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Welcome to the 2026 UF College of Education Research Symposium!
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2026 UF College of Education Research Symposium
Date: April 2, 2026
Location: Norman Hall Conference Center & Rosenberg Room (NRN 2021), University of Florida
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM Check-In and Name Badge Pick-Up
Location: East Lobby, Norman Hall Conference Center
2:00 PM – 2:10 PM: Welcome and Instructions
Location: Norman Hall Conference Center
Speakers:
Kayla Sutcliffe, Symposium Director
Dr. Rob Moore, Assistant Professor of Educational Technology and Director of the Investigating Digital Ecologies to Advance Transformative Education (IDEATE) Research Lab within the Institute for Advanced Learning Technologies (IALT)
2:15 PM – 3:10 PM: Paper Session 1
Paper Session 1: Group A | Norman Hall Conference Center
2:15-2:30 PM: Wallace Pinto, Jinnie Shin, & Christopher Engledowl - “Validity-Driven Design: Enhancing Assessments in a Professional Learning Course for K–12 Math Educators”
2:35-2:50 PM: Devon Zhu, Melissa M. Soto, Kayla Sutcliffe, & Hong Zhang - “Faculty and Graduate Students’ Collaboration through Lesson Study: Building a Community of Practice”
2:55-3:10 PM: Christopher Engledowl, LaMicah Lindsey, & Wallace Pinto - “K–12 Mathematics Professional Learning to Support Florida Student Career and College Readiness”
Paper Session 1: Group B | Rosenberg Room (NRN 2021)
2:15-2:30 PM: Jiyeon Goo - “Black–White Disparities in Exclusionary School Discipline: Identifying School-Level Predictors Using 2021–2022 CRDC Data”
2:35-2:50 PM: Revathy Nateshan* - “Patterns of Judicial Deference in Special Education Adjudication: An Empirical Analysis of Florida Due Process Cases”
2:55-3:10 PM: Laura Castellon* - “Left to Grieve Alone: The Case for a Federal Bereavement Accommodation Framework in K–12 Education”
3:20 PM – 4:00 PM: Poster Session
Location: Norman Hall Conference Center
Posters:
Poster 1: Rhiannon Lee - “From Statute to System: District Mediation of State Education Policy”
Poster 2: Amber Pressly - “Contextual Readiness and Leadership Alignment in Equitable MTSS-B Implementation”
Poster 3: Shelby Kelly - “Teachers’ Use of Digital Tools in K–12 Reading Instruction: A Thematic Review of Research”
Poster 4: Summer Hulett Krebbs - “From Reaction to Prevention: Shifts in Addressing Public School Behavioral Needs”
Poster 5: Mia Rakita*, Angela Hopkinson, & Regilda Romero - “Supporting Needs of High-Achieving Neurodivergent Undergraduate Students”
Poster 6: Josie Stephens - “Literature Review of Visual and ASL-Centered Reading Instruction for Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Students”
Poster 7: Angela Hinojosa - “Strategies for Deaf Student Literacy: Insights from Chilean Educators”
Poster 8: Clarissa Cheung*, Rachel Pu, & Amanpreet Kapoor - “Closing the Career Prep Gap: How WiNG.it Prepares Students for Behavioral Interviews”
Poster 9: Harshini Murthy, Kaylor Duncan, & Regilda Romero - “Guidelines for School Reintegration Post-Neurological Insult”
Poster 10: Anshita Rayalla, Anna L Farmer, & Brandon A. Zielinski - “Structural Covariance of Sensory & Cognitive Networks in Pediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder”
Poster 11: Anderson Taylor* - “Reteaching Fractions to Algebra II Students"
Poster 12: Anna Erickson* - “Digital Media Exposure: Influence on the Social-Emotional Development of Preschool Children”
Poster 13: Alyssa Holmquist, Kira Alqueza, Heidi Parsons, Melissa Mariani, & Chris Curran - “Where’s Your Evidence?: Implementation of Mandated Mental Health Literacy Education in Florida”
Poster 14: Sara Prete - “Making Space for Inquiry in a Structured Literacy Classroom”
Poster 15: Jen Curran - “Guiding Pathways to Participation: Analyzing Guidance for Familial Involvement in State IDEA Documents (PILOT)”
Poster 16: Kaylor Duncan & Indy Hurin - “Consequential Evidence of Universal Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Screening in K–12 Schools”
Poster 17: Lucia Del Valle Penella, An Le, Madysen Zamora, & Darla M. Castelli - “‘When I Dance They Feel Proud of Me’: A Qualitative Study of an Inclusive Ballet Program”
Poster 18: Ava Anderson - “Physiology of Math Anxiety: A Novel Quantification of Student Proficiency”
Poster 19: Georgette Kluiters & Allyson Fleischer - “The Gator Good Goes Global: Enhancing Intercultural Competence Through Virtual Exchange”
Poster 20: Lindsey Link - “Building Teacher Capacity Through Inquiry-Oriented PLC: Early Implementation to Improve Mathematics Equity”
4:10 PM – 5:05 PM: Paper Session 2
Paper Session 2: Group A | Norman Hall Conference Center
4:10-4:25 PM: Jared McKee - “Reflections on Essential Dispositions to Teach Multilingual Learners: A Comparative Case Study”
4:30-4:45 PM: Toni Johnson - “‘It’s Magic’: Amplifying Family Perceptions of Kindergarten Literacy Skill Progress”
4:50-5:05 PM: Mariana Rebello & Megan R. Worth - “Limited Evidence, High Need: A Systematic Review of Social and Emotional Competencies Interventions for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders ”
Paper Session 2: Group B | Rosenberg Room (NRN 2021)
4:10-4:25 PM: Maryam Babaee & Pasha Antonenko - “Exploring How an AI-Supported Ethics Module Shapes Middle School Students’ Computational Thinking and Design Responsibility”
4:30-4:45 PM: Priya Ganapathy Prasad - “Between Plausibility and Authenticity: Can Large Language Models (LLMs) Be Trusted to Simulate Student Responses?”
4:50-5:05 PM: Kaylee Bui - “AI-Enhanced Cognitive Presence in Online Discussion in Higher Education”
5:15 PM – 5:30 PM: Roundtable Session 1
Location: Norman Hall Conference Center
Tables:
Table 1: Rhiannon Lee - “Evaluating Policy Implementation Through a Civil Rights Lens: Developing the Civil Rights Alignment Rubric (CRAR)”
Table 2: Oluyemisi Oladejo - “The Design and Experience of Virtual Exchange in Asynchronous Learning Contexts: A Qualitative Case Study”
Table 3: Isabela Thebaldi, Lindsay Byron, & Jacob Dirghalli - “ACCESS: A Research–Practice Partnership to Improve Online STEM Pathways in a Rural Community College”
Table 4: Josie Bryan, Joni Williams Splett, Joy Gabrielli, Catherine Corbin, & Sarah Lynne - “Cyberspill: Uncovering the Dynamics of Youth Smartphone Use and Mental Health in Real-Time”
Table 5: Deligent Bobie-Ansah - “Digital Badge of Honor: How Microcredentials Function in the Workplace”
Table 6: Lissette Monzon Paz & Han Zheng - “Enhancing Vocabulary Acquisition Through Digital Game-Based Learning in the Spanish Classroom”
Table 7: Oliver Schnusenberg - “When Artificial Companions Meet Human Attachment Systems: Implications for Counselor Education and Training”
5:35 PM – 5:50 PM: Roundtable Session 2
Location: Norman Hall Conference Center
Tables:
Table 1: Salah Esmaeiligoujar & Seyedahmad Rahimi - “Enhancing Law Students’ Critical Thinking Through AI-Supported IRAC-Based Case Learning”
Table 2: Kira Alqueza, Joni Williams Splett, Melissa Mariani, Alyssa Holmquist, & Heidi Parsons - “Gathering Stakeholder Feedback on Project HOPE: A School Mental Health Workforce Development Program ”
Table 3: Kushal Das & Rob Moore - “Attrition as a Design Problem: A Systematic Review of LMOOC Attrition Research (2018–2025)”
Table 4: Jamie Dale - “Systematic Review of Role of Spirituality for English Language Teachers (ELTs)”
Table 5: Kimberly Citarelli* - “Bridging the Educational Gap: Rebuilding Foundational Knowledge”
Table 6: Bruna Canellas - “Performing Partnership: UF and Brazil in the Postwar South”
Table 7: Deniz Ercan & Seyedahmad Rahimi - “Mapping the Role of Generative AI in STEM Learning Games: A Systematic Scoping Review”
5:50 PM – 6:00 PM: Closing Speech & Awards
Location: Norman Hall Conference Center
Speaker: Dr. Thomasenia Lott Adams, Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development
Feedback
Thank you for attending the 2026 UF College of Education Research Symposium! We value your feedback on the Research Symposium! Please share your thoughts and complete the survey. All presenters, participants, and judges are welcome to take the survey. Your input will help us improve future events.
Acknowledgments
We would like to sincerely thank our judges for their time, expertise, and commitment to supporting this year’s symposium. We are grateful to Dr. Catherine Corbin, Dr. Gayle Evans, Dr. Caitie Gallingane, Dr. Elyssa Geer, Dr. Hada Herring, Dr. Corinne Huggins-Manley, Dr. Jennifer Kent, Dr. Brittany Kester, Dr. Mercedes Machado, and Dr. Richard Velasco for their thoughtful engagement and for helping make this event a success.
Thank you to E-Learning, Technology and Communications (ETC) and the COE IT Support team!
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