Next Tuesday’s professional development October Conference is chock full of great sessions by outside presenters, staff, and faculty. Sessions on Oct. 13 feature technology, teaching strategies, belongingness, burnout, learning disabilities, AI, and more.
Here at CIE, we salute the full-time and adjunct faculty who have stepped up to present. We know you are busy, and we extra appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge.
But first, a shout out to the Swag Squad — Ryan Bernstein, Lisa Blackford, Mark DeLonge, and Kristen Salathiel — who will be back on stage during the opening session. Swag will be slung, stuffed squirrels will fly, so come to the opening session and get you some!
Here are faculty-led presentations, listed by time. Refer to the Session Summary Guide for full descriptions.
Track 1
POGIL Your Classroom: Engage Students with High-quality Teamwork
POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) is an active, student-centered teaching approach. Session Leaders: Tanja Wittrock & Nick Roster
Breaking Down the Barriers that Divide: How to Engage Others Across the Political Spectrum
and Why Democracy Depends on It
Analyze & model different strategies that help us bridge the divide & open our minds to the powerful insights that can come from speaking with others in a highly diverse & pluralistic society. Session Leader: John Zachman
Grading for Growth: Ditching Points for Progress in Canvas
You’ll learn how to leverage the Canvas Learning Mastery Gradebook and Outcomes features to track authentic student learning outcomes—without the stress of mathematical averages clouding the picture. Session Leader: Ryan Bernstein
Track 2
AI Course Design
Faculty will learn how to use AI as a collaborative planning tool to develop a complete course outline from scratch. Session Leader: Stewart Jack
Track 3
“What Are We Doing Today?”: Strategies for a More Engaging Classroom
We’ll learn and share best practices and techniques for making your classroom more engaging.
Session Leaders: Kristen Salathiel & Mark DeLonge
Beyond Bullet Points: Ditch the Presentation Panic
We’ll share practical strategies for managing anxiety while building your presentation, paired with delivery tricks like vocal variety, eye contact, and clean slide design. Session Leaders: Kristy McDonald & Ryan Bernstein
Location: Health Science 116
AI Course Content
Participants will see how AI can generate well-written, pedagogically sound instructional content and assignment prompts, formatted in accessible HTML that is ready to publish directly in Canvas. Session Leaders: Stewart Jack
Track 4
Notebook LM Faculty Roundtable
Hear how your faculty colleagues are using Notebook LM to streamline their course prep and help students learn. Session Panelists: Carolyn Andrews, Suzanne Bessette, Hollianne McHugh, Josh Shivley, Nicole Speelman (facilitator)
From Idea to Web App in Minutes
We will build a customized, interactive online classroom tool from scratch. Session Leader: Jim Nelson
Teaching Durable Skills
We will introduce our durable skills framework found in the strategic plan and guide you through a course and assignment mapping activity. Session Leaders: Brandon Everest & Kristy McDonald
CIE Book Read Discussion: Paper Girl
We will discuss issues/barriers outlined in the book that also impact our student body and community. Session Leader: Rachel Wilczewski