished speaker!

Belonging Through Annotation: Building Community and Critical Thinking in Online Courses

Room 125, 1:15 - 1:45 PM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
Social annotation via Perusall transforms reading from an isolated task into a collaborative, dialogic experience in asynchronous courses. This approach leverages student curiosity and digital fluency to strengthen peer connection and surface misconceptions early.
Megan Widman, Special Instructor (Social Work)

The Connected Classroom: A Framework for Building Belonging in Asynchronous Environments

Room 125, 1:50 - 2:20 PM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
Practical strategies like "Traffic Light" check-ins and "Micro-Communities" foster engagement in asynchronous online environments. These interventions transform an LMS into a psychologically safe space through a structured communication calendar and peer collaboration.
Hanna Kalmanovich-Cohen, Assistant Professor (Management)

From Awareness to Action: Building Resilient Learners through Trauma-sensitive/Resilience-Informed Practices

Room 126, 1:15 - 2:20 PM (55 min + 10 min Q&A)
NEAR Science and trauma-sensitive strategies build a "culture of safety" that moves students out of survival mode and into learning. The framework also addresses secondary traumatic stress by helping educators develop personalized self-care plans.
Tomoko Wakabayashi, Canequia Moulder, Shawna Boomgaard

The Case for Embedded Peer Mentors: Lessons and Reflections from the Embedded Writing Mentors in First-Year Writing Course

Room 127, 1:15 - 2:20 PM (55 min + 10 min Q&A)
Undergraduate peer mentors in first-year writing build student confidence and belonging through relational practices. The program centers student-as-partner models to impact self-efficacy through trust, care, and navigational support.
Nick Sanders, Megan McCool, Charlie Dawson, Maria Mariotti, Shannon O’Connor, Dhara Bhakta

Enjoy a 10-minute pause to stroll, stretch, and relax in the OC, or take the opportunity to connect and chat with colleagues over coffee, tea, water, and light refreshments.

Analyzing AI-Generated Content: A Critical Thinking Framework for Evaluating Artificial Intelligence

Gold Rooms, 2:30 - 3:35 PM (55 min + 10 min Q&A)
A scaffolded critical thinking framework modeled on Lynch and Wolcott’s steps helps students progress in AI digital literacy. It focuses on the student perspective to move beyond simple cheating concerns and toward ethical, metacognitive evaluation.
Andrew Moser, Christopher Susak

Designing for Digital Accessibility: From Remediation to Culture Change

Room 125, 2:30 - 3:00 PM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
Moving beyond reactive file remediation, this model explores how to embed accessibility into everyday workflows as a proactive culture shift. Participants learn to leverage tools like YuJa Panorama to make accessible design the default for all new content.
Nic Bongers

Taking the Class out of the Classroom with Place-Based Education

Room 125, 3:00 - 3:30 PM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
Place-based education serves as a tool to improve student outcomes while strengthening the connection between students and the physical campus.
Tom Baranski, Christina Moore

From Probation to Connection: Building a Bridge for At-Risk First-Year Students

Room 126, 2:30 - 3:00 PM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
A proactive academic coaching program called GrizzFIRE provides high-impact intervention for first-year students on academic probation. By utilizing a cross-campus coalition of coaches, the initiative equips students with growth mindset and time management tools to increase retention.
Jessica Harrell, Amy Gould

Rekindling Purpose: The BIO Journey as a Pathway to Belonging and Growth

Room 126, 3:00 - 3:30 PM (25 min + 5 min Q&A)
A cross-functional partnership between Biology and Career Services embeds career exploration directly into the academic discipline.
Kelly Dorner, Gerard Madlambayan, Denise McConkey

Concept Integration Framework for Co-Teaching Different Disciplines

Room 127, 2:30 - 3:35 PM (55 min + 10 min Q&A)
The SHIFT framework increases the ease and efficiency of horizontally integrating topics across different disciplines.
Akshata Naik, Jane Newman

Join us for our wrap-up! Stay for door prizes, final takeaways, and a chance to share thoughts one last time with colleagues.

• Symposium acknowledged as “Presented by [Department]”
• Logo featured prominently on all symposium materials (displayed on the  program, emails, social media, slides)
• Recognition in keynote introduction and post‑event communications
• Featured in CETL newsletter post‑event summary and symposium report (annual report)
• Showcase opportunity: sponsor slides or videos displayed on event monitors or exhibit table

• Logo featured on the program, emails, social media, and opening slides
• Recognition in opening remarks
• Mention in post‑event communications and symposium summary report (annual report)
• Showcase opportunity: sponsor slides or videos displayed on event monitors or exhibit table

• Logo listed on the website and displayed on the program
• Recognition in thank‑you email and social media spotlight
• Mention in CETL newsletter post‑event summary

All contributions are valued. Recognition benefits will be aligned with the closest tier.

Departments may offer services (e.g., technology support, educational materials, volunteer staffing) in exchange for logo placement and acknowledgment in symposium materials and post‑event communications.