NMC’s favorite mascot crossed the Mighty Mac! Dr. Terri Gustafson, Director of Educational Technology and Academic Affairs, recently headed north to Northern Michigan University for the Upper Peninsula Teaching and Learning Conference (UPTLC)—and Swoop tagging along made it an official Yooper adventure. From expert keynotes on navigating AI in higher education to networking with our northern collegiate peers, Terri brought back some insights on academic integrity and modern pedagogy. Read her full reflection and see Swoop’s U.P. travels below!
What was the name of the conference/PD opportunity you attended?
UPTLC – Upper Peninsula Teaching and Learning Conference
When and where did the event take place?
5/29/26 – NMU, Marquette, Michigan
Please share details from a memorable keynote speaker, conference session, or something else notable from the event.
The keynote speaker was C. Edward Watson, Ph.D., the Vice President for Digital Innovation at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). He is also the founding director of AAC&U’s Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum. Prior to joining AAC&U, Dr. Watson was the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Georgia (UGA). His keynote, AI’s Impact on Teaching and the Future of Higher Education was an engaging session where he talked about AI use in industry (law, airline customer service), research from the Wharton School, and strategies for classroom and pedagogy in higher education. Of note, he spoke to research (in his book, of course!) showing students are less likely to cheat if they have an individual relationship with their instructor or formed cohesive relationships with peers. In addition, consistent discussions and reminds about academic integrity across the span of a class help reduce student cheating with AI (and otherwise). Lastly, he emphasized regular low-stakes assignments, reasonable workloads, flexibility, and modeling and promoting good AI use provide students opportunities to fewer moments to panic (and use AI) if their grade depends on 3 high-stakes tests. (His book: Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024))
How likely are you to recommend this opportunity to a colleague?
Very Likely
Is there anything else you’d like CIE or your colleagues at NMC to know about this experience?
UPTLC is a great little conference for a reasonable cost ($75) and wonderful way to connect with our peers at NMU, LSSU, MTU, Bay College, Gogebic CC, and Bay Mills. The sessions are small and the conversation is easy. Plus, you get to be a troll and cross the bridge! Next year the conference is May 20 – 21 at LSSU.