View these breakout sessions for the 2024 conference. We are planning an awesome slate of breakout sessions for faculty and staff so get registered today!

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Out…Standing in My Field: What Should I Make of This Whole AI Thing, Anyway!?!??!

Lance Eaton, ABD, College Unbound
9 to 10 A.M.  |  Ballroom, NDSU Memorial Union

Explore some of the real challenges and concerns about how faculty navigate generative AI before pivoting into a richer discussion about the implications of these tools and their ubiquity. What are the concerns, the unknowns, and the possibilities of generative AI in the college classroom in the 21st century? The session will be a mixture of interaction between the speaker and participants drawing out what is and isn’t working while also allowing the speaker to draw upon a variety of examples, contents, and considerations that can help guide faculty to more effectively engage with generative AI. The goal will be to help participants better understand why an engaged approach (rather than dismissing or banning generative AI) will help them and their students to more effectively understand and determine the right lines to draw as it relates to generative AI’s uses in teaching, learning, and assessment.

You will:

• Clarify the possibilities and benefits of using generative AI in teaching and learning.
• Identify concerns about using generative AI and how to address them.
• Discuss with students the concerns about using generative AI tools.
• Apply effective prompts to get more robust outcomes.

Lance Eaton is the director of Faculty Development & Innovation at College Unbound, a part-time instructor at North Shore Community College, and a Ph.D. student at the University of Massachusetts, Boston with a dissertation that focuses on how scholars engage in academic piracy. His work engages with the possibility of digital tools for expanding teaching and learning communities while considering the various deep issues and questions that educational technologies open up for students, faculty, and higher ed as a whole. He has given talks, written about, and presented at conferences on artificial intelligence generative tools in education, academic piracy, open access, OER, open pedagogy, hybrid flexible learning, and digital service-learning.

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Admission Overview and Diverse Student Recruitment

10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Anishinaabe Theater, Memorial Union
Track: Recruiting

Presenters: Anne Johnson, Adam Lundquist, Carolina Pettus, & Seinquis Leinen

Learn who our incoming domestic undergraduate students are and the best practices for how to understand and engage with various prospective student populations, BIPOC and first-generation students, and their families.

You will:
Form a deeper understanding of recruitment efforts and how to support recruitment.

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Recruiting Graduate Students: Tips for Faculty

10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Anishinaabe Theater, Memorial Union
Track: Recruiting

Presenter: Neely Benton

Faculty play a vital role in recruiting graduate students. Take away ideas for recruiting students and marketing your program.

Do you want to grow your graduate program and expand your applicant pool, but don't know where to begin? Learn how to connect with prospective students and how to advertise your program effectively. NDSU's Graduate School is already doing a lot to recruit students to programs and to advertise programs, but you know your program best. Faculty-led recruitment efforts are typically highly successful. In this session, you'll learn about the recruitment efforts already in place in the Graduate School and you'll learn about program-specific recruitment efforts that have been successful at NDSU. Whether you have a non-existent recruitment budget or big recruitment budget, gain ideas you can use right away.

You will:
Gain ideas for how you can recruit graduate students and advertise your programs.

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From Original to Ultra: Transforming Your Teaching Experience

10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Prairie Rose, Memorial Union
Track: Technology

Presenters: Tammy Cummings and Sabrina Sanjida Rifa

Learn about Blackboard Ultra and it's modern look to enhance the learning experience. Come view Ultra's intuitive interface, accessibility, and responsive design. Discover key tools like the AI Design Assistant and new learning modules that streamline course organization.

Discover the full potential of Blackboard Ultra and create dynamic, accessible, and interactive learning environments that engage your students. Hear instructor and student highlights from successful pilots and walk away with practical tips and best practices to transform your courses and elevate your teaching experience. Whether you're a long-time Blackboard user or new to the platform, this session provides valuable insights and strategies to make the transition to Ultra seamless and impactful.

You will:
Learn more about Blackboard Ultra.

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Research and Creative Activity Services: From Proposal Development to Intellectual Property

10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Nueta, Memorial Union
Track: Research

Presenters: Heidi Grunwald, Sheri Anderson, Zane Gernhardt, Cindy Graffeo, & Amy Scott

Individual units within Research and Creative Activity will describe the services provided by each group. Come meet the staff and learn about everything from proposal development and proposal budgets, to intellectual property, and innovation and economic development.  

You will:

• Have increased awareness and knowledge of research support services at NDSU.
• Understand when to use services and RCA programming.
• Have basic knowledge of proposal budget development and budget justification preparation.
• Have information on additional resources available at NDSU, including sample budget templates, to assist you with completing these required proposal components.

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Starting the Difficult Conversation

10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
MeadowLark, Memorial Union
Track: Work Environment

Presenter: Shannon David Misialek

Learn how to prepare for and build your confidence before engaging in a difficult conversation.

Communication is a vital skill that every person uses on a day-to-day basis. Effective communication is critical for teams to work efficiently. Understanding and clearly communicating becomes even more important when a difficult conversation arises. A difficult conversation often occurs when emotions are high and opinions differ. In fact, 85% of employees felt that they have had to deal with a communication conflict. Therefore, being able to navigate these difficult conversations is critical. Walk away with strategies to prepare to have a difficult conversation. 

1. Workplace Conflict and How Businesses Can Harness It to Thrive. Global Human Captial Report CPP 2008; Available at:  www.cpp.com/pdfs/CPP_Global_Human_Capital_Report_Workplace_Conflict.pdf
2. Grenny, J., Patterson K., McMillian, Switzler A., Gregory E. (2021). Crucial Conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high. McGraw Hill. New York.

You will:

• Have a template as you prepare for a difficult conversation.
• Feel more confident as you engage in difficult conversations.

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Human-Driven Generative AI and Authentic Assessment Design

10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Badlands, Memorial Union
Track: Teaching

Presenter: Ademola Amida, Sharley Kurtz, & Lori Swinney

Take away practical tips for generating authentic assessment using generative AI (GenAI) as a power ally in developing effective assessment. Delve into strategies grounded in the four dimensions of the authentic assessment framework, developed by O'Neill (2000), including realism, cognitive challenge, metacognition, and feedback processes.

The advent of generative AI tools and growing concerns about academic integrity underscores the need for a paradigm shift towards authentic assessment practices. Traditional assessments have faced long-standing critiques for their inability to accurately gauge a student's true understanding and ability to apply knowledge in real-world contexts (Anderson, 1998; Wiggins, 1998; Mao, Chen, & Liu, 2024). On the other hand, authentic assessments emphasize tasks that mirror real-world scenarios and require students to demonstrate higher-order thinking skills like analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (O'Neill, 2000; Shute, 2008). A well-designed authentic assessment strategy could help mitigate concerns surrounding student misuse of AI for academic dishonesty and promote academic integrity.  To help address this issue, learn these practical tips and demonstrate strategies for creating authentic assessment. Delve into strategies grounded in the four dimensions of the authentic assessment framework, developed by O'Neill (2000), including realism, cognitive challenge, metacognition, and feedback processes. The session will feature a live demonstration of prompting techniques specifically designed to optimize and enhance the outputs generated by various models. The session will also introduce the you to the basic understanding of GenAI and how it works.

You will:

• Explain what GenAI is and how it works.
• Explore prompting techniques to optimize AI-generated content.
• Discuss the potential of generative AI to enhance assessment design.
• Describe a strategy for creating authentic assessments using generative AI.

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All About The Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources (CADR)

10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Sahnish, Memorial Union
Track: Resources

Presenter: Molly McKinnon and Erika Berg

Learn about what roles and supports CADR has when working with NDSU students who have disabilities along with how CADR can support you as faculty and staff.

Learn the ins and outs of CADR, ask questions, and become familiar with different policies and procedures CADR must follow. NDSU is committed to ensuring equal access to its curricular and co-curricular opportunities for students with disabilities. Offering a range of services, The Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources (CADR) facilitates reasonable accommodations to support our students with disabilities. CADR also serves as a resource to the many University administrative units and academic departments that have responsibility for or obligations to accommodate faculty, staff and campus visitors with disabilities. The mission of the NDSU Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources is to collaborate with the NDSU community to facilitate equal access in academic pursuits, promote self-advocacy, and foster inclusion for students with disabilities.

You will:

• Learn about CADR (Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources
• Know the process to receive CADR support for students.
• Know what you can expect from the CADR offices when working with us.

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Materials for Participants >>
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Best Practices in Course Materials

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Anishinaabe Theater, Memorial Union
Track: Recruiting

Presenter: Alicia LaFerriere

The NDSU Bookstore is ready to support your course material needs. Whether you prefer print or want to go all digital, low cost or free, use art/supplies and technology, we will provide information on options available to save your students money!

Learn about:

• Print book trends and options
• Digital book trends and options
• Open Educational Resources
• Industry updates
• Savings data

You will:

• Learn the importance of submitting course material information, and how the NDSU Bookstore uses that information to provide course materials to students in the most efficient way possible.
• Learn about many of the services provided by the NDSU Bookstore.

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Encouraging Academic Honesty in the Age of AI

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Prairie Rose, Memorial Union
Track: Technology

Moderator: Melissa Lamp

Panelists: 

• Dr. Ben Braaten, Professor and Chair, Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Dr. Dennis Cooley, Professor and Chair, School of Humanities (Philosophy and Ethics)
• Dr. Sarah Crary, Assistant Director of Online Programs, Office of Teaching and Learning
• Dr. Brent Hill, Professor, School of Education

Join the discussion to learn ways you can promote academic honesty by discovering how students use technology to commit acts of academic dishonesty.

Learn techniques for encouraging an environment of academic honesty in your course. Find out ways to discourage and prevent academic dishonesty from a panel of faculty, IT, and OTL. Identify trends in student cheating, the process for turning in academic dishonesty, and how the academic community can respond.

You will:

• Provide techniques for discouraging cheating.
• Learn from each other about the types of cheating happening.
• Touch on the latest trends (Generative AI, cheating subscription services, etc.)

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CCAST Support For AI-Related Research and Teaching at NDSU

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Nueta, Memorial Union
Track: Research

Presenter: Nick Dusek

Learn about AI-related tools and services provided by NDSU's Center for Computationally Assisted Science and Technology (CCAST), including local, national, and cloud resources.

The Center for Computationally Assisted Science and Technology (CCAST) provides advanced cyberinfrastructure for research and education at NDSU and beyond. In the areas of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) specifically, CCAST provides a number of tools and services for research and teaching, including high-performance GPUs (Nvidia Ampere series), popular AI/ML software frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch), and interactive applications (e.g., Jupyter Lab). In addition to local resources, CCAST facilitates access to a number of external resources, including national HPC and Microsoft Azure cloud resources.

You will:

• Become familiar with CCAST as a center.
• Learn about tools for AI/ML research and education available through CCAST.
• Learn about national and cloud resources beyond CCAST.

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Unlocking Success: Maximizing the Power of Generationally Diverse Teams

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
MeadowLark, Memorial Union
Track: Work Environment

Presenter: Lyn Telford

Diversity within teams is recognized as a cornerstone of success, enabling the pooling of varied backgrounds, experiences, and skills to achieve optimal performance. In higher education, teams inherently encompass a broad spectrum of generations, each bringing unique perspectives shaped by their respective life experiences. However, without deliberate efforts to leverage this diversity, intergenerational differences can manifest as sources of conflict, discord, and incivility, adversely affecting workplace culture, staff engagement, and retention rates.

Explore the multifaceted nature of generational diversity within teams, highlighting the influence of lived experiences, cultural phenomena, technological advancements, and societal polarization on intergenerational dynamics. We will emphasize the importance of understanding the motivational drivers and vulnerabilities specific to each generational cohort to foster greater harmony, productivity, and retention among team members. By recognizing and appreciating the diverse perspectives and strengths that each generation brings to the table, institutions can proactively address potential sources of tension and capitalize on the collective wisdom and expertise of their workforce. Learn strategies for effectively harnessing generational diversity including fostering open communication channels, implementing mentorship programs, and cultivating a culture of respect and inclusivity that transcends generational boundaries. Ultimately, by embracing and leveraging generational diversity, teams can unlock their full potential, leading to improved outcomes, enhanced organizational performance, and sustained workforce satisfaction and retention.

You will:
1. Outline the differences between generations.

• Generation shaping moments and social considerations.
• Technology's impact on generational experiences.
• Demographics, characteristics, strengths, values, and limitations of each generation.

2. Identify how diversity can impact teamwork and communication.

• Stereotypes, attitudes, beliefs, and biases.
• Preferences in communication, dress, technology, schedule, etc.

3. Recognize the benefits of diverse teams.

• Broad skill sets and perspectives.

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Giving Engaging Presentations

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Badlands, Memorial Union
Track: Teaching

Presenter: Jess Jung

A presentation that does not engage its audience has little impact. In contrast, actors are experts in engaging audiences. This workshop will highlight acting practices faculty can use to strengthen their presentation skill set.

You will:

Engage in storytelling to enhance presentation skills. Actively investigate the importance of asking "What do I want to do to my audience" to strengthen presentations.

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Materials for Participants >>
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Being a Good Partner to TCUs and Tribal Communities

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Sahnish, Memorial Union
Track: Resources

Presenter: Sheridan McNeil and Dr. Hollie Mackey

Learn the importance of being a good partner to TCUs and Tribal Communities from an Indigenous perspective. Learn practices for achieving this and building true, equitable, and sustainable relationships.

Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Communities are often approached to be partners in proposals. Unfortunately, the interest in partnering with them is typically driven by the need to fulfill a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) requirement in a grant or proposal. Often, activities and proposals are extractive in that they may not benefit the Indigenous communities or protect their data. Delve into the concept of being a supportive partner to TCUs and Tribal Communities. Indigenous Peoples often emphasize the idea of "being a good relative," which holds significant meaning beyond typical human kinship roles. Indigenous peoples have made, and continue to make, significant contributions to the global STEM and research communities through their ancestral knowledge of caring for the earth (Unci Maka) and sustainable use of resources. Gain insights and recognize the importance and value of these partnerships from an Indigenous perspective. Learn practices aimed at establishing genuine, equitable, and sustainable partnerships and protecting Indigenous data sovereignty and ensure your partnerships and projects are not extractive.

You will:

Gain insights of how to:

• Establish genuine, equitable, and sustainable partnerships with Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Tribal Communities.
• Recognize the importance and value of partnerships from an Indigenous perspective.
• Protect Indigenous data sovereignty.
• Ensure that partnerships and projects are not extractive or harmful to Indigenous communities.

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Finding Use Cases for GenAI in Teaching, Learning, and Administrative Work

12:30 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.
Sahnish
Track: Resources

Presenter: Lance Eaton

For this active session, you will work through a guided process to test out and explore a variety of provided prompts to assess and determine relevant uses of generative AI for your work. The goal by the end of the session is to identify one or more ways that you might use generative AI in your work. Grab your lunch and join us in the Sahnish room. Bring a device if you want to play along.

The Art of Recruitment: Creative Strategies For Recruiting Prospective Students

1:15 - 2 p.m.
Anishinaabe Theater, Memorial Union
Track: Recruiting

Presenter: Lisa Richter and Jeanne Frenzel

A highlight of recruitment strategies including a mobile compounding escape room and grab and go tools. Learn about the use of preceptors and current students as extenders to engage with prospective students regionally through classrooms and compounding experiences and a campus and statewide advertising campaign promoting the profession.

You will:

Identify and evaluate the effectiveness of various recruitment strategies.

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Artificial Intelligence in Application

1:15 - 2 p.m.
Prairie Rose, Memorial Union
Track: Technology

Presenter: Shannon David Misialek, Matt Dresher, & Joshua Woodridge

Discuss the practical application of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching applied education.

As educators, it is critical to be immersed in and understand new technology. One new technology that has infiltrated the education community is Artificial Intelligence (AI). For example, ChatGPT was released in 2022 and has been a hot topic of discussion on its ethical use in education by both students and faculty. Using AI in the educational setting has the potential to increase student learning and decrease educator workload. In applied educational settings, such as health care or the STEM fields, students benefit from experiential and problem-based learning activities that simulate real-world problems they will face in their careers. Such activities could be enhanced by the use of AI. However, not all AI software is created equal. It is important to choose software that closely matches the outcomes students will achieve, and this can be difficult for those who are not as up-to-date on current technology. Come discuss current AI trends in the educational space as well as potential ways to use these AI software in applied education through the lens of experiential and problem-based learning in a peer-to-peer discussion-based presentation. 

Chiu, T., Xia, Q., Zhou, X., Chai, C., Cheng, M. (2023). Systematic Literature Review on opportunities challenges and future research recommendations of artificial intelligence education. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence. 4. doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100118

Schneider, K., Tomchuck, D., Snyder B., Bisch, T., & Koch, G. (20214). Incorporating Artificial intelligence into Athletic Training Education: Developing Case-Based Scenarios Using ChatGPT. Athletic Training Education Journal, 19(1): 42-50. doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-028.23.

You will:

• Explain the potential benefits and challenges of using AI technology, such as ChatGPT, in enhancing experiential and problem-based learning activities in educational settings.
• Identify current AI software used in your respective field.
• Compare and contrast different AI trends to enhance learning objectives.

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Moving Your Technologies/Ideas From Lab To Market With I-Corps

1:15 - 2 p.m.
Nueta, Memorial Union
Track: Research

Presenter: Michael Russell and Jessica Vold

Learn about NSF's I-Corps programs. Find out how your research will benefit from getting out of the lab and talking to end-users, decision makers, saboteurs, and stakeholders surrounding your projects/research.

The Regional and National I-Corps training programs are aimed at teaching graduate students, post-docs, researchers, staff, and faculty the first steps towards moving their technologies/ideas from the lab to the market. Learn why it's important to conduct customer discovery interviews with potential end-users and those involved with the ecosystem surrounding your projects to gain a stronger understanding of where your research fits in the market. We'll cover how researchers can take a step back and focus on the problem they are trying to solve for their potential customers and identify what that customer's true needs are. With these insights, you can pivot to focus on the areas that can have the most impact.

You will:

Leave this session with the understanding that by going out and talking with the ecosystem surrounding your project, you can have a greater impact and identify the true demand for your research.

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Managing Conflict With Emotional Intelligence

1:15 - 2 p.m.
MeadowLark, Memorial Union
Track: Work Environment

Presenter: Kristine Paranica

Learn how improving our Emotional Intelligence can help you navigate conflict and improve your ability to have difficult conversations.

Explore what is known as Emotional Intelligence, and how it can help you understand yourself better. As a key leadership skill, managing conflict is critical to having healthy relationships and workplace climate. This fall we dig deeper into E.I. and Conflict Management skills as a follow up to this session. 

You will:

• Understand why Emotional Intelligence is important,
• Learn how E.I. supports positive conflict resolution, and
• Identify areas you may wish to improve.

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Why "Laziness" Might Be A Myth

1:15 - 2 p.m.
Badlands, Memorial Union (Live Via Zoom)
Track: Teaching

Presenter: Kendra Woodstead

Let's debunk laziness and take a look at how motivation plays a role in student learning. We'll cover some foundational theories about motivation and talk about how you can apply them to perspectives on student engagement and enjoyment of learning.

Explore the idea that a stereotypical view of "laziness" may be the fundamental attribution error at work. The fundamental attribution error is when: "We view our own challenges or difficulties as having rational explanations, for example, When a student does poorly on a test or assignment, they see how the busy week they had managing classes and their job, the fact that their car broke down, etc. contributed to their inability to prepare as much as they might've liked" When another person experiences their own challenges or difficulties, we can often be more apt to consider it a character flaw, for example, "That student did poorly because they are lazy and didn't want to study." A perspective I'd like to share in this session is that we can view people as being more naturally motivated to do things they enjoy or that interest them, and less motivated to do things that don't check those boxes and that's okay. We can apply this understanding of motivation to education by looking at what types of content and strategies you can use to encourage student motivation and develop genuine enjoyment and engagement in their learning.

You will:

Learn about foundational concepts of motivation and apply those concepts to how students experience motivation in learning

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NDSU Event Calendars

1:15 - 2 p.m.
Sahnish, Memorial Union
Track: Resources

Presenter: Melissa Lamp, CeCe Rohwedder, Event Services, & Student Activities

Event planners unite! Come learn more about event planning and hosting.

You'll learn more about using resources such as the Campus Events Calendar and the myNDSU calendar, so as to avoid scheduling events that overlap and conflict with one another, and to market your event to the campus community.

You will:

• Limit the scheduling of events that overlap and conflict.
• Optimize marketing of events offered to the campus community.

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Developing Use Cases for GenAI in Teaching Learning and Administrative Work

2:15 - 3 p.m.
Sahnish, Memorial Union
Track: Teaching

Presenter: Lance Eaton

For this active session, you will develop your own distinct use-case around using generative AI that they plan to implement going forward. From there, the participants will peer review one another’s to improve and build upon the work already done. Bring a laptop if you want to play along.

Affinity Groups
2:15 - 3 P.M.  |  Prairie Rose, Memorial Union

Come join a group of peers for discussion.

Affinity groups build shared community among colleagues with similar personal or professional interests based upon mutual understanding and/or identity. Join this session to meet colleagues, connect with already established affinity groups and learn more about creating a new affinity group.

Affinity groups include:

• International Faculty,
• Pride Network,
• Coalition of Disabled Academics, and
• WiR

12:15 to 1:15 p.m.  |  FLC 320
2:15 to 3 p.m.  |  FLC 320

NDSU now offers two Lightboards for instructors who want to record their lectures. OTL will host an open house for individuals to come look at the technology, get a basic overview of how it works, and learn how it can enhance your recorded lectures or even a live online class. Instead of waiting in line for lunch come take a quick peek at the lightboard. FLC 320 is a short walk up the ramp on the north side of the Memorial Union. At the top of the ramp take a left, room 320 will be on the left side of the hallway. The door will be open for visitors during the open house time frames.

Dr. Sarah Crary will be available during these times to show individuals the lightboard and the basics of how to use it. If you would like to arrange a time to view the lightboard setup or would like to book a recording session, email Dr. Crary.