Recap

8:45 AM to 10:00 AM | welcome & keynote

AI for Teaching and Learning

When I first used ChatGPT, I was horrified. I thought to myself: “This is the future of plagiarism.” I felt so distraught that I put down the technology for several days. When I returned to the program, I made an experiment out of it. I was going to approach the program as learner, rather than as a professor. That’s the exact moment when I started to see the potential for Generative AI for teaching in learning.

This keynote will generalize that shift, to present an ambitious idea: the rise of Generative AI is going to test our ability to empathize with one another. To take advantage of this technology, educators will need to think more like students. And conversely, students will need to think more like educators. 

The rise of Generative AI is as much about our mindset as it is about the technology.

10:30 AM to 11:15 AM | session 1

I need to know what? Using the Assessment of Technology Needs Tool

It is important to communicate to the level of proficiency required to support students using technology. To help faculty better understand their educational needs, an Assessment of Technology Needs Tool was developed. Based on Warnock (2009), this tool serves to explicate pedagogical need, availability, complexity, and learning needs of faculty.

10:30 AM TO 11:15 AM | session 1

RISE: A Comprehensive Student-Staff Evaluation Experience

Sykes Union and Student Activities created and launched RISE: Rams Integrating Skills and Education, a student-staff evaluation experience that tracks students' growth throughout their employment with our unit. Presenters will discuss the creative process while reviewing the program in-depth and providing tools for how to adapt it for your department.

10:30 AM TO 11:15 AM | session 1

Using Generative A.I. in Teaching

In this panel discussion three WCU faculty share how they discuss generative A.I. with students, approach it in their teaching, and continue to stay current with a fast changing topic. Attendees will leave with practical advice and tips on how to incorporate generative AI into their instructional processes.

10:30 AM to 11:15 AM | session 1

Unveiling "Good" Undergraduate Research: Strategies, Student Experiences, and Barriers

What makes for "good" researching skills in collegiate institutions? How do barriers discourage undergraduates from conducting research? This presentation seeks to answer these questions through examining methods of learning "good" research (such as literature reviews or ChatGPT) and barriers to researching using lived experiences from students and various frameworks.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

Incorporating AI Tools to Enhance Information Literacy and Critical Thinking in First Year Medical Students

This study aims to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention incorporating medical databases, search engines, and generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools on the critical thinking skills and confidence of first-year medical students at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM). Approximately 125 students participating in a three-week pre-matriculation program will be subjects of the study. The intervention will consist of a curriculum focused on developing research questions, using search tools and GAI, evaluating sources, and writing a research paper. Pre- and post-tests, including a CARS assessment and a perceived knowledge and abilities questionnaire, will be administered to measure changes in critical analysis skills and confidence in research-related tasks. Data analysis will involve comparing pre- and post-test CARS scores using a paired t-test and analyzing responses to Likert-style and open-ended questions to assess changes in confidence and abilities. A survey conducted in February 2024 revealed that first-year medical students find AI tools helpful in saving time and effort, improving research and presentation skills, and enhancing clinical reasoning and problem-solving abilities. The study hypothesizes that the intervention will lead to improved CARS assessment scores, increased student confidence and abilities in various research-related tasks, and the establishment of a sustainable intervention that can be integrated into the SOM curriculum and shared with other medical schools through publication. The fair and accessible utilization of free AI resources is expected to provide uniform opportunities for all students to engage with research and analytical tools, ensuring that students' likelihood of success is not influenced by their background.

12:00 PM TO 1:00 PM | poster session

Embedding Campus Resources into First Year

First Year Experience courses are a high-impact teaching practice, yet students often dread the course going into a semester because of feeling talked down to, not needing repeat information, or being more interested in focusing on major and general education courses. Similarly, FYE courses often include a glut of useful and important information, that might get lost in the cacophony of information students receive during onboarding to a university. Thus, it is becoming apparent that a traditional lecture style likely doesn’t serve this population best. I hope to remodel this by building in First Year “experiences” embedded in an FYE course, that allow student to engage with an organization, department, policy/concept, or the like – rather than the traditional lecture and activity or guest lecture standard. Students in the Spring 2024 semester of the Interdisciplinary/Transfer Student FYE (FYE100K) participated in the trial experience. Partnering with the Twardowski Career Development Center (CDC), students were invited to a “visit day experience,” in lieu of a traditional classroom breakout session. For two consecutive weeks, two of the four breakouts (in rotation) visited the CDC to understand the offerings, reasons for a visit, meeting the staff, and recognizing the opportunities they are afforded. Most importantly, it removed the barrier of the initial first visit, and students now know where the CDC is located, how to visit, and have experienced that it is home to personable and useful staff who can support them through their WCUPA career. Moving forward, attempts will be made to build this into a Fall FYE semester, where there are more than 30 sections running concurrently, but logistical considerations are necessary for the sizes of incoming first-year classes. It is anticipated that this experience could be modelled with other organizations on campus in a similar manner.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

When the Writing is on the Wall: Using Padlet as an Alternative to D2L Discussion Boards

I would like to highlight how I have utilized Padlet in place of D2L discussion boards in my courses for the last three years. Students have given padlet rave reviews and enjoy this platform much better than the traditional D2L discussion board.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

Empowering Teams: Social Committees and Inclusive Team-Building

Our session explores the practical benefits of incorporating games and social events to enhance team dynamics. It highlights establishing social committees, inclusive team-building, and connecting professional growth to a vibrant workplace culture. Our in-house developed virtual board game demonstrates activities that can improve interactions, professional development, sharing, and overall cohesion.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

How to Implement a Pedagogy of Kindness in Online Courses

A pedagogy of kindness reorients the educator-student relationship to consider the diverse identities and needs of our students, while prioritizing compassion and building trust. But how do we do this in a virtual classroom? This session demonstrates concrete strategies to implement a pedagogy of kindness in online courses.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

Histematics on YouTube: A Tool to Increase Math Outcomes Among African-American Students

In this presentation, the participants will be introduced to the All This Math YouTube channel. The channel is a culturally-relevant resource providing math tutorial videos that are infused with Black History. The presence of Black History in the math instructional videos serves to make the content relatable.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

Own Your Process: Elevating The Software Procurement Process By Using A Service Now Workflow And Asking The “Who, Who, Who, What, What”

This session will uncover the key strategic aspects of West Chester University’s software purchasing process as well as discuss the fundamental challenges that IT departments typically face in trying to process a high volume of requests while keeping users satisfied with the turnaround rate, and at the same time satisfying organizational cybersecurity requirements.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

Using App-Enabled Advanced Feedback CPR Manikins to Enhance Real-Time Student Performance

This hands-on session demonstrates the use of Bluetooth-enabled advanced feedback CPR manikins to provide real-time feedback on student skill performance via a mobile app. Attendees will be able to practice CPR skills and receive instant information about the depth, rate, and efficiency of chest compressions, and volume of rescue breaths.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

Teaching Circle – Grading Practices

Coming soon.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

Incorporating Service-Learning

I would like to highlight how incorporating service-learning into a course not only provides the students and our community with reciprocal learning opportunities, but also enhances evidence of achieved student learning outcomes by providing real-world examples and experiences, as well as opportunities to talk with professionals outside the University.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

Leveraging TLC Initiatives for Course Improvement

I will introduce how I use etextbook initiatives, Quality Matters, and KDP.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

Podcasts as Texts

The teaching approach I would like to highlight at the Teaching Excellence Showcase is the power and benefits of positioning podcasts in course syllabi as a classroom text. Podcasts are a medium that faculty should consider when selecting course materials. First, they are a literacy familiar to many of our students; there has been a significant growth in the use of podcasts among young people, with weekly podcast listeners averaging eight podcast episodes a week.
However, it is more than the popularity of podcasts that makes them beneficial classroom tools.
Benefits:
Accessibility- Podcasts are typically free of cost to stream/download, which allows professors and students easy access. Additionally, podcasts are timely, allowing users to listen in the days and sometimes hours following major events.
Multiple voices—Due to their wide authorship, podcasts have the potential to serve as avenues for multiple perspectives and promote narratives, encounters, and discourses that may be missing from courses. Multiple Means of Representation—Integrating podcasts into course content provides students another modality for accessing and understanding course material.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

Creating Simulations using VTS and A.I.

VTS is a virtual platform that allows faculty to design scenarios/simulations that can be downloaded into D2L and completed by students as an assignment.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

Student/Faculty Teaching Collaboration Program

Coming soon.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

5-minute warm-up: Journaling in the age of A.I.

Coming soon.

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM | poster session

The Future of OER at WCU

Coming soon.

1:15 PM to 2:00 PM | session 2

Active Learning with Simulations

Research has shown that active learning strategies are more effective than traditional methods at providing students with a conceptual understanding of content, increasing content retention, and decreasing achievement gaps for underrepresented populations and first generation college students. This session is focused on how to use simulations to promote active learning.

1:15 PM TO 2:00 PM | session 2

Integrating Career Center Tools for Career-focused Learners

Are you struggling to find ways to support career-focused learners with your curriculum? Join this panel of Twardowski Career Development Center staff and students, along with a professor, as they demonstrate how new CDC digital tools can benefit learners and be scaffolded into discipline-specific courses such as online public speaking.

1:15 PM TO 2:00 PM | session 2

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Education: Strategies and Solutions for the Digital Era

AI supports daily life in a wide variety of ways. With the advent of new platforms, education is more impacted by this type of technological development than ever. This session will share the importance of AI in education as well as offer solutions that can be utilized by educators.

1:15 PM TO 2:00 PM | session 2

Within Reach: Fostering success in the classroom through equitable access to technology

Courses that require technology can create barriers for some students. Computer labs have time and geographic limitations, creating another barrier for students. West Chester University is working to eliminate these barriers by providing equitable access to the technology needed for coursework on the student’s terms.

2:15 PM to 3:00 PM | session 3

Creating, Learning, and Researching with Generative AI

The challenges and opportunities offered by generative AI (GAI) vary by context. Join us for a moderated panel discussion with a ceramics professor, computer science student, and university administrator GAI integration in their respective contexts. They will share insights and reflections from their explorations of GAI.

2:15 PM to 3:00 PM | session 3

Importance of Data-Driven Approach in Higher Education

In higher education, a data-driven approach is essential for informed decision-making, optimizing student outcomes, and enhancing institutional efficiency. By analyzing student data, universities can identify trends, tailor educational programs, and allocate resources effectively, ultimately fostering student success and institutional excellence in an increasingly competitive academic landscape.

2:15 PM TO 3:00 PM | session 3

Implementing Virtual Reality to Enhance Student Learning Experiences

Virtual reality technology can provide students with simulated experiences that allow them to apply what they are learning and to experience content in a more meaningful way. In this session, we will explore the development of a VR initiative and strategies for integrating the technology into courses to strengthen learning.

2:15 PM to 3:00 PM | session 3

Using Creativity to Enhance Student Engagement & Development: A New Paraprofessional Training Model

This presentation looks at one specific part of a student development curriculum, pre-semester student staff training. This training model uses creative means such as a long-term student development program, flipped learning, and gamification to increase student engagement, self-efficacy, and build a sense of belonging within the department and the university.

3:15 PM | closing & raffle prizes