Outcomes

• Recognize the signs of AI mental fatigue 

• Understand why young people do not trust AI  

• Appreciate how AI disruption affects our mental well-being  

• Examine and apply the Life math vs digital math framework AND the importance of partnership 

• Decipher institutional tuners as a career pathway option for students

Description

In this presentation, I will share findings from career journey conversations with over 200 students and professionals navigating AI-driven workforce disruption. Drawing on 46 years in technology leadership and current work teaching AI literacy at North Carolina Central University, I introduce the "life math versus digital math" framework to help educators understand what AI can and cannot do for learners facing uncertain futures.

What I am seeing in my classroom is alarming: young people who do everything right - excellent grades, clear career goals, years of preparation and only to watch their chosen careers vanish before they graduate. The mental health toll is devastating.

This session shares their stories:

• The college senior with a 4.5 GPA whose dream career in pet nutrition was automated during her final internship. She sat in my class and cried. She was not alone.

• Young people who invested four years and significant debt preparing for careers that no longer exist

• Students asking me every single day: "Will I have a job when I graduate?" or "Will AI replace all of work?"

• The generation caught between AI that could solve climate change and AI that is depleting the planet's resources - and wondering if their futures matter at all.

And at the same time, AI has placed guardrails around their product but these guardrails are insufficient. As you likely know, young people are experiencing anxiety, depression, the sense that their preparation was meaningless, and the subtle mental health crisis no one is talking about.

As educators, we tell students: work hard, get good grades, follow your passion. And they do. And then they watch AI eliminate the careers they prepared for. We owe them more than "just pivot." We owe them honest conversation about what is happening and real support for the mental health impact of watching their futures disappear.

This session is for educators who are seeing the same things I am seeing and want to understand what young people are experiencing, why they no longer trust AI or the institutions telling them to embrace it, and what we can do to support them through this disruption.

Outcomes

• Identify how a course-embedded, faculty-customized AI assistant can address systemic equity gaps, including disparate access to tutoring, academic support, and instructor availability outside of class hours. 

• Examine real student and faculty feedback to recognize both the promise and the pitfalls of AI integration. 

• Discuss how AI-assisted learning experiences that center student agency and equitable access can encourage human connection, rather than replace it.

Description

Who gets academic support at 2 a.m.? For most students, especially those juggling jobs and/or financial pressures or challenged by disability, the answer has historically been "no one." This lack of real-time support can be deeply impactful to persistence. If we want equitable education, student support must be just as accessible as the coursework itself.

This session explores findings from a two-year pilot of Praxis "Pria," an AI assistant integrated directly into Canvas LMS at the University of Notre Dame. Unlike general-purpose AI, "Pria" is designed for teaching and learning and trained by faculty on specific course materials, such as their syllabi and readings to provide guided explanations, rather than just doing the work for students. This AI assistant also prioritizes transparency with privacy; student data stays within the course and is never used to train external models, which is vital for scaling AI literacy efforts.

We will share how 24/7 availability of the AI Assistant helped create access and inclusion opportunities, destigmatize AI use, and why students and faculty felt "safer" with a trusted, course-specific source. We’ll also be honest about the hurdles, like policy confusion and the risk of widening equity gaps. 

Attendees will leave with a framework for evaluating AI tools through an equity lens, and outcomes that can be used for discussing responsible AI integration with students, administrators, and skeptical colleagues.

Opening

Join us as we kick off the 2026 Peralta Online Equity Conference with a brief welcome address by Peralta's Chancellor, Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson. 

Outcomes

• Build 2 foundational skills to engage with colleagues and students across disciplines/campus communities.  Areas: managing biases & assumptions, fostering connection & belonging 

• Understand and practice 2-3 culturally congruent practices (such as intercultural communication skills, non-violent community, and equity-minded problem solving) that will promote justice and healing through open conversations to repair the effects of modern racism. Areas: removing institutional barriers and intercultural global competence.

Description

• Areas Online equity practices included in the presentation (please click all that apply): increasing diversity & inclusion, managing biases & assumptions, fostering connection & belonging, removing institutional barriers, and intercultural global competence. 

• Description: Creating a collective teaching, leading, and learning environment that fosters innovative inquiry and reflection into equity-based pedagogical practices in education. A facilitator's summary of the components of anti-racism practices: Multiculturalism, Cultural Identity Formulation, Cultural Inclusivity, Cultural Humility, Racial Trauma, Forgiveness, Self-Compassion/Self-care, Problem-solving skills/Solution-focused skills, Non-violent communication & Understanding and changing implicit bias

• Skill sets in the above mentioned topics = Reducing microaggressions towards students & colleagues. 

Outcomes

• Gain 2 ideas for using Padlet right away to promote student engagement, connection, and choice;

• Experience Padlet as a tool for adult learning and engagement; 3) understand how Padlet is a tool for promoting equity across disciplines

Description

Experience Padlet as a tool that promotes engagement, connection, creativity and choice. In this hands-on workshop, we will engage in Padlet activities to first connect with other attendees, then experience part of an adult-level learning sequence that highlights how Padlet can support different modes of learning that ensure equity and access. You will leave with ideas and strategies you can implement right away that are grounded in equity and engagement. 

Outcomes

• Engage with research to bolster knowledge and confidence in pursuing various paths towards gender euphoria for themself and/or students 

• Establish a framework for understanding themselves and students' needs, desires, and gravitations through a constructive lens 

• Have access to a platform to ask questions and build community knowledge 4) Connect with other folks who are finding their gender joy in myriad ways.

Description

Gender identities are immeasurably complex, beautiful, unique, and full of wonder. In our current context, it may feel easy to lose sight of what brings us joy, confidence, and excitement about who we are and how we navigate the world, including spaces of higher education. In this workshop, gender euphoria will take the main stage as we learn about and reflect on what it means to us, ponder questions to help us access it, and discover how protective it is for building resilience in our learning communities.

Outcomes

• Identify leadership behaviors that help teams stay grounded during uncertainty and change. 

• Apply practical communication strategies that reduce confusion and anxiety in complex environments. 

• Use simple leadership tools to strengthen trust, connection, and stability within teams and organizations.

Description

Uncertainty has become a constant in modern organizations and educational environments. Whether navigating institutional change, new technologies, shifting expectations, or evolving learning models, leaders are increasingly asked to guide teams through complexity while maintaining clarity and trust.

In this engaging and practical session, leadership consultant Lyndi Zavy introduces strategies that help leaders stay grounded and communicate effectively during periods of uncertainty. Participants will explore the mindsets and communication practices that reduce confusion, strengthen psychological safety, and help teams remain connected even when the path forward is not fully defined.

Through discussion and short interactive exercises, participants will examine common leadership challenges that arise during change and learn practical approaches for maintaining stability, clarity, and trust. Attendees will leave with actionable tools they can immediately apply to support their teams, foster belonging, and lead confidently through shifting environments.

Outcomes

• Explain how coaching practices can function as an equity tool in educational environments.  Participants will examine how coaching conversations support student development, inclusive learning environments, and equitable access to opportunity.  

• Identify strategies educators can use to integrate coaching practices into teaching, advising, and mentoring.  Participants will explore coaching techniques that support student reflection, engagement, and academic resilience across disciplines.  

• Apply the Coaching Equity Framework to support student voice, belonging, and institutional change.  Participants will learn how the five pillars of the framework. access, voice, belonging, critical technology literacy, and institutional change. can strengthen equity initiatives across educational settings.  

• Evaluate how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence influence equity in education.  Participants will explore strategies educators can use to guide students in engaging responsibly with AI and digital learning tools..

Description

Coaching is widely recognized as a leadership development practice, yet its potential as a strategy for advancing equity within educational environments is often underutilized. Students and educators navigate complex systems shaped by differences in access, preparation, cultural context, and technological change. Coaching practices provide a powerful approach for supporting individuals as they navigate these realities while strengthening inclusive learning environments.

This session explores how coaching can function as a practical equity tool across disciplines including STEM, Career and Technical Education, Liberal Arts, Languages and ESOL, Ethnic Studies, and Teacher Education. Participants will examine how coaching conversations can expand access to mentoring and advising, amplify student voice, and foster belonging within classrooms and academic communities.

The presentation introduces the Coaching Equity Framework, a model that highlights five pillars for advancing equity through coaching: access, voice, belonging, critical technology literacy, and institutional change. Participants will also explore how coaching practices align with Universal Design for Learning principles, support guided pathways initiatives, and help educators address emerging challenges related to artificial intelligence and digital equity.

Through practical examples, research insights, and reflective dialogue, participants will leave with strategies they can apply within advising, teaching, leadership, and student support environments to strengthen equitable learning outcomes.

Outcomes

• Apply a Digital Learning Equity Analysis protocol to examine course syllabi, assessments, and communication structures.   

• Evaluate how AI tools can support equity-centered instructional design while mitigating potential bias and cognitive overload.   

• Identify strategies for integrating pedagogy of care, culturally responsive teaching, and open education practices into AI-supported online learning environments.

Description

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping online learning environments, but its impact on equity for online students remains an open question. Can AI help instructors create more inclusive courses—or does it risk reinforcing existing inequities?

This interactive session shares findings from the Digital Learning Equity Analysis Project, a faculty-led initiative that applied the Every Learner Everywhere framework to evaluate and redesign two fully online courses serving nontraditional and working adult learners. Through a six-month peer review process, faculty systematically examined syllabi, course organization, communication plans, assessments, and institutional supports using tools such as the Universal Design for Learning rubric, Social Justice Syllabus Design Tool, and the Peralta Equity Rubric.

Grounded in cognitive load theory and humanizing pedagogy, the project identified several equity-centered improvements, including clearer assignment structures, more inclusive syllabus language, intentional community-building practices, and increased visibility of student support services.

Building on this work, the session explores how AI tools can be incorporated into digital learning equity reviews. Participants will examine examples of how AI can assist instructors in identifying hidden barriers in course design, generating accessible content variations, and supporting timely feedback—while also considering the risks of algorithmic bias and over-automation.

Through guided reflection and discussion, participants will leave with a practical framework for integrating AI into equity-focused course design, ensuring that technological innovation remains aligned with pedagogy of care, culturally responsive teaching, and open educational practices.

Outcomes

• Explore how AI could help assure learner engagement at scale 

• Study how AI could change the role of the IHE from gatekeeper and controller of knowledge to facilitator, engager and force-multiplier for learning writ large

Description

Over decades the confluence of policy and technology has resulted in the remarkable evolution of higher education from localized communities of scholars sharing knowledge with the privileged few into complex enterprises serving students through a range of modalities. It has resulted in a remarkable democratization of knowledge but has also resulted in rigid structures and processes designed to maximize institutional control rather than flexibility, relevance, and value for the learner. Higher education is facing a confluence of challenges including significant questions related to its value and relevance, increasing lack of affordability and the perception of growing distance between what is taught and what is needed to succeed in life and in the workplace of today & the future. Against this background, AI offers a powerful opportunity as an enabler and force-multiplier, recreating at scale the advantages of individualized mentorship and contextual learning that have always been hallmarks of excellence. This session brings forth concepts that could provide a dramatic re-envisioning of roles, mechanisms, and philosophies removing the perceptions of scarcity and ensuring that we enable rather than constrain, provide value rather than maintain status quo. It discusses how AI could assist in enhancing a focus on the "learner" not the institution through

• the re-envisioning of the university from gatekeeper to provider and enabler

• the re-envisioning of a faculty member from "lecturer" to "facilitator" "coach" and "designer of learning through experiences"

• developing skills based on "what-if" and "why" rather than merely developing solutions to known problems

Outcomes

• Define the goals of open pedagogy and anti-racist teaching principles

• Understand how identity-based discussions can help students connect themselves to their learning

• Use Google Docs to practice open pedagogy

Description

I teach asynchronous online history, and in 2023-24 I led the Open For Anti-Racism (OFAR) team for Cosumnes River College. We spent the fall semester taking a class on using open educational resources and open pedagogy to empower students. We developed action plans to implement the following spring. 

My action plan had two parts. The first was to engage in a series of identity-based discussions. These provide a structured way for students to bring their whole selves into their practice as historians. I enjoy observing the strengthened communities in my classes and the deeper connections students have made with their learning.

The second part further empowered students by inviting them to edit our textbook, which is possible thanks to its Creative Commons license. Initially I was going to have them create an accompanying primary source reader, but instead I incorporated my students’ voices directly into a resource that is integral to my teaching. Each semester my current students’ learning is informed by the contributions made by their predecessors.

In this session, I will describe my participation in the OFAR project and demonstrate how I use Canvas and Google Docs to implement pedagogy that is open, anti-racist, and creates a classroom environment where each student can be fully present in their scholarly work. I will also share how I involved students and the process I use to assess their perceptions of these projects. These techniques can be adopted by any online instructors that are interested in using OFAR principles.

Outcomes

• Recognize how trauma, stress, and anxiety manifest in students within online learning environments.  

• Recognize how trauma-informed design can advance educational equity and improve student outcomes. 

Description

The session will help participants identify potential sources of trauma and chronic stress, and recognize the often-unseen ways that trauma and chronic stress can manifest in students within online learning environments. The core of the presentation will introduce Trauma-Informed (TI) instructional design as a powerful framework to advance educational equity. It will highlight how to utilize instructional design to address systemic inequities that contribute to trauma, ensuring that marginalized students are not further disadvantaged. TI design shifts the focus from "What is wrong with the student?" to "What happened to the student?", guiding designers to build courses centered on principles like safety, transparency, choice, collaboration, and empowerment. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies and a foundational understanding of how trauma-informed design can fundamentally improve student outcomes, foster a sense of belonging, and build dignity into the very structure of online higher education.

Outcomes

• Describe key strategies for promoting equitable rigor and deep learning in online courses.  

• Apply learning science principles to design instruction that both challenges and supports diverse learners.

Description

Research suggests that higher education should aim to expand students’ cognitive capacity rather than accommodate perceived limitations in attention or ability (Lester et al., 2020). Yet diverse student populations are sometimes unintentionally offered less complex, less challenging, and more rote learning experiences (Rueda, 2011).

This session considers the concept of “equitable rigor,” the idea that equity-minded teaching requires providing all students with access to intellectually challenging learning opportunities while also offering the supports necessary for success.

Participants will explore four practical strategies grounded in learning science and equity research:

• Naming the types of knowledge students are developing (Anderson et al., 2001) to support deeper learning and metacognition

• Designing for Social Cognitive Theory while reducing stereotype threat in learning environments

• Motivating students through assessment for learning, rather than assessment of learning

• Modeling ethical and transparent use of AI to support routine tasks and create space for critical thinking

Attendees will leave with concrete ideas for designing courses that both challenge and support diverse learners.

Outcomes

• Review a clear, actionable framework for identifying and addressing “invisible students” in online learning environments. 

• Audit current course design and data practices, distinguish between surface-level engagement metrics and meaningful evidence of learning, and apply at least one strategy to redesign an assignment or interaction point to better capture student thinking, participation, and needs. 

• Use data more intentionally to inform instruction, increase student visibility, and strengthen equity within their online courses.

Description

Online learning environments often rely on visible indicators such as logins, discussion posts, and assignment completion to measure student success. However, these metrics do not fully capture how students engage, process information, or demonstrate understanding. As a result, many students—particularly those navigating systemic barriers, language differences, or nontraditional learning patterns—remain “invisible” within digital classrooms.

This session introduces the Student Visibility Framework™, an equity-centered approach designed to help educators and leaders rethink how learning is captured, interpreted, and supported in online environments. Rather than focusing on increasing student compliance, this framework shifts attention to designing systems that make learning visible through multiple forms of evidence.

Participants will examine how common online structures can unintentionally obscure student strengths and explore practical strategies to address these gaps. The session will highlight how to move beyond surface-level engagement data by embedding opportunities for observation, reflection, and varied expression directly into course design.

Through guided reflection and applied examples, participants will begin to identify where their current practices may limit visibility and consider how small, intentional shifts can lead to more inclusive and responsive learning experiences.

This session is designed for faculty, instructional designers, and leaders seeking to strengthen equity in online learning by aligning data, instruction, and student experience in more meaningful and actionable ways.

Outcomes

• Recognize how trust, credibility, and human connection influence participation and engagement in learning environments.  

• Identify ways individuals can use their voice and presence to positively influence culture, trust, and collaboration.  

• Gain practical strategies for encouraging meaningful participation and shared ownership in group learning spaces.

Description

In a culture shaped more by influence than authority, leadership is no longer about who’s in charge—it’s about who people choose to listen to. Trust, credibility, and human connection often shape whether individuals feel safe to contribute, participate, and share their perspectives.

The Influence Factor: Leadership Beyond the Title challenges outdated notions of leadership and reframes influence as a skill anyone can cultivate—regardless of role, tenure, or title. In this engaging and practical session, Amanda McPherson explores how influence actually works, why it matters more now than ever, and how individuals at every level can shape culture and drive meaningful impact.

Blending real-world experience, relatable stories, and practical strategies, Amanda helps participants recognize the influence they already have through their communication, choices, and presence. Attendees will explore how small shifts in how we communicate and engage with others can strengthen trust, encourage participation, and create environments where more voices feel welcomed and valued.

Participants will leave with practical insights they can apply immediately to foster stronger collaboration, engagement, and shared ownership within their learning communities.

Outcomes

• Analyze how current social, political, and organizational contexts influence equity in professional environments and explain the implications for their own field or workplace.  

• Evaluate policies, practices, and decision-making processes through an equity lens, identifying systemic barriers and opportunities to promote more equitable space, places, and outcomes for learners. 

• Develop and articulate an actionable strategy for advancing equity within your professional role, including specific steps for fostering inclusive dialogue and equitable practices.

Description

Two years ago, equity was a part of a tri-part phrase that was placed in front of everything from learning outcomes, student experience, and retention. Then the world changed, calling into question the necessity and value of equity and equitable practices, leaving many to question if equity was possible and would equitable practices make personnel, spaces and places targets for adverse consequences. Even in all of the surrounding change, there remains a call to honor and implement equity as a human good verses marketing tagline. This session will help individual imagine and implement what equity looks like and its role in various spaces and place- regardless of the individuals professional role.

Outcomes

• Articulate how data governance influences equitable outcomes in online learning.  

• Identify structural risks in online learning data that may obscure or distort equity gaps.  

• Evaluate whether their institution’s online equity metrics are grounded in clear, shared definitions.  

• Determine governance practices that strengthen transparency, trust, and accountability in online equity reporting.

Description

As institutions expand online learning, equity efforts increasingly rely on data to identify gaps, inform interventions, and allocate resources. Yet equity findings are only as sound as the definitions, classifications, and reporting practices that produce them. Inconsistent modality coding, unclear retention definitions, aggregated reporting, and misaligned student classifications can unintentionally obscure disparities among online learners.

This session explores how data governance serves as a foundational equity strategy in online education. Rather than focusing solely on classroom-level practices, the presentation examines the institutional systems that shape how online equity data are defined, interpreted, and used. Participants will consider how governance structures - including shared definitions, cross-unit alignment, and transparent reporting standards - strengthen the integrity and trustworthiness of online equity metrics.

Through practical examples, attendees will identify common structural risks in online learning data and reflect on how governance practices can reduce bias, increase transparency, and support more accurate equity analysis. By centering data governance within equity work, institutions can move beyond surface-level reporting toward more accountable and actionable online equity efforts.

Outcomes

• Participants will learn about a model for incorporating guest speakers into and fostering dParticipants will explore the benefits of incorporating guest speakers into and fostering discussion in face to face and virtual courses and think about how they can incorporate speakers in their own courses.

Description

This presentation shares lessons learned from an online English language course which leveraged guest speakers to create opportunities to develop linguistic and intercultural competence. The instructor was based in the U.S, and the participants were civil service activists in the Kurdistan area of Iraq. The group included men and women, native speakers of Kurdish and Assyrian, Muslims and Christians. Their areas of expertise included environmental law, urban planning. women’s rights and gender-based violence. Some participants lived and worked in Erbil, the capital of the region, while others were in smaller cities.

At the outset of the ten-week course, participants were asked to choose themes they would be interested in exploring together. Based on participants’ responses, guest-speakers were invited to present to and engage with the class. Topics discussed by the speakers included sexual violence policies and prevention in the U.S., fighting intergenerational poverty in the Dominican Republic, and sustainable urban development in Brazil. Preparing for and engaging in interactions with the guest-speakers, the course participants developed vocabulary and

grammatical knowledge, practiced reading and discussing academic texts as they shared their own areas of expertise. In addition, discussions before, during, and after the guest-speakers’

presentations participants, and the instructor, were challenged to deepen their intercultural competence, as they navigated their diverse understandings of conditions in their home regions, their countries, and the world.

Attendees will share their experiences teaching in the virtual space and have the opportunity to brainstorm ways in which they might incorporate guest-speakers in their classrooms. 

Outcomes

• Learn about two AI tools, Playlab.ai and Julius.ai

Description

West Los Angeles College has developed a no-code AI system designed to help students find educational pathways with zero textbook costs (ZTC): https://www.wlac.edu/academics/zero-cost-textbooks The architecture overcomes data silos by merging live class schedules, degree requirements, and faculty textbook lists into a single unified dataset. This integration is powered by Julius AI and a Playlab AI chatbot, which allows students to receive personalized academic advice and instant registration links for free course sections. By utilizing Retrieval-Augmented Generation, the chatbot accurately maps specific major requirements to available cost-free materials. The daily workflow ensures data accuracy through a simple, human-managed pipeline that takes less than thirty minutes to update. Ultimately, this open-source solution promotes equity by removing financial barriers and simplifying the complex process of degree planning.

Outcomes

• Develop canvas shells that are visually pleasing and attractive to a plethora of learning styles. 

• Describe the importance of creating accessible canvas shells. 

• Develop and create accessible pages in Canvas for students. 

• Describe the importance of creating specific and procedural modules for students.

Description

This presentation will focus on creating diverse and inclusive learning environments for online education.  This will be geared for any faculty and/or administrator representative of any discipline.  The presentation will specifically address the importance of accessibility in Universal Course Design.  It will also provide participants with concrete guidance and examples of creating accessible content within their canvas shells and leaning in on the importance of evaluative measure diversity within an online course.  It will also detail the importance of incorporating heterogeneous and representative images, stories, case studies, etc. within a canvas course.  Ultimately, this presentation will aid participants in creating diverse, interactive, accessible canvas courses across all disciplines.