2024 Poster Sessions

Outcomes 

• Imagine a new way to assess student work 

• Construct a new model for providing feedback and supporting student success 

• Examine best practices for adapting this model to various disciplines 

Description 

Through this workshop, participants will learn about three approaches to alternative grading that supports students who may have had difficulties earning "A" grades in the past. The goal of the session is to help conference participants: 1) Imagine a new way to assess student work; 2) Construct a new model for providing feedback and supporting student success; and 3) Examine best practices for adapting this model to various disciplines. While the presenter focuses on Composition courses, these approaches could be adapted to other disciplines.

Outcomes

• Describe the application of UDL principles in a Caribbean university 

• Explain the applicability of traditional pedagogical strategies to an online environment 

• Adapt equitable instructional strategies to other instructional contexts

Description

Although the ability of online teaching and learning to create greater access to education highlights a particular facet of equity and identity, i.e., the socioeconomic, online learning environments should intentionally address various aspects of identity, consistent with the diverse students present in these environments. CAST provides an essential framework to guide teachers in their practice, and this framework can be applied in multiple teaching settings, particularly in the online setting. We utilize a practitioner-based research approach as we reflect on our online teaching experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic to describe our application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in creating equitable spaces for undergraduate students to maximize their learning. We demonstrate UDL’s universal application, using it to create buy-in when teaching writing to preclinical health sciences students at a Caribbean university. By leaning heavily into UDL’s framework around students’ affective, strategic, and recognition networks, we maintained inclusive teaching practices that contributed to positive learning outcomes while employing other current and best pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning, relevant to an online environment. We conclude by providing recommendations of adoptable and adaptable approaches in teaching and learning environments at various levels. 

Outcomes

• Increase understanding of: 1) Pedagogical care, 2) Faculty teaching labor and 3) Student utilization of pedagogical care

Description

This research asks questions about conventional wisdom about the best use of faculty time and energy (e.g. labor). It provides data of interest to faculty who might want to take a closer look at and make adjustments to their use of teaching labor. It does so by sharing data on students’ engagement with faculty’s pedagogical care practices. 

Specifically, it presents quantitative data on which faculty care practices the students utilized. It also shares students’ own words (i.e. qualitative data) about why they do and don’t engage with the student care practices that faculty spend their labor planning, designing, implementing and managing. This research’s results suggest that faculty may have much more flexibility to reallocate their limited teaching labor towards other activities. 

Both the examination of and reflection on this research topic is important because the use of teaching labor has consequences for faculty burnout, productivity and wellness. Perhaps these results can help faculty to reclaim and reallocate their labor towards the service and research productivity they need to be successful at their jobs. Or towards the wellness required for them to be happy and not burn out.

Outcomes

• Increase student retention and engagement

Description

Retrieval practice is one of the most effective learning strategies for improving student engagement and retention. This poster session explores how to seamlessly integrate retrieval practice at every stage of a college lecture, from the opening warm-up to the final wrap-up. We’ll begin by examining warm-up activities that activate prior knowledge and set the stage for new learning. Then, we’ll explore ways to embed retrieval throughout the lecture using low-stakes quizzes, think-pair-share exercises, and guided questioning. Finally, we’ll discuss effective wrap-up techniques, such as exit tickets and summarization strategies, to reinforce learning and identify gaps in understanding.

Outcomes

• Study the role of artificial intelligence in online education, its impact on global educational equity, language acquisition, and the results of scientific work conducted in Uzbekistan.

Description

This poster presents the impact of AI on online learning, focusing on accessibility, personalization, and global inclusion, based on the results of a research project. It examines how AI platforms can help close gaps in education around the world by improving student assessment, monitoring, and engagement in the learning process.

The study also highlights how the expansion of AI-based online learning can ensure equitable access to quality education. The results of the analysis show that AI-based platforms are creating new opportunities for more inclusive and effective learning, particularly in the areas of language acquisition and independent learning. AI-powered assessments, interactive platforms, and automated monitoring are significantly improving English language proficiency and providing equal educational opportunities for students, regardless of their geographic location.

As a visiting scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire from Uzbekistan, I conducted a comparative study of educational platforms and teaching methods used in Uzbekistan and the United States. This poster presents the main findings of my research and provides insights into how AI-powered online learning and the creation of equitable learning systems around the world can shape the future of education.

Outcomes

• Review how Canvas tools can support accessibility, enhance student engagement, and promote an inclusive learning environment

• Apply practical strategies using Canvas features to remove common learning barriers and improve equitable access for diverse student populations

• Empower faculty and students to contribute to an inclusive classroom by modeling and implementing accessibility best practices

Description

Equity and inclusion in education start with accessibility—but creating an inclusive classroom doesn’t have to be complicated. In this session, we’ll showcase five simple, built-in tools in Canvas that help remove barriers, support diverse learners, and ensure all students have equitable access to learning.

This poster session provides practical, high-impact solutions using already embedded tools - just a few clicks using features already at your fingertips. Each tip is designed to promote accessibility, enhance student engagement, and create a more inclusive learning experience for all. 

Our training’s focus: The Accessibility Dashboard & Analytics provide instructors with insights into potential accessibility barriers. The Accessibility Checker streamlines the process of identifying and fixing common accessibility issues within course content. To ensure all students can engage with feedback in ways that best support their learning, we will showcase multiple feedback options, including captioned video feedback using SpeedGrader, which makes instructor comments accessible to students with diverse needs. Additionally, the Immersive Reader enhances comprehension by allowing students to customize how they interact with text, improving readability for multilingual learners and those with learning differences. Lastly, we will highlight how students can create accessible content, for example through video and audio discussion board options.

By modeling accessible practices, educators empower students to engage inclusively and develop an equity-centered educational environment. In turn, when students create accessible content, they reinforce these inclusive practices. Participants will leave this session with immediate, actionable steps to make their courses more inclusive—proving that small, intentional changes create lasting impacts on student success.

Outcomes

• Identify features of content management systems (CMS) that enhance equity in online learning

• Explain the unique roles of instructors and CMS administrators in building equitable learning environments

• Demonstrate how CMS tools, such as captioning and embedding, improve content accessibility for diverse learners

• Evaluate best practices for integrating CMS into course design to support student success

Description

As online education expands, it becomes a necessity for institutions to prioritize equitable access to instructional content. Using a content management system (CMS) like Panopto plays a significant role in reducing institutional barriers for students and ultimately creating more inclusive learning environments. This presentation explores the integration of CMS in online learning from two perspectives: instructors and CMS administrators, highlighting how their distinct roles contribute to accessible, flexible, and engaging learning experiences that support student success.

First, we will examine the instructor’s perspective, focusing on how they incorporate a CMS into their courses. This section will explore key CMS features such as captioning, recording methods, and embedding, demonstrating how these tools enhance accessibility and engagement. By leveraging these features, instructors can seamlessly integrate content into their teaching, ensuring all students can access and interact with course materials—an essential factor in their learning experience.

CMS administrators also play a critical role in optimizing the use of these tools for both instructors and students. This section will discuss how administrators can empower faculty by providing high-quality support that encompasses both technological and pedagogical best practices, as well as the importance of clear, accessible documentation.

Through this collaboration and by embedding equity into instructional technology from the start, universities can create a more just and accessible learning experience for all students.

Outcomes

• Discuss the role and definition of equanimity as a self-leading construct in yielding equity through the strategy of interculturalism & global competencies. 

Description

Dr. Ives is a seasoned presenter and author who will bring you concise "Thought Points" in her ten-minute recording. Her insights will cover Equanimity as a construct of self-knowledge and self-leading to cut through biases and assumptions that can be a barrier to equity. She will also discuss how equanimity can better yield equity through the strategy of interculturalism and global competencies. 

Outcomes

• Review an example of how existing OERs can be customized to better suit the students' needs

Description

Apart from the obvious benefit of cost savings to students, Open Educational Resources (OER) can also allow instructors to customize an existing OER to better suit their students' learning needs. We will illustrate this for a course in multivariable calculus. Students often enter the class with the explicit expectation that mathematics is about memorizing formulas and applying them to numerical problems. We will describe how we are adapting an existing OER to include visualizations and self-checks. The goal is to create a more interactive textbook, which can improve student engagement by enabling students to visualize concepts and by deepening their conceptual understanding. 

Outcomes

• Identify key strategies and common challenges in distributing engaging online course templates across different LMS platforms 

• Recognize essential design considerations for course templates that support faculty with varying levels of tech proficiency

Description

This presentation explores Shasta College’s approach to enhancing equity and accessibility in online courses through the development and distribution of pre-made course templates. With around 70% of Shasta’s courses delivered online, the need for consistent, intuitive, and engaging course websites is critical.

Although Shasta adopted Canvas in 2015 and Design Plus in 2022, we found that extensive faculty training on Design Plus was not the most efficient use of time and resources. Instead, we shifted to providing ready-to-use templates that require no prior knowledge of Design Plus, enabling faculty to easily customize content using Canvas’s built-in editor.

In this brief session, we’ll share key insights from our project timeline, showcase sample templates, and discuss strategies for supporting faculty with varying technical skills. We’ll also highlight lessons learned from faculty collaboration and compare methods for distributing templates to maximize adoption and effectiveness.