Schedule and Info

Western Oregon University

The use of educational escape rooms (EER) and escape games is becoming ever more popular across educational settings. While the empirical literature on EERs to date is limited, it unanimously agrees that even students who normally do not participate can be engaged in EERs (Clarke et al, 2017; Martens & Crawford, 2019). Educational escape rooms, as opposed to those made purely for entertainment, are more linear, have specific learning goals, and support themes that attract and support all types and genders of students equally (Lopez-Pernas et al, 2019). In EERs, participants are immersed in a simulated situation that they must somehow resolve; unlike commercial escape rooms, in which the designers include “red herrings” and other tricks to try to outwit the participants, EER developers “aim for a high success rate” (Veldkamp et al., 2020, p. 3) and try to make sure that the participants achieve the educational goals. This workshop will walk participants through the process of building a virtual EER using Google productivity tools (Slides, Forms, Docs). The literature suggests that teachers need a diversity of skills, including being able to find digital resources, assess them, integrate them effectively into curricula, evaluate their effectiveness, and continue to grow and collaborate with others (Egbert and Shahrokni, 2018). This workshop, hence, tries to meet this need by supporting educators in the creation of opportunities for students to be involved further in the learning process by participating in escape rooms that focus not only on content but on engagement, critical thinking, and technology use. By the end of this workshop, the participants will have developed a virtual EER in a hand-on interactive process using Google productivity tools.

Seyed Abdollah Shahrokni (He/Him)

My name is Seyed Abdollah Shahrokni. I work in the exciting world of teaching and learning. I am an Instructional Technology Specialist and Instructional Designer with the Center for Academic Innovation at Western Oregon University. I am also the Managing Editor of TESL-EJ. I research computer-assisted language learning (CALL), second language socialization (SLS) in online social spaces, especially massively multiplayer online games (MMOG), and Task Engagement. 

Email: shahroknis@wou.edu 

Britany Stagnoli (She/Her)

My name is Britany Stagnoli. I am a recent graduate from Western Oregon University with a Bachelors of Arts with a major in Social Science and a minor in Linguistics. I have also received the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification. I am a current student at University of Oregon pursuing a Masters degree in Teaching English Studies. I plan to teach English abroad at Tokyo International University. I have worked with Dr.Seyed Abdollah Shahrokni in an independent course discussing CALL and learning new tools and technologies that I can use in the classroom. 

Email: stagnoli@uoregon.edu

Link to Google Drive Folder

Western Oregon University

When comparing online versus in-person learning spaces, interaction is what's often "missing", and it's often what's hard to recreate. I'll be exploring how to make up for that missing interaction and connection, while suggesting that it's even possible to connect and interact MORE to learn in an even more effective and meaningful way in an online learning space.

Alexandra Smith

Alex has been living and teaching in France since 2016. In 2019, she started an online company for French speakers learning English, with the goal of creating a positive space for students to learn in a way that's more effective and integrated into their lives than what she could do in person. She and her team of 20 now take care of over 2,000 students interacting together from around the world and an Instagram community of 300K. Alex has a BA in French and International Studies and is finishing an MS in Educational Technology. In her spare time, she especially enjoys tasting beer and watching her greyhound run.

Lake-Sumter State College

The session includes discussing what ChatGPT can and cannot do, ethical implications, and modeling practical uses. Participants will leave with 5 prompts for designing lessons, and 7 tips students should know to be ChatGPT literate.

Dr. Justin Greathouse

Dr. Justin Greathouse is an experienced educator and researcher specializing in organizational development with a profound emphasis on education. He obtained his doctoral degree in Organizational Development, focusing on the intersection of education and technology. Dr. G's dissertation, a timely work in the field, conducted the causal-comparative quantitative study on the effects of digital curriculum on standardized math test scores for secondary schools in Arizona.

Prior to his academic pursuits, Dr. G honed his skills as a training manager, where he crafted and delivered comprehensive training programs for a prominent retailer. This experience propelled his transition into the realm of education, where he has since found his passion and niche. With a rich pedagogical experience, he has taught at all levels of education, demonstrating a passion for empowering learners of diverse backgrounds.

Link to Google Drive Folder

Our Lady of the Lake University 

Online learning can be challenging for students with the lack of face-to-face interaction; however, there are teaching pedagogies that can be implemented to create a more welcoming, inclusive, and diverse online community. In doing so, this presentation will highlight strategies that can be implemented in the online classroom to promote student centeredness, choice, and accessibility through a multifaceted approach to engage students in equitable means of learning in order to create joy through types of engagement. Some teaching tools that can be used to achieve this are discussion board, Jamboard, Padlet, peer groups, student-instructor collaboration, and student liberative learning.

Laura Petersen, MA, MEd

Laura Petersen holds a BA in English from The University of Texas at San Antonio and a MA in English with an emphasis in Literacy, Technology, and Professional Writing and a MEd in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education/Community College from Northern Arizona University. She has been teaching English Composition and Literature in higher education since 2009. She has a diverse background in working with students at non-traditional trade schools, community college, and university.  

In her years teaching, Laura has implemented high-impact practices (HIPs) and other creative teaching pedagogy. Most recently, she redesigned ENGL 1313 (Composition I) to incorporate Project-Based Learning and Pecha Kucha presentations. She is a Certified Online Educator through ACUE and Master Peer Reviewer with Quality Matters. 

Laura is a wife and mother to two beautiful daughters: Isabella, age 12, and Annalee, age 3.  In her spare time, she enjoys reading, camping, hiking, and a nice glass of red wine.  

Jamie Crosswhite, PhD

Jamie Crosswhite’s teaching interests include undergraduate and graduate courses in pedagogy, technical writing, writing in the disciplines, and American literature. Her research interests include place-based rhetorics, walking methodologies, critical regionalism, and feminist and place-based pedagogies.

Jamie's work has appeared in The Modern Language Association of America, Review of Communications, Open Words: Access and English Studies, Women’s Studies, The Explicator, Community Literacy Journal, New York Public Library eJournal, and several edited collections.

Jamie has eighteen years’ experience in education, first as a high school teacher, then as an instructor for a community college, followed by teaching fellowship with UTSA, and this is her third year serving as full-time faculty at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. She enjoys implementing place-based teaching practices, collaborating with faculty across disciplines, and exploring non-traditional approaches to writing and assessment.

James Crawford, MA

James Crawford is an adjunct professor at Our Lady of Lake University and at the University of the Incarnate Word, where he teaches composition, literature, and discipline-focused writing courses. He has received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology and a Master of Arts in English from Our Lady of the Lake University. Mr. Crawford’s foci include pedagogy, gender and queer studies, literature and multimodal literacies, cognitive-behavioral psychology, and literary theories. His goals are to earn a PhD in Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning to advance and develop effective curricula plans and courses to improve student outcomes and student success.

Dr. Dawn Gilmore & Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA)

In the rapidly evolving landscape of education, the integration of technology in learning environments has been both a transformative and challenging journey. As we navigate the digital era, it becomes increasingly vital to explore not only the effectiveness of online learning but also its emotional impact on learners. The theme of our panel discussion revolves around "Increasing Joy in Online Learning," seeking to champion joyful, intelligent, ethical, and compassionate user- and learner-centered technology in educational settings.

Our panel will consist of diverse and knowledgeable experts representing the K-12, Vocational Education, and higher education sectors. Each speaker will present on their specialized topic related to promoting joy in online learning. They will have the opportunity to utilize slides and other media to enhance their presentations, engaging the audience for 20-30 minutes. Moreover, the presenters will act as facilitators, encouraging insightful discussions and interactions with attendees.

Key Discussion Points:

• The Essence of Joy in Learning: The panel will explore the profound impact of joy on cognitive processes and overall learning outcomes. Understanding how positive emotions, such as joy, can enhance engagement and knowledge retention will be a key focus.

• Designing Joyful Learning Environments: Presenters will share strategies and best practices for creating online learning environments that spark joy. From interactive and immersive content to incorporating gamification elements, the panel will highlight innovative approaches that captivate learners' curiosity and enthusiasm.

• Fostering Inclusivity and Empathy: Joyful learning extends beyond content delivery; it encompasses a sense of belonging and emotional well-being. The speakers will delve into cultivating empathy within online classrooms, forging connections between learners and instructors, and nurturing a supportive community.

• Overcoming Challenges in Online Joyful Learning: Acknowledging the obstacles in fostering joy in online learning, the panel will discuss methods to address these challenges. Whether it's tackling technical issues, combating digital fatigue, or navigating diverse learning needs, the aim is to create a resilient and joyful learning experience.

Dr. Dawn Gilmore, President Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA)

Dawn is the Academic Director at RMIT Online. She plays a leading role in managing and interpreting academic standards and processes for RMIT Online – ensuring that the creation of all accredited and non-accredited online services and experiences are both at the forefront of the digital education industry and informed by a robust system of academic quality and continuous improvement.

Dawn’s passion is in online education. In addition to her extensive experience teaching online, her previous roles have included Director of Quality and Enhancement at RMIT’s Centre for Academic Quality and Enhancement and Director of Teaching & Learning at RMIT Online where she developed and scaled evidence led practices in the recruitment and training of online teachers and in online student support from enrolment to graduation.

She has authored peer review academic journal articles, news articles, and blogs about online  teaching, learning, and quality. During the pandemic her short online teaching tips were read globally by a community of more than 15,000 and endorsed as best practice by colleges, schools, and organisations around the world.

Dr. Sarah Prestige, Vice President Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA)

Sarah is an Associate Professor of Digital Pedagogies at Griffith University. She was a classroom teacher, deputy, education adviser then lecturer and academic always focused on how technologies enable engagement and learning. She researches in both the k-12 schooling context, further education (Uni, Tafe) and self-directed professional learning through social media.

In 2020 and 2021 Sarah was awarded national recognition as the top scholar in the field of Teaching and Teacher Education. She researchers and publishes extensively in the field of digital pedagogies and online learning. Over the last 3 years she has presented 12 international Keynotes and been an invited scholar at the University of Regensburg, Germany; University of Padua, Italy; National University of Galway, Ireland; and the American University of Sharjah, UAE. 

She has co-author over 77 high quality publications with experts from over 20 countries exploring theoretical frameworks while building relevance to local issues for impact on policy and practice, such as guidelines for improving pedagogy with technology as an outcome of remote schooling and k-12 schooling.

Lina Du-Lazzara, RMIT College of Vocational Education

Lina Du-Lazzara is the Associate Director of Learning Experience at RMIT’s COVE. She is an experienced and innovative organizational and learning development leader with deep understanding of effective pedagogical strategies and a passion for people. A significant achievement during her tenure at RMIT includes the development and successful launch of the innovative Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Business Professional Practice programs. In recognition of this work, Lina’s team was awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Leadership Award for Imagination.

A few things that bring Lina joy include: leading award winning high-performing teams, driving positive strategic change, fostering collaboration across educational institutions and industry partners, and creating impactful and joyful learning experiences for teachers and students.

Dr. Chinh Nguyen, Curio

Chinh is Faculty Talent Manager at Curio. Chinh’s passion and interest are in the online learning and teaching transformation and consultancy across all levels of education and clients. He has strong experience in delivering seamless online education experience to student globally, ensuring the highest quality and engaging learning for students. He is known for bringing speed, quality, transparency, expertise in online program deliveries. He also has hands-on teaching experience in business and management at the Faculty of Business & Economics, the University of Melbourne.

Prior to working with Curio, Chinh coordinated academic programs at the LH Martin Institute for Tertiary Education Leadership and Management, at the University of Melbourne for global cohorts of online students from 45 countries for more than a decade. Chinh holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne and serves on the TEQSA Panel of Experts on business, management and digital education.

Anitra Nottingham, RMIT Online

Anitra Nottingham is currently the Head of Course Design at RMIT University Online, where she leads the learning design team producing all the RMIT Online courses. Anitra works across programs and almost every discipline in the accredited portfolios, micro-credentials and bespoke workplace learning solutions.

Anitra’s background is in graphic design. She was previously Co-Chair and Online Director of the School of Graphic Design and Digital Media at the Academy of Art University (AAU) San Francisco, where she taught design, typography, and research methods.

Anitra holds a Master of Philosophy from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. Her thesis, Reshaping Design Education, explores how teaching in the graphic design studio classroom transforms as it moves from onsite to online. She is the co-author of The Graphic Design Process (Bloomsbury Press, 2019), which helps students find success in the design studio classroom. You can read about Anitra’s academic papers, presentations, and other projects at anitraland.com.

Toni Jones, RMIT Online Coach

With a strong coaching background, Toni Jones has been actively engaged in the field of online education for close to a decade. Through years of coaching online students to success, Toni has honed the skill of fostering self-direction and resilience in adult learners. Today, Toni is dedicated to mentoring industry experts, helping them to build capability to excel in online teaching. With a thorough understanding of best online practices for teaching and learning, she has garnered extensive experience in both crafting and meticulously reviewing online courses, ensuring their quality and effectiveness. Rooted in Self-Determination Theory and a strength-based approach, Toni's work underscores a steadfast commitment to advancing transformative digital learning experiences.