AI Agenda

7:30 am-9:00 am  Registration and Coffee

9.00 am-9:20 am  Introduction to the Day 
Speaker:  Lance Eaton,  Director of Faculty Development & Innovation at College Unbound

9:20 am-10:05 am  The Power of AI & UDL: A Conduit to Inclusion
Speakers:
Marisha Marks, Instructional Designer, Springfield Technical and Community College
Oressa Power, Instructional Design and Edtech Specialist, William James College
Rebecca Taub, Dartmouth College

This session will provide practical guidance and considerations for the realistic integration of UDL and AI into teaching and learning. The session will explore the new CAST UDL Guidelines 3.0 with an AI lens and how to craft effective chatbot prompts to create more accessible and equitable learning experiences. Participants will gain insights and resources to better utilize generative AI to design inclusive and UDL-supported experiences.

10:05 am-10:35 am Finding Patterns of Strengths & Weaknesses in AI-powered Scoring and Feedback

Speaker:  John Swope, Education Technologies

We are all likely tired of the “AI is smart” vs. “AI is dumb” debate in the AI space. This 30-minute session aims to move the conversation forward by recognizing that LLMs are tools that learn from patterns, and because of that they have specific strengths and weaknesses in scoring and feedback tasks. We investigate these strengths and weaknesses by validating the scoring and feedback on specific assignments, segmenting them by a taxonomy, and analyzing the results. 

10:35 am-10:45 am  Break

10:45 am-11:30 am  Concurrent Morning Sessions 
Session 1, Option 1:   Quick Wins and Creative Solutions: AI for Instructional Design 
Speakers:
Judi Brewer
Marc Ebenfield,  Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and LearningUniversity of New England
Elizabeth Fowler, 
Erik Hanson, Instructional Designer, University of New England
Renee Parker,  Instructional Designer, University of New England

This round robin, AI4ID fun fest provides you with templates for 5 techniques to use AI to assist with instructional design projects. We will break every 10 minutes, so you can switch and go to a different topic to expand your understanding.  

Session 1, Option 2:  Cultivating a Purposeful Approach to AI
Speakers:
John FitzGibbon, Boston College
Tim Lindgren, Boston College

At Boston College's Center for Digital Innovation in Learning (CDIL), we've been helping faculty engage with AI through design-based, collaborative, experiential working groups. This approach embodies the Formative Education principle of "reflection-in-action," helping faculty make informed decisions about AI by trying something meaningful and reflecting while supported by a community of practice. 

In this session we'll briefly share our experiences: Hosting year-long interdisciplinary working groups to support faculty formation in a rapidly changing AI world, Facilitating hands-on AI experiments through building custom chatbots, and Creating a visual language for communicating the use of AI across different constituencies

Switch 11:30 am-11:35 am

Session 2, Option #1: Learning With AI Outside the Classroom
Speaker: Deborah Kronenberg, Assistant Dean of Curriculum Integration, College Unbound

This interactive session will explore how we are all using AI to advance our learning and skills to consider just what this can mean for the classroom and education as a whole. What does it mean for us to be lifelong learners at educational developers, faculty, and students in the age of AI?  Collectively, the group will highlight and consider the possibilities this offers higher education. 

Session 2, Option #2: Talking to Faculty about AI
Speaker: Heidi Burgiel, Coordinator of Educational Technology, Lasell University 

Faculty are under pressure to respond to the advent of AI in education. Join us for a conversation about common concerns and useful solutions. Hot topics include: 

-Maintaining academic integrity 
-Incorporating AI in coursework 
-Privacy and intellectual property 
-Learning outcomes for the 21st century

12:15 pm-1:15 pm Lunch

1:15 pm-1:45 pm Concurrent Afternoon Sessions 

Session 1, Option #1: OER in the Age of AI
Speakers:  
J.M. Grenier, Urban College of Boston
Peter Shea, Director of Professional Development, Middlesex Community College (MA)

With the appearance of generative AI, the ability to create new forms of OER has emerged. Join this discussion with two instructional designers as they provide examples of exciting new forms of OER.

Session 1, Option #2: AI Toolbox for Academic Research and Writing/Information Literacy & Generative AI Workshop

Session 2, Option #1: Demystifying Generative AI: A Community-Wide Approach to AI for All
Speakers:
Mike Hamilton,  Instructional Technologist II, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
James Monaco, Instructional Media Coordinator,  Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Valerie Smedile Rifkin, Instructional Designer II, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

In this 30-minute session, we will share our experience teaching staff at Worcester Polytechnic Institute to effectively integrate AI tools into their daily workflows, focusing on the process we used, the lessons we learned, and the impact AI has had on their work. Our presentation will offer insights into how we introduced AI technologies such as Microsoft Copilot to a diverse group of professionals, guiding them through practical applications and ethical considerations.

Session 2, Option #2: The Human Touch: Generative AI and Writing Assessments
Speaker:
Dana Gavin,  Director of the Writing Cente, Dutchess Community College

Educators who use writing assessments as a mainstay of their pedagogy are still facing challenges with how to effectively design assignments and assess knowledge acquisition and retention in the wake of generative AI. This workshop focuses on practical steps to design assessments as well as manage student and educator expectations for each other's capabilities.

2:30pm-2:25pm: Switch Sessions

2:25 pm-3:00 pm: Wrap-up
Speaker: Lance Eaton

3:00 pm  End