9:00 - 9:30
SBHall 3rd Floor Atrium

Dr. Richard Olenick is Professor of Physics at the University of Dallas. He has had numerous grants from the National Science Foundation, the DOEd, and foundations. He has supervised sixty student theses, published numerous articles, books, and developed high school curricula.  He was a Fulbright Scholar to Russia (1991) and named Texas Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation (1995) as well as Minnie Piper Stevens Professor (1997).  Currently his research focusses on disc precession in cataclysmic variables, Algol binaries and searches for circumbinary exoplanets.  His greatest passion has been for challenging and engaging students.

9:40 - 10:10
SB 307

With artificial intelligence (AI) becoming a transformative force in education and research, equipping students with AI literacy ensures they can leverage the benefits of AI responsibly, ethically, and effectively, while remaining cognizant of its limitations and potential harm in other coursework. 

At UD, the presence of a critical mass of computational data scientists across various disciplines has enabled the creation of interdisciplinary courses and opportunities to help students explore how AI is being integrated into their chosen career paths in the era of big data. 

This presentation discusses insights gained from the Integrated Computational Sciences Seminar Course offered in Fall 2024. Designed to highlight the interdisciplinary applications of AI, the course drew upon expertise from faculty across Biology, Cybersecurity, Physics, Computer Science, and Chemistry. Students engaged in discussions that bridged scientific disciplines, exploring how AI transforms research and practice while uncovering connections between the sciences and the field of AI as a whole. Discussed topics included the role of AI in medicinal and agricultural innovations, cybersecurity fundamentals and AI's potential in threat detection, the processing of particle collision data in physics, natural language processing applications like ChatGPT, and AI’s role in advancing cheminformatics and chemical exploration. The course emphasized cutting-edge research and computational techniques, enabling students to see firsthand how AI serves as a unifying tool in addressing complex, real-world problems. By fostering an interdisciplinary understanding of AI, the course showcased how fields are intertwined and how AI can drive innovation and understanding in each discipline. Students gained critical insights into applying AI in diverse contexts, preparing them to navigate and lead in a world increasingly shaped by AI.

9:40 - 10:10
SB 306

In a traditional face-to-face class, the classroom serves as the learning venue. In an online class, the course shell becomes the learning venue, and searching for course topics can distract from learning. Therefore, intentional and purposeful design is essential in the course architecture. There are three key components to this design: consistency, messaging, and organization. The first component, consistency, ensures that the learning environment is predictable and supports the course materials. For example, in a face-to-face class, students would find it confusing if the classroom changed from week to week—desks and chairs in week one, bean bags in week two, and bar stools in week three. Similarly, in an online course, the structure and interface should remain consistent to minimize distractions. The second component is messaging. If changes to the environment or format are necessary, such as using bean bag chairs in unit two, it is important to communicate the purpose and rationale behind the change to learners. Clear messaging helps students understand and adapt to these adjustments without confusion. The third component, organization and structure, is critical because online learners may not inherently see how individual course elements fit into the larger picture. The course should be organized into parts and modules that are logically structured and clearly labeled, allowing easy navigation. 

This presentation will illustrate these principles using a graduate-level cybersecurity course, Cryptography and Data Protection. The course is structured into three parts: Cryptography, Cryptanalysis, and Data Protection. Each part is divided into units and student presentations, with a consistent look and feel throughout. This approach eliminates confusion about navigation, allowing learners to focus on learning rather than logistics. By emphasizing consistency, messaging, and organization, online courses can create a seamless and effective learning experience.

9:40 - 10:10
SB 252

At UD, we count with a peer-mentoring program that consists of 11 mentors and 70 mentees. Although all students are welcome to participate as mentees, all the peer-mentors are first-generation students. Peer-mentoring is important because the mentors act as mediators between the mentees and university employees as well as other campus resources. Oftentimes, mentees don't know what they don’t know until they interact with other mentors. In turn, mentors knit a connection to resources that students sometimes don’t even know that exist. 

For many incoming students, their peer mentor is their first friend on campus. According to the sense of belonging literature, having friends on campus is one of the most important factors when it comes to students' wellbeing. In fact, many students from underrepresented groups such as commuter, transfer, and international students find peer-mentorship helpful when it comes to identifying resources and networking. Mentors also benefit from the program as it helps them develop their interpersonal, communication, leadership, and presentation skills. 

Our mentors not only meet with mentees on an individual basis, but also organize one of the most valuable components of the peer mentorship program- community events. These events require mentors to read peer-reviewed academic articles on various first-generation student topics, engage with the text by identifying quotes that resonate with them, and create discussion questions that are open for all attendees to answer. 

Participants of the Small Groups mentorship program have shown a 90% retention rate which is higher than the institutional comparison. More specifically, 100% of mentees who interacted with a mentor at least 4 times in one school year were retained. Additionally, half of the participants also had a GPA higher than a 3.0. Join the session for more information on a reading framework that fosters engagement and sense of community in the classroom. 

9:40 - 10:10
SB 246

The pressure to cover an immense amount of material in a short amount of time can often provide incentive for instructors to forego engaging classroom activities in the interest of covering as much content as possible. However, when instructors view education as a process through which students learn how to learn about a particular subject, the burden of explicitly covering every detail is removed and a realm of possibilities is created for both the instructors and the students. This presentation explores the tradeoff between providing an engaging classroom environment and content coverage using my experiences developing a Lego-based accounting activity over the past two years. In Financial Accounting, concepts can seem abstract and detached from students’ daily lives, but the use of a hands-on activity provides students an opportunity to relate course content to a concrete and tangible experience. Student perceptions indicate that this activity increased their engagement in the course and positively impacted their learning. While the activity requires a significant use of class time, students develop a thorough understanding of the reasoning behind the accounting skills they are learning in lieu of rote memorization of the skills themselves. The lessons learned from the development and implementation of this activity will be used to address the question, “can students learn more by learning less?”

10:20 - 10:50
SB 307

This panel will approach the challenge teachers face to engage a wide variety of students in their classes, for example in the students’ academic background, their academic skills and knowledge of the subject, intellectual giftedness, and personal situation. Faculty have an obligation to educate every student, but have limited time and resources which need to be prudently divided among the class as a whole. This panel will discuss strategies for working with students of all levels, with faculty expertise in gifted and talented students, academically disadvantaged students, and faculty mentoring within the context of a Christian mission to serve students, respect their dignity and vocation, and to take into consideration the gospel call to reach out to the least among us.

10:20 - 10:50
SB 306

High-quality video content can transform the learning experience, fostering deeper engagement and making complex ideas accessible across disciplines. 

In this session, we will share our collaborative journey of creating professional-grade instructional videos, focusing on the benefits, challenges, and strategies involved. We will demonstrate each step of the video production process, from conceptualization and preparation to recording and post-production, using real examples to illustrate best practices. Faculty will gain insights into how to effectively plan content, communicate their vision, and collaborate with media specialists to ensure their videos align with course goals. Lastly, we will highlight how faculty can give clear direction to achieve videos they are proud to feature in their courses. 

This session will provide actionable tips and inspiration for incorporating high-quality video into your teaching. Join us to explore how video can unlock potential in every course.

10:20 - 10:50
SB 252

Higher education should be about more than the absorption of information. Students should learn how experts, in the disciplines they study, formulate questions, conduct their scholarship, and think through the problems and issues that shape the development of those fields. For this reason, in my classroom teaching, I attempt to model the methods of my own discipline--Theology--both in the way I present material and in the way I respond to student questions. But I also formulate assignments in ways that initiate students, at a practical level, into the methods of the discipline. I construct prompts that help them learn how a question should be formulated, I help them learn to refine questions, and I help them learn to assemble and assess evidence within the framework of the discipline. In this talk, I will discuss three assignment types I have used, successfully, to initiate students (at both the undergraduate and graduate levels) into the methods of my discipline, and which have, in my view, challenged those students to stretch themselves, academically, attaining to a level of academic performance they may not have thought themselves capable of achieving.

10:20 - 10:50
SB 246

Using picture study in any subject is a way to engage student interest and provide a doorway to wonder. 

Spend 8 minutes planning the first 5 - 120 minutes of class, and discover a world of student interest and engagement. 

A handout will include resources for finding appropriate pictures to use in any course grades PK-college graduate level.

11:00 -  11:30
SB 307

In today’s rapidly changing world, the ability to adapt, learn from setbacks, and bounce back from failure is crucial. As educators, we play a pivotal role in shaping students’ mindsets and preparing them for the challenges they’ll face beyond the classroom. This panel aims to explore how we at the University of Dallas can intentionally incorporate discussions about failure, growth, and resilience into our teaching practices. 

Panel Overview: Our panel will bring together higher education professors from diverse disciplines to discuss the following key themes: 1. Embracing Failure as a Learning Opportunity: How can we create a safe space for students to make mistakes and learn from them? What strategies can we use to normalize failure and reduce the fear of making errors? What role does constructive feedback play? Reflecting on our own teaching practices: How do we do it here at UD? 2. Teaching Resilience: What pedagogical approaches help students develop resilience? How can we encourage persistence and grit in the face of challenges? 3. Reflecting on Our Own Teaching Practices: Do we model resilience and vulnerability in our classrooms? How can we share our own experiences of failure and growth with students?

11:00 - 11:30
SB 306

Life in a religious community changes not only the possible directions of one’s life as a student but also one’s methods and modes of study. No less does it modulate the way one works as a professor in our university, in practical, professional, and theoretical ways. This panel aims to present concrete examples of how religious life has formed our approaches to learning and teaching, – including what encouragements and obstacles our way of life has offered – and to speculate about the connection between religious life and education in our university.

11:00 -  11:30
SB 252

Engaging students in the classroom is not just about keeping their attention, it is about unlocking their full potential as learners, critical thinkers, and problem solvers. In this session, we will share strategies and techniques from two distinct disciplines, Biology and Art, that foster meaningful engagement and maximize student outcomes. Drawing from our experiences teaching, mentoring students, and even reflecting on our journeys in both national and international contexts, we will present a multidisciplinary perspective on enhancing student engagement. We will discuss active learning techniques, collaborative projects, and inclusive learning environments that have significantly impacted our classrooms. In biology, Dr. Bihmidine will discuss techniques such as short-term experiments and group competitions, which not only allow students to take ownership of their learning, but also help those less inclined to engage in the classroom to participate and contribute to the work. Professor Post will discuss how an interdisciplinary approach can broaden students’ understanding of their art practice. Working across disciplines in her own research models for students how art connects disparate fields. This encourages students to connect art and printmaking to their other coursework and interests in order to deepen their engagement. Finally, we will emphasize the importance of creating inclusive learning environments that cater to diverse learning needs and empower every student to participate with confidence. We hope that this session will inspire our colleagues to reflect on their practices and adopt new strategies to create positive learning experiences and connect with their students and guide them towards reaching their full potential.

11:00 - 11:30
SB 246

Generative predictive tools (GPTs) and AI-driven large language models (LLMs) have entered the modern classroom as both teachers and learners. These tools write essays, generate software code, draw illustrations, predict protein structures, solve mathematical equations, propose research hypotheses, and in general are capable of “reading” large databases and “learning” from them. Virtually, every college major and course is feeling the impact of AI in several areas: curriculum, student engagement with the content, course design and delivery, and even instructor involvement with the content. AI’s impact on education has generated a spectrum of opinions – from those who ban it in the classroom to those who enthusiastically advocate for it, as well as the plethora of other moderate, cautious positions on AI in the classroom. 

This interactive session seeks to generate reflections on a fundamental question: What does the ideal college course look like? This question may elicit responses about a specific topic area such as Lit Trad I, Finance 101, Econ 101, or Sociology 101; it might also open up discussion about the mode of delivery (in a classroom, under a tree, in a lab or in the field, or online), course structure (exams or service projects), or course design (interdisciplinary or specialized). This question is important in the light of how the notion of learning itself has been disrupted by AI tools. 

It is undeniable that these tools are learning fast and increasing their accuracy in both recall and problem-solving; but the extent to which such machine learning helps people learn meaningfully is mostly superficial. The goal of this talk is to spark a broader discussion about the notion of the ideal college course – one in which students can learn meaningfully while being surrounded by the technologies of the times.