Location: Hall of Science T07

Presenters: Alyssa Harben (AUx Instructor & Advisor, First Year Advising), Talia Burnside (AUx Instructor & Advisor, First Year Advising), Annie Kustasz (Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, CAS | Literature) & Roshan Abraham (AUx Instructor & Advisor, First Year Advising)

Location: SIS Founders Room

Presenter: Kristztina Domjan (CTRL AI in Teaching & Research Faculty Fellow and Senior Professorial Lecturer, CAS | Literature)

This hands-on workshop will provide faculty with practical strategies to ensure responsible and transparent use of AI in instruction. Attendees, bring your own device, bring a couple of your current course assignments, and let’s explore methods for integrating AI while maintaining ethical oversight and accountability through updated policies and tools like color-coded AI permission banners, rubrics, and explicit AI disclosure frameworks.

Location: Library Café B30

Presenters: Casey Evans (Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Student Services, KSB | Accounting), Jay Simon (Associate Professor, KSB | Information Technology & Analytics), Tommy White (Senior Professorial Lecturer, KSB | Management), Bill Bellows (Professorial Lecturer, KSB | Management) & Garima Sharma (Assistant Professor, KSB | Management)

Join members of the Kogod faculty in a fast-paced engaging session on redesigning the business school’s core curriculum. We’ll share our collaborative journey, highlighting challenges faced and innovative strategies used. Using an experiential simulated exercise, discover how interdisciplinary cooperation led to a revitalized student experience and gain insights you can apply in your own curriculum redesign efforts.

Location: Hall of Science 103

Presenter: Holly Swanson (Professorial Lecturer and Director of Biology Laboratories, CAS | Biology)

Looking for an innovative way to hook your audience for a class, administrative meeting, or presentation? Or an engaging way to concisely situate a course concept within a larger framework? In this workshop, we will present the use of iMovie trailers to engage biology students this past semester. You will then have an opportunity to create your own bite-sized video!

Location: Hall of Science T07

Zoom Link: Join this session live-stream

Presenters: Hannah Jardine (Teaching & Learning Specialist, CTRL), Sahil Mathur (Adjunct Instructor, SIS, Graduate Assistant for Teaching & Learning, CTRL), Ayah Morsy (Graduate Assistant for Teaching & Learning, CTRL) & Reba Mathews (Undergraduate Student Partner, CTRL , Class of 2025)

Student Panelists: Gabriela Rupp (Undergraduate Student Partner, CTRL, Class of 2026), Nasaiah Algarin (Undergraduate Student Partner, CTRL , Class of 2027), Katelyn Lewicky (Undergraduate Student Partner, CTRL , Class of 2025) & Zo Wofford (Undergraduate Student Partner, CTRL , Class of 2027)

CTRL Student Partners will share insights on impactful and inclusive instruction at AU, focusing on strategies for dialogue around contentious topics, creating an anti-ableist classroom, and engaging students outside their major. Their insights come from semester-long projects that draw on personal experience, interactions with other students and faculty, and ideas from coursework.

Location: SIS Founders Room

Zoom Link: Join this session live-stream

Presenters: Alexis Glasgow (Academic Integrity Coordinator, Office of Academic Integrity), Stina Oakes (Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer, CAS | Literature / Writing Studies), Amanda Getz (Senior Instructor & Advisor, First Year Advising), Alison Thomas (Assistant Dean for Academic Integrity) & Ubah Aden (Academic Advisor, School of International Service)

Location: Hall of Science 103

Presenter: Kristi Gibson (Senior Coordinator of Student Evaluation of Teaching, Office of Institutional Research & Assessment) & Priya Doshi (Associate Dean for Faculty and Inclusive Excellence, Office of the Deputy Provost and Dean of Faculty)

Location: Library Café B30

Presenters: Tashina Giraud (Director of International Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, Office of Graduate and Professional Studies), Karen Knee (Associate Professor and Department Chair, CAS | Environmental Science), Sarah Menke-Fish (Assistant Professor and Senior Director of Experiential Learning, SOC | Film and Media Arts), Mieke Meurs (Professor, CAS | Economics) & Xuguang Sheng (Professor, CAS | Economics)

Participants will engage in an interactive discussion to explore leveraging AU’s international networks and connections to develop teaching and research opportunities, attract international students, and foster partnerships. The session will highlight faculty initiatives and showcase AU resources to support internationalization goals.

Location: Mary Graydon Center (MGC) Tavern

Zoom Link: Join this session live-stream

Join us in welcoming President Jonathan Alger to his first Ann Ferren Conference, where he will engage in a fireside chat with Acting Provost Vicky Wilkins, reflecting on his first semester at AU, sharing his vision for The Civic Life initiative, and discussing his approach to challenges that lie ahead.

Please note: This is a double session, which spans both afternoon session slots – 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Location: Hall of Science T07

Zoom Link: Join this session live-stream

Presenters: SRI RICE Finalists (to be announced)
Selection Committee: Diana Burley (Vice Provost for Research and Innovation), Rachel Borchardt (Scholarly Communication Librarian, University Library), Raychelle Burks (Associate Professor, CAS | Chemistry), Susanna Campbell (Provost Associate Professor, SIS | Foreign Policy & Global Security), Jordan Tama (Provost Associate Professor, SIS | Foreign Policy & Global Security), and Bei Xiao (Provost Associate Professor, CAS | Computer Science)

The finalists of SRI RICE will provide a brief overview of their proposed projects followed by a discussion with the selection committee. The six proposed projects are: (1) Establishing Measures for an Institutional Designation for Teaching Excellence Colleges and Universities; (2) Translating hydrology and water quality research to advance education and environmental policymaking in American Samoa; (3) Making the Case for Higher Taxes; (4) USAID and Open Government in the Colombian Amazon: Learning from Local Perspectives on “Locally-Led Development; (5) Co-creating Insights to Bolster Positive Sustainable Procurement Impact; and (6) Translating public anthropology into research-informed civic engagement.

Location: Library Café B30

Presenter: Evan Reister (Professorial Lecturer, CAS | Health Studies)

This session will explore innovative and dynamic methods of incorporating gamification into your classroom! Participants will discover why gamification is beneficial for students as well as how and when to apply gamified elements to courses to increase student participation and learning. Through gamification, transform lectures, discussions, and assessments to make classes more impactful (and fun!) for everyone.

Location: SIS Founders Room

Zoom Link: Join this session live-stream

Presenters: Bryan Daves (Professorial Lecturer, SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology), Nathaniel Herr (Associate Professor, CAS | Psychology), Jennifer Steele (Professor, School of Education) & Aarushi Sahejpal (Professorial Lecturer, SOC | Journalism)

Please note: This is part 2 of a double session, which spans both afternoon session slots – 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Location: Hall of Science T07

Zoom Link: Join this session live-stream

Presenters: SRI RICE Finalists (to be announced)
Selection Committee: Diana Burley (Vice Provost for Research and Innovation), Rachel Borchardt (Scholarly Communication Librarian, University Library), Raychelle Burks (Associate Professor, CAS | Chemistry), Susanna Campbell (Provost Associate Professor, SIS | Foreign Policy & Global Security), Jordan Tama (Provost Associate Professor, SIS | Foreign Policy & Global Security), and Bei Xiao (Provost Associate Professor, CAS | Computer Science)

The finalists of SRI RICE will provide a brief overview of their proposed projects followed by a discussion with the selection committee. The six proposed projects are: (1) Establishing Measures for an Institutional Designation for Teaching Excellence Colleges and Universities; (2) Translating hydrology and water quality research to advance education and environmental policymaking in American Samoa; (3) Making the Case for Higher Taxes; (4) USAID and Open Government in the Colombian Amazon: Learning from Local Perspectives on “Locally-Led Development; (5) Co-creating Insights to Bolster Positive Sustainable Procurement Impact; and (6) Translating public anthropology into research-informed civic engagement.

Location: Library Café B30

Presenters: Stephanie Schott (Senior Director of Product Management ODLS, Office of Graduate & Professional Studies), Nick DeMayo (Senior Instructional Designer, Office of Graduate & Professional Studies), Erran Carmel (Professor, KSB | Information Technology & Analytics) & Leif Ulstrup (Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, KSB | Information Technology & Analytics)

AI avatars – no longer the stuff of science fiction – are now available to anyone through tools that transform your written content into life-like audio and video. This presentation will discuss how to mitigate the risks of using AI avatars and showcase HeyGen and Eleven Labs, two innovative AI tools faculty can use to increase efficiency, create engaging presentations, and boldly go where higher education has never gone before.

Location: SIS Founders Room

Zoom Link: Join this session live-stream

Presenter: Brandi Smith (Adjunct Instructor, School of Education)

This presentation aims to equip participants to assess instructional environments for ableist microaggressions, focusing on language as a systemic barrier and the impact of ableism in education. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to promote inclusive instructional design and advocate for systemic changes prioritizing disability justice and racial equity in education.