Wednesday 6/8

10am - 11:50am - Concurrent Sessions

Session A

Best Practices for Classroom Engagement with Nearpod

Presenters:

Jon Poole, Vice President of Higher Ed and International, Nearpod

Amy Young, Higher Ed Regional Sales Manager, Nearpod


Description: As institutions increasingly expand hybrid and blended learning options, educators must innovate and adapt to meet students where they are. During this session, participants will get an immersive, hands-on experiential demonstration of how Nearpod’s multiple-solution platform allows educators to create interactive lessons and improve engagement across multiple modalities.

Participants will get a free Nearpod license and will be part of our users' community.


Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

  • Design enhanced and engaging interactivity and lessons with Nearpod

  • Evaluate student success through Nearpod-based lessons and content

Session B

Fostering the 4Cs with Free Technologies

Presenter: Kristen Purvis, Instructional Designer, UNC Pembroke


Description: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration make up the 4Cs of 21st Century Skills that employers are looking for. During the presentation, I will give you ideas for how to prepare your students for their job search after graduation by fostering these skills in your classroom through the use of engaging assignments created using an array of free tools. Use your UNCP credentials to login to Google Suite and follow along in real time as we explore all the tools option available through Google, as well as several other providers. I will also discuss learner flexibility and how you can adapt to your students' strengths and individual goals in order to develop a more inclusive classroom experience for everyone.


Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

  • Create thought-provoking class assignments using free online tools

  • Design activities that foster the 4Cs

  • Increase student engagement by giving them autonomy over their learning

12pm - 12:50pm

Nearpod Panel & Demo


1pm - 2:50pm - Concurrent Sessions

Session A

Gamification for Learning Basics

Presenter:

Alexander Salas, Learning Experience and Instructional Systems Designer


Description: Gamification is the application of game design mechanics and strategies to non-game contexts or situations. Gamification has been widely used in history to recognize, motivate and engage audiences in marketing, military, and other industries. This workshop focuses on the basic tenets of gamification practice and its potential value for learning design. This two-hour session will be hands-on with online collaboration in Zoom breakout rooms. You will design a short learning experience with gamification and game design strategies.


Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

  • Explain three implications for the use of the MDA game design framework

  • Differentiate between gamification and game design tactics

  • Identify intrinsic and extrinsic reward tactics for motivation

  • Create a fully gamified strategy for a learning course design

Session B

PowerPoint: Fast Fixes For Taking Your Slides From Boring to Bravo

Presenter: Mike Taylor, Learning Consultant, Nationwide


Description: All of us are short on time. In this session, you'll learn how to quickly transform dense text-heavy slides into visually appealing professional designs. Our first step will be to create your own design toolkit and set up your PowerPoint environment to help you work more efficiently. Next, we'll show you some time-saving techniques that make your job easier and will help you create better presentations that you can be proud of.


Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

  • Design more effective slides with PowerPoint resources

  • Customize their PowerPoint setup to boost the efficiency of their workflow

  • Create speedy slide makeovers

  • Create PowerPoint content that is more professional and compelling


3pm - 4:50pm - Concurrent Sessions

Session A

Authentic assessment: Demonstrating Evidence of Learning in Real-world Contexts

Presenter: Kevin Kelly, Founder, Kevin Kelly Consulting


Description: In this 2-hour session, we will explore how to transform traditional assessments into authentic assessments—giving students opportunities to show what they know in real-world contexts. Starting with our learning outcomes, we will identify authentic tasks that can be used in the assessment process. We will practice this using a variety of assessment strategies, including multiple choice questions, case studies, service learning activities and ePortfolio assignments. Where applicable, we will generate criteria to use to review and score student work.


Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

  • Identify authentic tasks—e.g., in your discipline or your students’ future work—that can be used to create assessment opportunities

  • Create authentic assessment using a variety of assessment approaches

  • Develop assessment criteria to review and score student work

Session B

Engaging Student Teams in Online Learning

Presenter: Dr. Lujean Baab, Sr. Director, Grants and Awards, TLOS , Virginia Tech

Description: In this session, participants will explore the strategies and options for guiding student learning in teams engaged in group work at a distance. We will discuss the benefits and challenges of creating and managing group work by student teams in online courses, share strategies for student success in online teams, and review examples to adopt and adapt including approaches to assessing individual learning in student teams. Participants are invited to bring current assignments and grading rubrics to be considered for revision for team-based student work. We will begin with an overview to establish an understanding of student learning in teams and specifically in online courses. We will then consider the roles students can play in teams, the strategies we can use to promote engagement and learning, and some of the tools we can use to implement those strategies. We will also focus on the ways in which we can manage and assess student activity and achievement of learning outcomes for the work done as part of a team. We will share examples, discuss concerns, and consider the experiences (if any) of participants as we then apply all of this to revising or drafting learning activities for student teams in the specific online courses taught by participants.

Learning Objectives:

Participants should be able to:

  • Identify the strategies and options for guiding student learning in teams engaged in group work at a distance

  • Discuss the benefits and challenges of creating and managing group work by student teams in online courses

  • Develop strategies for student success in online teams

  • Create rubrics for grading group submissions including approaches to assessing individual learning in student teams