What Counts as Evidence?

Presenter(s): Monika Oli, PhD, Soohyoun Ahn, Tonika Jones, Sebastian Galindo, Grady Roberts, Chris Sharp

Room: 2315

Artificial intelligence is rapidly being integrated into higher education, often accompanied by strong claims about improved learning, engagement, and critical thinking. From an evaluation and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) perspective. However, many AI-enabled teaching efforts face a familiar challenge: studies are under-designed, key constructs remain implicit, and critical data are never collected. When evaluation is treated as an afterthought, even well-intentioned innovations yield weak or inconclusive evidence, not because learning cannot be measured, but because the study design does not support meaningful interpretation.
This session begins with evaluators and data analysts, asking a foundational question: What evidence is needed to assess learning, and how must a study be designed to produce it? Panelists examine how early decisions, defining learning goals, articulating constructs such as scientific and critical thinking, selecting comparison groups, and identifying data sources, shape what can and cannot be meaningfully measured. Common flaws are surfaced explicitly, including overreliance on simple pre–post designs, poorly defined outcomes, and unexamined assumptions.

Scientists integrating AI into their courses then ground the discussion in classroom practice. Using prompt writing as a central example, the panel contrasts simple and more explicit, iterative prompts to show how different designs reveal—or obscure—evidence of reasoning and metacognitive engagement. The session emphasizes that assessing learning, especially with AI, is complex and requires intentional, evidence-informed design.

Leveraging AI for Simulated Encounters and Tailored Content Delivery in Healthcare Education

Presenter(s): Michael Hodges PT, DPT, MHS, OCS, Shakeel Ahmed PT, PhD

Room: 2320

The transition from classroom instruction to clinical practice presents a significant challenge for Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students, particularly in mastering the nuances of the subjective examination and patient communication. Additionally, students often must manage large amounts of information across numerous courses which may not be presented in ways that “fit” their unique learning styles. This presentation explores some of the unique approaches to integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) being utilized in the University of Florida’s DPT program.

The first approach is implementation of AI patient simulations through UF Navigator. These simulations allow students to engage in high quality, low-stakes interviews which provide a safe environment to practice these skills while receiving immediate, objective feedback on their communication style. The second approach will demonstrate the use of UF Navigator Notebook (Notebook LM) to create a source-based AI learning environment. By utilizing AI interactions specifically procured from course material such as syllabi, research papers, and lecture notes, students can transform a wide array of material into personalized study formats such as interactive queries, audio and video overviews, customized flashcards, and quizzes that align with their unique learning preferences.
Attendees will leave this session with a practical framework for utilizing these accessible AI tools to foster personalized instruction and better prepare students for the complexities of patient care.

Turning Student Feedback into Actionable Insights

Presenter(s): John Jordi, Ph.D., Melina Jimenez

Room: 2325

Join us for an engaging workshop that turns student evaluation data into actionable insights. We’ll dive into the aggregate findings of the most common themes captured in students’ comments, spotlighting the top five categories that resonate across the campus. Participants will benefit from CTE’s best‑practice resources, targeted instructional tools, and collaborative discussion on implementing evidence‑based changes. Whether you’re a seasoned instructor or new faculty just getting started with their GatorEvals, this workshop will equip you with the knowledge and resources to elevate your course experience and enhance student learning.

Making Spaces Click: Building Virtual Learning Adventures

Presenter(s): Georgette Kluiters, Allyson Fleischer

Room: 2330

This hands-on session introduces Thinglink, an interactive platform that transforms 360° media into immersive learning experiences. Participants discover how Thinglink can create engaging, accessible, and scalable virtual learning environments across the entire educational journey. From immersive onboarding resources to experiential classroom content and virtual field trips, Thinglink allows educators to simulate real-world scenarios and deepen student engagement.
Participants explore how features such as interactive multimedia, adaptive exploration pathways, and embedded assessments can promote self-directed learning. Thinglink’s interactive features, including clickable tags, embedded quizzes, and analytics, provide immediate feedback and insight into student engagement, supporting data-informed teaching decisions in courses of any size.
After an introduction to 360° cameras and the Thinglink platform, participants record multimedia content and collaboratively create a basic interactive Thinglink experience to develop hands-on familiarity with the platform. Activities follow a choose-your-own-adventure approach, with participants selecting between designing virtual tours of campus facilities or experimenting with Thinglink’s interactive features to suit their instructional goals, such as virtual lab demonstrations, field expeditions, or interactive diagrams.
The session emphasizes practical strategies for designing virtual learning environments across educational contexts. By the end of the session, participants leave with access to a ThingLink account, a clear understanding of the required technology for capturing and stitching images, and hands-on experience building virtual environments.
Participants gain concrete ideas for implementing interactive virtual environments within their own roles, whether as instructors, advisors, or administrators, along with access to curated templates and resources to support continued creation of engaging, interactive educational content.

Panel: Interdisciplinary Safe AI Curriculum

Presenter(s): Ivan Ruchkin, PhD, Sonja Schmer-Galunder, PhD, Bryan Cwik, Hans van Oostrom, Duncan Purves

Room: 2335

Truly interdisciplinary education in AI is currently underrepresented at UF. For example, AI Ethics is taught at the college of law, engineering, philosophy, and business, but these colleges are often working in silos, providing education through the lens of their respective disciplines, when students could be given a more holistic education on highly relevant topics.

This panel will discuss and address the following questions:

-What are the institutional barriers to truly interdisciplinary AI education?
-How can we overcome these barriers?
-What pedagogical approaches effectively bridge technical and humanistic perspectives on AI?
-How can we prepare students to work in teams where engineers, ethicists, lawyers, and policymakers must collaborate?

Panelists from engineering, law, liberal arts, and medicine will share experiences teaching AI-related courses within their colleges and reflect on missed opportunities for cross-pollination. We will present emerging interdisciplinary programs for AI Safety, one of the most pressing topics in AI education.

Lights, Camera, Teach! Recording Strategies for Studio and At-Home Recordings

Presenter(s): Brenda Such, Ph.D., Andrew Feigum, Becky Pusta, Ami Blasberg, Isaiah Fetterman

Room: 2340

Need additional support recording lectures in the studio, at home, or across both environments? This session is designed for instructors wanting to improve the quality and effectiveness of their recorded lectures for online courses.

In the session, two specialized groups from the COIP Video Team will focus on best practices for a specific recording environment. For studio-based recordings, a production specialist and production manager will share techniques designed to help instructors feel confident, comfortable, and energized on camera. Topics include physical and vocal warm-up exercises to build stamina, pacing strategies that reduce fatigue during longer recording sessions, and performance tips for delivering content effectively to a camera rather than a live classroom. Instructors will also explore ways to actively engage with their presentation materials while recording—using slides, visuals, or on-screen annotations as conversational cues—to support a more dynamic and natural delivery.

For instructors recording remotely, multimedia specialists will demonstrate practical, easy-to-implement setup and delivery strategies for at-home recording. This portion of the session covers optimizing lighting, audio, and camera placement; effectively sharing screens during lectures; and using notes as a teleprompter while maintaining natural eye contact with the webcam. These techniques are designed to help instructors record independently with confidence while producing high-quality, professional content. Whether you are new to lecture recording or looking to refine your approach, this session offers adaptable strategies and actionable tips to support recordings—both in the studio and at home.

Let’s Get Technical – Tech Tools for Instructors

Presenter(s): Anchalee Phataralaoha, MA, MEd, Tammy Barber, MEd, Hongyan Yang, PhD

Room: Grand Ballroom

Explore UF-approved and freely available tools to improve teaching in both online and in-person environments. This session will first demonstrate how LinkedIn Learning empowers instructors through curated learning paths, the curator role, AI-driven tools, and content mapping services. Learn practical approaches for integrating personalized content, leveraging AI for skill development, and utilizing practice exams to prepare students for industry certifications—maximizing student engagement and success.

We’ll also introduce Microsoft Clipchamp, a free, beginner-friendly video editing tool that integrates with Microsoft 365. Clipchamp allows instructors to easily create, edit, and share high-quality videos using an intuitive, browser-based interface—no advanced technical skills required. We will introduce the essential video editing features such as trimming and splitting clips, adding text, audio, transitions, background music, and captions.

Finally, discover Copilot Teach and NaviGator Notebook, two AI-powered solutions designed to help with course design and content creation. Copilot Teach generates lesson plans, rubrics, quizzes, and study aids, while NaviGator Notebook allows users to upload their own materials to create podcasts, videos, slide decks, study guides, and quizzes. Both tools improve AI accuracy by grounding outputs in trusted sources.

Join us to learn how these tools can improve your instructional approach, increase course design efficiency, and create engaging learning experiences for students.

Humans at the Center: Empowering Students with AI, Authentic Assignments, and Information Literacy

Presenter(s): Jennifer Parker, Ed.D.

Room: 2315

In an era of instant information powered by search engines and generative AI, how do we keep student creativity, critical thinking, and innovation at the forefront of learning? This session explores how intentionally designed, authentic assignments can integrate AI use with information literacy while centering human judgment and creativity. Participants will examine the evolving college-to-career landscape and discover practical strategies for designing assessments where students and AI collaborate thoughtfully, ethically, and meaningfully.

Building Collaborative Practice Through Interprofessional Simulation

Presenter(s): Becky Piazza, OTD, MS, OTR/L, BCPR, Truly Hardemon, M.Ed, Angela Cao, OTD

Room: 2320

Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) students and Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) students participated in a cutting-edge lab, focused on hands-on practice with standardized clients. Licensed occupational therapy and physical therapy practitioners served as these standardized clients, allowing students to practice real-life collaborative patient care. Built upon the IPEC (Interprofessional Education Collaborative) framework, the presentation will explore how shared decision making, collaboration, and role clarity were fostered between therapeutic disciplines through experiential learning. Faculty from UF and Santa Fe College collaborated to deliver this innovative experience. Attendees will learn about the structure, outcomes, and educational impact of the lab, emphasizing practical strategies to enhance teamwork and professional skills. The IPE program included three components: (1) an educational module, (2) a simulation lab, and (3) a debriefing session. The educational module outlined learning objectives and provided content on professional roles, responsibilities, and case studies. The simulation lab was conducted at an inpatient rehabilitation hospital to replicate a real-world setting. Students were assigned to interprofessional groups and provided with a case study in advance. Each group worked with a standardized client portrayed by an therapist who had been informed of the case and lab procedures. Groups participated in a 50-minute patient care session focused on mobility and safety, emphasizing shared decision-making and communication. The session concluded with a structured debrief, where students reflected with the therapist and as a group on their collaboration, roles, and teamwork. These methods allowed quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the program’s impact on interprofessional competencies and perceptions.

Connecting the World in Online Classrooms: Innovative Practices for Large-Enrollment Asynchronous Online Courses

Presenter(s): Soohyoun (Soo) Ahn, Ph.D., Paloma Rodriguez, Ph.D., Larisa Olesova, Ph.D., Feihong Wang, Ph.D.

Room: 2325

How can large-enrollment asynchronous online courses create authentic global learning experiences? This panel brings together three educators from education, food science, and psychology who have successfully integrated global perspectives into courses enrolling 100 to 500 students. Through strategies such as culturally responsive assignments, digital storytelling, AI-enhanced projects, and collaborative global activities, the panelists will illustrate how online classrooms can foster intercultural engagement and global awareness. The discussion will guide participants to identify challenges and opportunities unique to asynchronous formats, examine innovative practices that promote global learning across disciplines, and consider design principles for creating scalable and inclusive experiences. Emphasis will be placed on approaches that encourage meaningful interaction, critical reflection, and cultural exchange despite the constraints of time and space. Attendees will gain evidence-based insights and practical examples to inform the development of globally connected online learning environments that transcend disciplinary and geographic boundaries while supporting student engagement and success.

Global Policy, Local Lives: Leveraging Virtual Exchange to Teach Comparative Education

Presenter(s): Taryrn Brown, Oluyemisi Oladejo, Beatrice Rogers

Room: 2330

Global Policy, Local Lives: Leveraging Virtual Exchange to Teach Comparative Education examines how virtual exchange can serve as an innovative pedagogical approach for teaching international and comparative education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. This session positions virtual exchange as a critical learning infrastructure that can connect students across national and institutional boundaries to examine how educational policies are produced, interpreted, and experienced within local contexts. Drawing on reflective narratives and artifacts from both virtual exchange facilitators and participating students, this session foregrounds how virtual exchange supports dialogic, relational, and critically reflective learning. Facilitator reflections illuminate instructional design choices, pedagogical tensions, and the affordances of virtual exchange for teaching complex policy concepts across contexts. Student reflections highlight increased comparative consciousness, strengthened policy literacy, and deeper appreciation for how global policies are lived and contested locally. Together, these voices demonstrate how virtual exchange moves learners beyond abstract policy analysis toward ethically grounded, context-responsive understandings of education, while fostering reciprocal learning, empathy, and sustained global engagement.

Agents and Wizards: Writing with AI

Presenter(s): Emily K. Bald, PhD, Mickey Schafer, Ph.D.

Room: 2335

In this session, we offer a new framework to help faculty across disciplines rethink the meaning of *agency* in human-AI collaboration, both in their classes and in their disciplines. We’ll begin by briefly discussing our process of designing a student-facing AI literacy module—and our shift from focusing strictly on technical skills to addressing the importance of human agency in the AI era. After providing a framework for conceptualizing agency and operator-AI relationships, and after discussing what Ethan Mollick calls “the wizard problem,” we’ll invite participants to reflect on 1) what agency means today in their disciplines and 2) how they can incorporate AI into one of their assignments while supporting the key learning outcomes.

From Purpose to Practice: Leveraging the Gators for Good Network to Enhance Student Learning Outcomes

Presenter(s): Alyson Rodriguez, M.Ed., Kennedy Struck, James Agan, Sarah Blanc, M.Ed.

Room: 2340

This interactive conference session introduces participants to the Gators for Good Network as a scalable model for integrating community engagement, service-learning, leadership development, and experiential learning into academic contexts. The session opens with a reflection on current engagement and assessment practices. Facilitators will showcase how to leverage the Gators for Good Network and its adaptability for individuals seeking structured, high-impact ways to connect curricular goals with community-based learning. Participants will explore four concise case studies—Path to Purpose, BCLS Site Leader Training, LeadUF, and Florida Alternative Breaks (FAB)—highlighting distinct approaches to leadership development, student engagement, and learning assessment. Participants will leave with practical ideas and resources for implementing community-engaged learning in academic settings.

More than a lecture: Designing instruction in undergraduate courses for motivation, engagement, and connection

Presenter(s): Shelley Therien, M.Ed.

Room: Grand Ballroom

Attendance in undergraduate courses is a pressing concern for instructors. For the students who are present, they seem disengaged and disconnected, preferring to attend to devices rather than actively participate in class. Instructors, on the other hand, assume the role of lecturers, facilitating class sessions with passive learners. This session offers an opportunity to rethink undergraduate courses by designing instruction that motivates students to come to class, engage in learning, and connect with the instructor and peers.
This presentation is based on my work as an instructor of undergraduate students studying Elementary Education. As an instructor, I design two- and three-hour morning sessions that have translated to strong attendance, favorable GatorEvals, and meaningful relationships with students that extend beyond one semester. My course design is guided by practitioner inquiry (Dana et al., 2025) grounded in theories of motivation (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002; Maslow, 1943; Ryan & Deci, 2000). Some of my instructional practices include “Check Ins” at the start of class, in which students express their mood, make connections to pre-class readings, and answer questions that break the ice and build classroom community. We often recognize current events with dress up days and class themes, and I design instruction to include various grouping structures and response methods. These practices and more will be discussed in the 50-minute session, with interactive activities that will provide the audience with actionable strategies for teaching undergraduate students.

Voice-Based AI Simulations: Designing Authentic Communication Practice for Students

Presenter(s): Brandon Heinz, PhD, Chris Egan, Oliver Grundmann, Ph.D., FAACT, FCP

Room: Grand Ballroom

Through a combination of pilot data, student feedback, and interprofessional collaboration our team is iteratively designing quality virtual learning experiences for pharmacy students at the University of Florida. Partnering with an AI company, we created a customizable patient simulator for pharmacy students to interact with in a variety of scenarios. Unlike most AI tools, which rely on text-based interaction, our implementation leverages a voice-based AI interface to closely mirror authentic clinical communication. We have collaborated with pharmacy experts to create custom case studies which can be implemented within Canvas courses for students to easily and repeatedly practice their interactions with simulated patients. Feedback and transcripts are automatically generated at the end of each student interaction by the AI program and can be used for formative assessment and guidance of students.

The challenges experienced by our team’s Instructional Designers in developing a private company’s platform to tailor it to a higher education environment for quality virtual learning experiences has yielded valuable insights into the interplay between product development and student learning needs.  Based on student feedback after pilot implementation, our team has adjusted to the evolving needs of students to make the simulation more authentic and user friendly which has led to a new version of the simulation to implement in future courses. With lessons learned from the initial pilot implementation of the AI tool, we look to use the tool to expand on research into the efficacy of an AI simulation of pharmaceutical case studies in graduate pharmacy education.

Beyond Grading: Transforming the Teaching Assistant (TA) Role

Presenter(s): Ezmarelda Humphrey, Katrina Alford, Ph.D.

Room: 2315

With the pressing demands among faculty to conduct work beyond the classroom, Teaching Assistants (TAs) are often an underutilized resource. Traditionally used for grading and possible group discussion, TAs have the potential to step beyond these roles and provide support services in a variety of ways. Join us for a discussion of how we can utilize adult learning theories (Grow’s, Transformational Learning, and Cognitive Apprenticeship) and Kram’s Mentorship Model to transform the traditional TA role. A student intern’s experience will guide the discussion as we follow their journey to self-direction.

Designing an Experiential Learning Internship on Recreational Reading to Develop Undergraduate Research Skills

Presenter(s): Patricia Takacs, Hélène Huet, Lisa Campbell, Nyla Ross

Room: 2320
1st

How can faculty use experiential learning to build research skills and foster student well-being? This session explores an internship model that answers that question. In Spring 2026, we designed a research-based internship that immersed an undergraduate student in the full research process, from conducting a literature review to designing focus groups, collecting data, and synthesizing findings into a professional report. Our goal as a research team was to understand the connection between recreational reading and wellbeing among our students, with the intern’s learning experience serving as the priority of the project.

Through this hands-on experience, the intern developed essential skills in research design, data analysis, and academic writing, all skills that will assist them in future internships, graduate study, and their career. The project also deepened the intern’s understanding of the Libraries’ recreational reading collections and how these resources align with student needs and national trends. These insights informed recommendations for future library programming and outreach efforts.

Beyond research skills, the experience built transferable skills in communication, critical thinking, and project management, providing a solid foundation for our intern’s professional growth in academic or applied research settings. More broadly, the recommendations gained through the internship will support individual and community health and wellness by positioning recreational reading as a tool for stress relief, social connection, and mental health support. Faculty attending the session will gain practical strategies for creating research opportunities that align with student wellbeing.

From Brainstorm to Presentation: Best Practices for Engaging Project-Based Learning

Presenter(s): Bala ‘Saba’ Rathinasabapathi, Ph.D.

Room: 2325

Plant breeding is a creative activity culminating in new cultivars of useful plants. The instructor teaches a course titled “Genetics and Breeding of Vegetable Crops” using project-based teaching method where students are asked to brainstorm, develop, execute individual projects under the guidance of the instructor. The students then make presentations at the end of the course describing what they achieved. Via this approach, the course creates an environment where the students are challenged and motivated with ideas for new products and provides them with real-world expereince in executing the projects. Experiences from this innovative approach have identified specific aspects that were positive and some that were negative. This presentation will discuss these aspects and propose best practices for student engagement via project-based learning.

Building Career-Ready Skills Through Global Collaboration: A Framework for International Learning

Presenter(s): Maria Laura Mecias, Ph.D., Erika Brooke, Ph.D., Sonia San Juan

Room: 2330

Step into the world of purposeful Virtual Exchange (VE) where global collaboration meets career readiness. This session shows how intentionally designed VE goes beyond connecting students internationally; it actively builds the skills employers seek. Drawing from three courses, presenters demonstrate how VE activities develop communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and technology skills while fostering intercultural competence essential for today’s workforce. Attendees will explore concrete examples of VE activities mapped directly to NACE competencies, illustrating how global collaboration can be integrated across disciplines. A practical “how-to” framework equips participants to design their own purposeful exchanges. Real student outcomes and evaluation feedback highlight measurable academic, professional, and intercultural impacts, providing a clear model for replication.

AI-assisted experiential learning

Presenter: Zhiyong Cheng

Room: 2335

AI tools have been increasingly utilized at workplaces. However, recent studies revealed a significant gap between the need and availability of college graduates who know how AI works and how to use AI tools. This session will discuss experiential learning via AI-assisted citizen science (ELAICS), engaging students to use AI tools for scientific inquiry and development of lay-term videos to educate the communities. A guiding module for Credential, Collaboration, and Creation (shortened as “CCC” guiding module) will also be discussed to facilitate effective and responsible use of AI.

Designing for Choice and Trust: Using Differentiated Assignments to Build Relationships in Mixed-Experience Courses

Presenter(s): Rui Huang

Room: 2340

This session explores how differentiated assignment design can be used as a relationship-building strategy in courses with diverse learner backgrounds and prior experiences. Grounded in Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and scaffolding theory, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, and learning experience design (LXD) approach, this innovative instructional design and teaching project presents a transferable framework that emphasizes choice, transparency, and learner agency.

The session uses a Programming Foundations course as a concrete example, while focusing on instructional design rather than disciplinary content. Students in the course enter with widely varying levels of prior experience, confidence, and professional context. Guided by the LXD approach, the instructional design was informed by pre-course surveys capturing learner backgrounds and expectations, as well as periodic learning reflections used to collect student feedback throughout the course. These inputs shaped the design of multi-level assignments aligned to shared learning objectives for each module, allowing students to engage at different depths while working toward common outcomes.

The presenter will examine how this design supports inclusive learning environments and reshapes instructor–student and peer relationships by reducing anxiety, clarifying expectations, and validating different starting points. A sample assignment will illustrate how the three levels are constructed and how the structure supports more productive and equitable learning experiences.

During the session, participants will be invited to reflect on how differentiated assignment structures grounded in ZPD, scaffolding, UDL, and LXD can be applied in their own teaching contexts to foster trust, inclusion, and engagement in mixed-experience courses.

Reclaiming Connection: Engaging Distracted Learners in the Age of AI

Presenter(s): Shashank Santosh

Room: Ballroom

Student attention is not disappearing — it is fluctuating. In the age of AI and constant digital distraction, sustaining engagement requires more than energy and content expertise. It requires intentional design. This session explores how faculty can structure the beginning, middle, and end of class to better manage cognitive load, sustain attention, and strengthen student persistence. Drawing on learning science and classroom-tested strategies, we examine how pacing, micro-interactions, real-time feedback, and metacognitive framing create environments where students participate actively rather than passively consume information.

Participants will leave with practical strategies for:
-Designing attention-aware lectures
-Building community and accountability around engagement
-Using formative assessment to close equity gaps
-Extending learning beyond class to promote self-regulated learning

This session is interactive and designed to model the engagement techniques it discusses.

Mentorship by Design: Developing Mentoring as a Teachable Skill

Presenter(s): May Mansy, Roza Vaez Ghaemi

Room: 2315

Mentoring is often assumed to be an innate or informally acquired ability rather than a skill that can be intentionally taught. This session reframes mentorship as a teachable, learnable, and assessable competency and demonstrates how structured mentor preparation can enhance both faculty-led programs and student development initiatives. Using the BMEntor program as a case example, the session highlights a training-based mentorship model implemented within an undergraduate engineering context in the Biomedical Engineering department at UF.

Participants will be introduced to key design elements of BMEntor, including explicit mentor training modules, alignment of expectations, guided reflection, and intentional program close-out.  Emphasis will be placed on integrating mentorship training into existing courses, peer programs, or co-curricular structures without increasing faculty workload or administrative complexity.
This 30-minute breakout is designed for faculty, staff, students, and academics seeking scalable approaches to strengthen mentoring practices that support student success and professional development.

Learning ObjectivesBy the end of the session, participants will be able to:
-Describe mentorship as a teachable skill with definable learning outcomes.
-Identify core components of a structured mentor training model.
-Apply at least one strategy for embedding mentor preparation into faculty- or student-facing programs.

Beyond the Textbook: Using Digital Tools to Bring Real-World Cultural Experiences into the Humanities Classroom

Presenter(s): Philip Allen

Room: 2320

Humanities-discipline courses often ask students to engage with cultures, histories, and artistic traditions that are geographically distant or temporally removed from their own lived experiences. Digital tools now make it possible to bridge this gap by offering students immersive, authentic encounters with real-world materials without requiring travel, specialized equipment, or paid subscriptions.

This 30-minute session demonstrates how freely available digital tools, such as virtual museum tours, Google Earth, digitized archives, and interactive mapping platforms, can be strategically integrated into humanities instruction to enhance engagement, socio-cultural literacy, and critical thinking. Drawing on examples from language, history, literature, and cultural studies classrooms, the presenter will showcase concrete lesson designs that transform static content into hands-on learning opportunities.

Participants will explore how virtual museum collections (e.g., The Louvre, Museo del Prado, Smithsonian), Google Earth Voyager stories, and open-access cultural archives can be used for tasks such as guided visual analysis, narrative reconstruction, comparative cultural inquiry, and student-generated projects. The session emphasizes pedagogical alignment: demonstrating how these tools support learning objectives, foster interpretive skills, and encourage student agency rather than technology for technology’s sake.

Attendees will leave with ready-to-use activity templates, examples of scaffolded assignments, and strategies for adapting these tools across disciplines and course levels. The session also briefly addresses accessibility considerations and assessment strategies to ensure meaningful implementation for a wide array of learners.

Building Rapport in Minutes: How Personal Touches Transform Learning

Presenter(s): Jessica Huston, PharmD

Room: 2325

Building meaningful connections in the classroom doesn’t have to require elaborate activities or additional workload. This interactive session will explore how small, intentional gestures can create a warm, supportive learning environment that fosters student engagement and belonging. While many educators seek ways to connect with students beyond course content, the reality of competing demands and heavy workloads often makes additional engagement strategies feel overwhelming. Research suggests that rapport-building during instruction can positively influence student motivation and participation.

Our approach introduces a simple, sustainable practice: sharing one personal detail at the start of class through a “pupdate”—a brief, lighthearted update accompanied by a photo of a pet. These moments of authenticity humanize the instructor, spark conversation, and create a sense of community without detracting from instructional time. Over time, students began contributing their own pupdates, transforming the practice into a shared experience that strengthened classroom relationships.

This session will highlight the evolution of this strategy, share examples of student feedback and course evaluations, and discuss its impact on engagement and connection. Participants will leave with practical ideas for incorporating low-effort, high-impact personal touches into their own teaching. By demonstrating that engagement can be as simple as a photo and a story, we aim to inspire faculty to embrace small steps that make a big difference in student-centered learning.

From Local to Global: Using Collaborative Media Production to Build Student Skills Across Cultures

Presenter(s): Dr. Jamie Loizzo, Pablo Lamino

Room: 2330

Fields & Futuro is a cross-institutional virtual exchange (VE) that connects University of Florida students in Agricultural Education and Communication (AEC) with faculty and student peers at Zamorano University in Honduras. Designed with global learning frameworks and project-based learning (PjBL) pedagogy, the project followed three phases including: 1) an asynchronous UF-led VE with five modules for Zamorano students focused on intercultural communication and podcasting to increase science literacy (fall 2025), 2) presenter team physical travel to Zamorano to further partnerships with potential podcasts guests and contextual course materials for UF students (January 2026), and 3) UF students in a hybrid AEC course co-produced the Field y Futuro – Streaming Science podcast series on global sustainable agriculture and natural resources topics through bilingual interviews via Zoom with Zamorano experts.

This session will showcase the presenter team’s replicable model for designing engaging virtual learning experiences that combine hybrid collaboration for content learning, media production, and digital science communication. Participants will explore how the project integrates technology—Zoom, collaborative editing platforms, LMS, audio tools—to support critical skills: intercultural communication, science messaging, bilingual audio production, and virtual teamwork. Through a mix of facilitation and active participation, attendees will analyze student feedback and preliminary pre/post-assessment outcomes to understand how this approach fosters engagement, skill acquisition, and cultural competence. Educators across disciplines will gain concrete strategies and resources to implement similar virtual collaborations that prioritize cultural responsiveness, scalability, and immersive learning. AEC department seed funding supported the project.

Generative AI in Higher Education: Instructor Experiences and Support Needs

Presenter(s): Swapna Kumar, Ed.D., Chris Egan, M.Ed., NRP, CHSE, Margeaux Johnson, Ariel Gunn, Ed.D.

Room: 2335

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies are increasingly being adopted in higher education institutions, and instructors are challenged with integrating GenAI in their teaching while ensuring student learning of disciplinary content and skills. Although GenAI technologies can be helpful to instructors for productivity, class preparation, creative assessments and problem solving, major concerns about academic integrity, privacy, student over-reliance and inappropriate use remain.

We will present the results of our study about how instructors are integrating GenAI across disciplines in various courses and what support they perceive as useful. The sequential mixed-method research design included an initial instructor survey (N=32) about their use of AI in their teaching, followed by semi-structured interviews with instructors about their experiences integrating AI into their courses.
The presentation discussion will provide insight into the design and implementation of activities using GenAI, any challenges faced by instructors, and how they can be supported by higher education institutions.

Leveling Up Learning: Gamification Strategies for End-of-Semester Engagement

Presenter(s): Clarissa Carr, Ph.D.

Room: 2340

How can we transform the stress of end-of-semester evaluations into an opportunity for creativity, collaboration, and joy? This session explores how gamification can reframe final course activities to foster engagement and positive classroom dynamics. Drawing from two courses, Explorations in Historic Preservation (undergraduate) and Heritage Design Communication (graduate), I will share how students participated in immersive, game-based experiences as their culminating projects. In the first course, students played Town and Gown, a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired role-playing game where they created character profiles and applied knowledge from case studies. In the second, students competed in a Taskmaster-style challenge, revisiting research conducted earlier in the semester through playful, creative tasks. Both approaches integrated light AI elements for generating prompts and enhancing game design.

Gamification at this critical point in the semester encouraged team bonding, reduced stress, and reinforced learning outcomes in a memorable way. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for designing gamified activities that align with course objectives and promote student agency.

AI‑Enhanced Teaching for Net‑Zero Circularity: Cross‑Disciplinary Learning Research, Frameworks, and Methods

Patricia Kio
2320

The circular economy (CE) offers substantial environmental, economic, and social benefits by shifting production and consumption away from the linear “take–make–waste” model toward regenerative, resource‑efficient systems. By prioritizing reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling, CE strategies help reduce air, water, and soil pollution, conserve natural resources, and improve ecosystem and human health. Despite these advantages, scholars increasingly note that education for the circular economy (ECE) faces persistent challenges, including limited integration of CE concepts into curricula, insufficient pedagogical innovation, inconsistent digital and technological adoption, and weak connections to real‑world practice. Addressing these gaps is essential to preparing future professionals capable of driving circular transitions. This study contributes to the growing ECE literature by presenting the design, implementation, and evaluation of a course developed to introduce students to CE principles using constructivist and project‑based learning approaches. The course engaged students from multiple disciplines in transforming non‑hazardous solid waste into proof‑of‑concept case studies that demonstrated circular strategies supported by digital tools. As the course evolved, artificial intelligence (AI) was incorporated as an enabling component to evaluate environmental and economic impacts and to predict waste quantities and material types. Student feedback indicated a positive learning experience, and the course will continue to be refined based on ongoing assessment. By documenting this pedagogical model, the study encourages educators to share and advance teaching methods that strengthen CE competencies and expand the collective discourse on circular economy education.

Experiential Learning: Telling University of Florida’s Story

Allie Simon, Julia Vollrath
2325

The University of Florida is committed to elevating all experiential learning initiatives available for UF undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Underscoring this ongoing commitment is an effort to capture comprehensive experiential learning engagement data each semester. The Career Connections Center leads the University’s efforts to capture comprehensive experiential learning engagement data in accordance with the University’s Internship, Practicum, Work-Based, and Experiential Learning Reporting policy (16-001). Through national research we know that experiential learning boosts graduation rates, supports career mobility, and improves overall career readiness (NACE, 2025). We are expanding access across all majors and increasing pathways to meaningful experiences. In addition, adoption of NACE’s Career Readiness Competencies has supported transformational learning throughout the student experience. In this Lightning Session, participants will learn about UF’s definitions of experiential learning and how attention to a comprehensive data collection process continues to support student learning throughout campus. Presenters will discuss outcomes from our experiential learning data collection process and UF’s Graduation Survey, including highlights from the 7,000+ offerings collected in the 2024-2025 cycle. In addition, presenters will discuss ways that this data was used to support the University’s attainment of the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement. Lastly, participants will learn about Steppingblocks, a newly adopted dynamic career outcomes platform that uses publicly sourced data, providing additional evidence supporting the value of the UF learning experience.

Embodied Learning in the Pre-Health Classroom

Dr. Daphne Schmid
2330

The embodied learning framework promotes a dual‑channel processing strategy in which somatosensory feedback reinforces the construction of abstract knowledge. To test the mnemonic effectiveness in a university-level classroom, embodied learning activities were implemented across a series of movement‑based Motor Learning laboratories with undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Florida. Qualitative investigations examined how physically active embodied activities facilitate critical engagement with course material while grounding abstract concepts in embodied experience. Five distinct in-class activities were administered across the fall semester. In each session, participants performed a movement task using Motor Learning course content and participated in a semi-structured debriefing that reinforced learning objectives. Qualitative data were collected through reflective journals that students completed anonymously. Results indicate a significant alignment between physical engagement and heightened critical analysis: students reported an enhanced ability to articulate motor learning concepts and apply them in a real‑world setting. Moreover, the lab discussions fostered metacognitive reflection, with participants identifying opportunities to apply the content outside of class. The study demonstrates that embodied learning activities may serve as a catalyst for deeper conceptual processing and knowledge transfer among UF Motor Learning students.

How WiNG.it Supports Students Beyond the Classroom

Clarissa Cheung, Rachel Pu
2335

WiNG.it addresses a growing gap in career readiness support for students navigating competitive academic and employment pathways. Many students lack access to high-quality interview practice, personalized feedback, and structured opportunities to develop professional communication skills, which can negatively impact interview performance and job placement outcomes. This project investigates the following research question: How can an AI-driven, student-centered platform improve students’ interview preparedness and professional communication confidence at scale? To explore this question, WiNG.it was developed as an interactive career readiness tool centered on simulated behavioral interviews with a virtual human. Students participate in quick mock interview sessions, with each having 1-5 questions (depending on their preferences), and they receive quantitative and AI-generated feedback evaluating communication quality, response content, and overall performance, all in a judgment-free environment. The system provides detailed transcripts, performance metrics, and personalized improvement recommendations, enabling users to track progress over time. The platform design prioritizes accessibility, authenticity, and reduced performance anxiety, informed by student feedback and lived experiences. Initial findings indicate that students using WiNG.it report increased confidence in behavioral interviewing and improved awareness of their communication strengths and weaknesses. Users benefit from immediate, personalized feedback that is typically unavailable through traditional career preparation resources. Overall, WiNG.it demonstrates the potential of AI and simulations to deliver scalable, personalized career coaching, supporting improved interview performance and more strategic career development for students across educational stages.

Learning Across Borders: A COIL US-Mexico Initiative Teaching Students Solution-Focused Counseling

Mercedes Machado
2340

Cross-cultural competence has long been emphasized in the counseling field. There remains an imperative for counselors to enhance their self-understanding and conceptualizations of multiculturalism and advocacy (Ratts et al., 2016). Critical self-reflection begins in training programs and is one of the ways counselors nurture their affinity for multicultural praxis. Participating in a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) initiative is one way counselors-in-training can learn to become more culturally competent. In fact, virtual exchange learning programs continue to increase in popularity at higher education institutions across the globe, due to their many benefits including building students’ capacity for intercultural competence (Garces & O’Dowd, 2021). This presentation outlines a COIL partnership between students in an Introduction to Counseling course in the U.S and students in Mexico. The collaboration was a unique way to teach students of different cultures brief solution-focused counseling strategies using diversity focus case scenarios. The researcher plans to collect qualitative and quantitative data.

From Structure to Reflection: Designing Classroom Dialogue

Bruna Garcia da Cruz Canellas
Grand Ballroom

Discussion-based undergraduate courses often aim to foster critical reflection on complex social issues, yet the depth and sustainability of dialogue can vary significantly across semesters. This study examines how early-semester structural design decisions influence the development of reflective classroom dialogue in an undergraduate Social Foundations of Education course addressing race, class, language, gender, and justice. Across three consecutive semesters (Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026), course content, readings, and major assignments remained consistent. However, early-semester discussion structures were intentionally modified, including adjustments to low-stakes entry activities and explicit participation expectations. Using comparative reflective analysis of instructor journals, aggregate early participation patterns, and observed engagement trajectories across the semester, this study investigates how small structural shifts shaped the intellectual climate of the course. Findings suggest that explicit early norm-setting broadened participation and redistributed intellectual responsibility, reducing the need for sustained instructor prompting later in the semester. When early structures clarified expectations for contribution, subsequent discussions demonstrated greater self-sustained reflection and student-led engagement. These results highlight the disproportionate impact of early design decisions on the development of reflective dialogue and suggest that intentional structural calibration can meaningfully influence classroom culture over time.

Detecting Metal Roofs to Support Circular Construction Strategies

Patricia Kio, A Myat
2320

This study introduces a structured workflow for developing a roof‑type object detection model that identifies metal roofs among six common roofing categories to support embodied‑carbon assessment, LCA modeling, and urban mining strategies. Course participants collected a large dataset of roof images and performed manual annotation to create high‑quality training labels. Using Roboflow, students conducted dataset preprocessing, augmentation, and initial model training, enabling rapid prototyping and visualization of performance metrics. The dataset and model configuration were then exported to Google Colab, where learners executed Python‑based training pipelines, optimized hyperparameters, and evaluated model accuracy under variable computational environments. This dual‑platform approach allowed comparison of training efficiency, model robustness, and usability for academic and professional applications. The resulting multi‑class model supports quantifying metal roofing stock, informing roof‑replacement strategies, and expanding opportunities for circular construction planning through data‑driven material recovery insights.

Pre-Service Educators’ Experiences Integrating AI into Environmental Education Coursework

Yue Li, Caleb Nyatuame, Jamie Loizzo
2325

Emerging AI technologies may help environmental educators develop innovative lesson plans that engage students in addressing complex environmental challenges. However, their specific roles in environmental education remain unclear. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model and scholarship on AI literacy in higher education, this study addresses the following research questions: 1) How can AI-integrated assignments support environmental education program development? 2) How does interacting with AI foster pre-service educators’ critical thinking? 3) What are pre-service educators’ experiences using AI in coursework? Participants were ten undergraduate pre-service educators enrolled in an Environmental Education Program Development course. They used generative AI tools for reading discussions, comparative lesson planning, and proposal development. Using a multi-methods design, the study incorporated pre- and post-surveys and content analysis of assignments. Preliminary findings indicate that participants recognized benefits of AI, including support for brainstorming, suggesting lesson activities, structuring environmental education programs, and improving proposals. However, most expressed reservations about integrating AI into environmental education, and some chose not to use AI for their assignments. Concerns centered on ethical and environmental issues, particularly AI’s environmental impact, as well as fears that reliance on AI could undermine critical design skills. Key challenges include the small sample size, which limited quantitative analysis, and mid-semester adjustments to make AI use optional in response to students’ concerns, thereby reducing the number of AI-integrated assignments. Future research should explore strategies to address students’ sustainability concerns and foster transparent discussions of AI’s environmental tradeoffs across disciplines.

Online Biology Courses and Labs Adopt Adaptive Learning: What Happened?

Stefanie Gazda, Brenda Such
2330

Gateway undergraduate science courses remain under evaluation as they are prerequisites for many diverse degrees. How students perform in these courses can determine their persistence in the sciences, thereby impacting student retention. To support student performance, one strategy has been the use of adaptive learning (AL): curriculum tailored specifically to students’ levels of understanding to push learning to the next level without extraneous information. Considering the possible effectiveness of AL in gateway science courses, the researchers addressed two questions: (1) How could AL be implemented into large-enrollment, introductory-level online biology courses with their respective labs? (2) How will the performance of students undergoing AL compare to those without AL experiences? Working with the AL platform Realizeit, the online coordinator for the biology department created AL activities in Biology 1 and 2 and their associated labs. A three-year evaluatory process ensued, monitoring groups of students taking the courses and labs according to original course and lab designs and groups of students who experienced AL. Using the scores of activities and exams and final scores, statistical analyses were conducted. Although research has shown a significant impact on student learning with AL, findings within this program evaluation indicated no major differences between the groups within Biology 1 and the two labs; however, within Biology 2, the final scores of those who experienced AL trended toward being higher (by two points). The findings could inform future iterations of the courses and labs, especially related to AI and other learning interventions.

Pharmacy Practice in Action: Skills Labs as a Pathway to Professional Identity

Jessica Huston, Lisa Vandervoort
2335

Objective: To assess the impact of videos from pharmacists in various practice settings shared in the applicable skills lab on enhancing methods of professional identity formation (PIF) Methods: Faculty contacted pharmacists in different practice areas to provide insight regarding their careers. Pharmacists answered several questions via video about their practice site including, how often they interact with patients, what healthcare professionals they interact with, most common interventions made and how the skill of the week is used in their practice. Videos were tied to the skills being taught in specific modules of the second-year skills lab course. Videos were shown at the beginning of the corresponding module, prior to the student activities. Once the students completed the activities in the lab, they were provided with a survey to assess their desire to pursue a career that performs the skill. Students completed a survey at the end of the semester reflecting on the entire series of videos. Results: A review of first semester results indicates 82% of students found the videos helpful. Ambulatory Care was most often cited as the area of pharmacy students were most likely to pursue, followed by hospital and infectious disease. Ninety of 170 students found most beneficial information from the video was frequency and content of pharmacist-patient interactions. Conclusions: Students had an overall positive response to the implementation of the PIF videos in the skills lab. Many students cited the videos as providing realistic information of the activities of a pharmacist in different areas of specialty.

Critical Pedagogies in AI-Mediated Education: A Systematic Review and Pedagogical Implications

Taryrn T.C. Brown, Jennifer Wooten, Evan Lauteria, Nashia Graneau, J. Higdon
2340

This lightning talk examines how artificial intelligence has been taken up, theorized, and contested within scholarship grounded in critical pedagogical traditions. As AI technologies are rapidly integrated across educational systems, educators committed to critical pedagogy face urgent questions about power, agency, surveillance, labor, and knowledge production in AI-mediated learning environments. Yet, the field lacks a clear synthesis of how critical pedagogical frameworks are engaging, or failing to engage, these technologies. Using established systematic review protocols, we identified, screened, and analyzed peer-reviewed literature at the intersection of AI and critical pedagogy. Our guiding research question asks: What intersections, tensions, and contradictions emerge between critical pedagogy scholarship and emergent AI scholarship? The review examined how AI is conceptualized, the educational problems it is positioned to address, and the pedagogical commitments articulated or implied within the literature. Findings reveal three dominant patterns. First, persistent tensions exist between instrumental uses of AI and critical pedagogy’s commitments to humanization, relational learning, and dialogic praxis. Second, while equity and ethics are frequently invoked, attention to data justice, algorithmic power, and the lived experiences of marginalized learners remains uneven and often under-theorized. Third, a growing body of scholarship calls for pedagogical approaches that center critical inquiry, reflexivity, and participatory engagement with AI systems rather than uncritical adoption. This lightning talk argues that critical pedagogy must move beyond reactive critique toward intentional curricular and pedagogical redesign. By synthesizing this literature, the review offers concrete implications for revising courses that teach critical pedagogy, foregrounding AI knowledge, critical AI literacies, and ethical engagement as essential components of contemporary critical educational practice.

Teaching’s Killer App: A Ginormous List of Interactive Strategies

Kevin Yee
Grand Ballroom

Faculty benefit from teaching ideas they’ve not heard before, especially when presented in an easily digested manner. As we know from Angelo & Cross’s “Classroom Assessment Techniques” (1993), formative assessment activities in face-to-face classes yield numerous benefits: student attention spans are reset, students engage cognitively with the material in productive struggle, students learn on the spot whether they’ve understood the concepts, and faculty gain an insight into how much the class understands. Several of these benefits align perfectly with the lessons from cognitive psychology on how learning works (Sousa, 2011; Willingham, 2009; Ambrose, 2023), so there is strong evidence that instructors should engage in interactive teaching in all disciplines, even ones traditionally heavy in lecture (Freeman, 2014). Yet ideas for specific teaching strategies are often housed in full-sized books, and faculty may lack the time to read them. I will present an open-source list of 300+ interactive techniques, each presented in only a sentence or two. Instructors can see at-a-glance which techniques seem suited for their current topic and their personality as a teacher. This list of interactive strategies has been seen by many faculty over the years as a game-changer in their teaching.

EdStream: Fostering Collaborative Learning in Canvas

Ashish Aggarwal
2320

EdStream is an integrated messaging and collaboration tool that brings all course communications into one streamlined interface within Canvas using the LTI protocol. Instead of juggling Canvas inbox messages, discussion boards, email threads for extension requests, separate accommodation management systems, and office hours scheduling, EdStream centralizes everything into a single, organized platform accessible directly within the course environment. The tool features dedicated channels for different purposes—general course discussions, instructor-specific communications, section groups, peer mentorship channels, and structured request systems for extensions and accommodations. Students can submit extension or accommodation requests through standardized forms that include assignment details, current due dates, proposed new dates, and reasoning, ensuring all necessary information is captured upfront. Instructors and teaching assistants can review, approve, or deny requests with full conversation history and attached documentation readily available, creating clear audit trails and transparent communication. EdStream solves the critical problem of fragmented communication that leads to missed messages, delayed responses, and increased administrative burden, particularly in large enrollment courses serving thousands of students. By consolidating communications, EdStream reduces instructor workload, enabling them to respond faster and more effectively to student needs. It enhances opportunities for collaboration by creating dedicated spaces for peer interaction and community building. Most importantly, EdStream cultivates equitable learning communities by making support more accessible, helping students—especially first-generation students and those with accommodations—feel comfortable seeking help through clear, approachable channels integrated seamlessly into their learning environment.

Exploring Learning Processes and Facilitation in an AI-Supported Arduino Design Workshop: A Design-Based Research Study

Lilianny Virguez, Diego Alvarado
2325

Main Research Question: This study examines how workshop design and facilitation shape visible learning processes in an AI-supported introductory programming environment. It addresses persistent challenges in early undergraduate programming instruction (i.e., syntax-driven reasoning, trial-and-error debugging, and uncritical AI reliance) by asking: how do instructional design features and facilitation strategies influence student engagement in planning, prediction, and evidence-based debugging? Methods: Using a design-based research (DBR) approach, we studied a 90-minute Arduino workshop integrated into a human-centered design course serving early undergraduate students. The workshop foregrounded logic before code, prediction before debugging, and constrained AI use as a learning partner. Self-regulated learning (SRL) served as the primary analytic lens. Data were collected across three pilot sessions (10-20 students each)—two at an R1 institution and one at a community college with an articulated transfer program—supplemented by a peer mentor focus group. Sources included student planning artifacts, prediction–evidence worksheets, and written reflections. Analysis used artifact-centered qualitative coding focused on SRL-related processes. Findings: The workshop made specific learning processes visible, particularly students’ use of representations to reason about system behavior and their engagement in prediction–evidence cycles during debugging. Facilitation tensions also emerged, including uneven adoption of planning tools and difficulty sustaining prediction-driven norms under time pressure. These patterns across implementations informed refinements to facilitation strategies and design features for subsequent DBR cycles.

Development of Generative AI Roleplay Personas Utilizing Standardized Clinical Questionnaires

Jose N. Reyes III, Lior Flum
2330

Despite direct training in patient counseling skills, many students and practicing audiologists struggle to identify when patients are experiencing emotional or mental health crises. Screening for and addressing mental health needs can feel difficult or elicit emotion from a student or practitioner. Authentic learning activities utilizing large language models (LLM) can provide new opportunities for dynamic role play experiences that align with educational goals related to counseling skills and referral processes. To make these learning experiences more effective and engaging, the design of LLM patient chatbots should be carefully considered. The goal of this project is to develop a method for designing LLM patient chatbots for use in the clinical education of audiology doctoral students. A range of clinically relevant patient personas will be created by integrating standardized patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) into prompting structures. PROMs, which are validated questionnaires, assess patient experience, perspective, and concerns related to mental health, hearing difficulties, and hearing loss treatment. These measures will provide LLM patient chatbots with a wide range of characteristics for the creation of complex patient personas. Foundational persona behavior and consistency with intended design features will be assessed by comparing PROM responses created during persona development and PROM responses obtained from the persona in active role-play. This will be repeated across multiple trials and personas. Preliminary results will be provided. This project is part of a larger work focusing on the efficacy of AI-based affective agents to provide emotional support to students engaging in educational role-play activities.

Development and validation of an entomology literacy assessment tool: the international EntoEdu survey instrument

Andrea Lucky
2335

Entomology knowledge and attitudes towards insects varies across individuals and cultures, with some having a particular affinity (or aversion) to insects. Educators can best engage students when they have a realistic understanding of how students feel, and what they know, about insects. The EntoEdu survey was designed to fill a gap by providing a standardized assessment of entomology attitudes and knowledge in first-year university students. The instrument was designed as an 81-question assessment of entomology literacy, focused on two components: 1) attitude, based on four sub-categories: self-efficacy, affect, professional outlook, and hobby activity and 2) knowledge, in four areas: insect identification, insect ecology, entomology concepts, and techniques associated with study of insects. Survey development included expert review of questions and translation (Czech, English). Validation involved administration of the survey to students in the USA and Czechia, with the initial data set demonstrating high reliability, credibility, comparability, and consistency of the instrument. Overall, student attitude scores were positively correlated with knowledge, while both variables differed across students’ study domains. The highest knowledge scores were associated with students in biology-related fields. Significant knowledge differences between the US and Czech students suggest differences in entomology education, whether formally (i.e. school curriculum) or informally (i.e. cultural), with average scores higher among Czechs. This survey can be used to assess entomology knowledge and attitude in incoming university students to develop and improve effective entomology education programs. These results suggest this survey can be especially useful for tailoring program and course content to specific student populations.

Daily In-Class Retrieval Improves Chemistry Exam Performance

Martina Sumner
2340

This study examined the impact of daily in-class retrieval practice on student performance in an undergraduate General Chemistry 1 course. In one section, students responded to daily iClicker questions targeting the same core concept, presented using different chemical compounds to promote conceptual transfer rather than memorization. These outcomes were compared to sections taught by colleagues in which students did not receive repeated in-class exposure to the concept. Student performance was assessed using a common question on Exam 2 (when the concept was first formally tested) and again on the cumulative final exam. Students who engaged in daily repeated retrieval practice demonstrated significantly higher performance on both assessments compared to students without repeated exposure. These findings suggest that structured, repeated in-class retrieval practice enhances conceptual understanding and long-term retention. If sustained mastery is the goal, frequent exposure and active engagement with key concepts appear to be critical instructional strategies.

Doctoral students’ perceptions of GenAI in literature reviews

Swapna Kumar, Ariel Gunn
Grand Ballroom

This presentation focuses on the integration of Generative AI (GenAI) technologies in the literature review process by doctoral students. The process of writing a literature review involves selecting a topic, searching for, identifying, critiquing, and synthesizing relevant literature (Machi & McEvoy, 2022). GenAI technologies can help students write a literature review, but inaccurate or selective information can be problematic for first year doctoral students who are yet unfamiliar with the research (Storey, 2023; van Dis et al., 2023). In their first doctoral seminar at UF, students in an online doctoral program explored various GenAI technologies to review literature in their research area and reflected on GenAI potential and pitfalls in doctoral study. The main research question was: What are doctoral students’ perceptions of generative AI use in the literature review process? Participants’ reflections were thematically analyzed using the constant comparative method (Glaser, 1965) in two coding cycles by the instructor and a colleague who did not teach the course. The analysis revealed a) the potential of GenAI technologies as helpful and complementary to traditional search processes, b) concerns and challenges faced by the students and c) the need for guidance on the appropriate and ethical integration of GenAI in literature reviews. We will discuss the iterative design of these activities in a previous seminar, the seminar in this study, as well as proposed changes to the next seminar offering, based on the analysis of student reflections in each offering, the evolution of GenAI technologies, and students’ familiarity with GenAI.

Efficacy of Peer-Mediated Study Groups for At-Risk General Chemistry Students

Ashlyn Hale
2320

Students may self-select to participate in weekly study groups that provide additional academic support and promote peer-to-peer connections. This work examines the use of small, peer-mediated study groups as a supplemental support mechanism within the General Chemistry sequence, specifically General Chemistry I (CHM2045) and General Chemistry II (CHM2046). Initially implemented in CHM2045, the program was later expanded to include CHM2046 to explore how participation across one or both courses relates to student outcomes. The initiative is administered by the Academic Resources department in collaboration with General Chemistry I and II instructors and undergraduate teaching assistants (UGTAs) from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida. This study focuses on understanding patterns of student participation, particularly among those who may be at greater academic risk, as well as how students engage with available academic support resources. Ongoing evaluation informs the development of UGTA training practices to ensure effective peer support. Using longitudinal data and predictive indicators of course success, this work explores factors influencing students’ decisions to engage in peer-mediated study groups. Additionally, the study examines relationships between study group participation, attendance patterns, and course performance. Together, these findings aim to contribute to a broader understanding of the role of peer-mediated academic support in student success within foundational chemistry coursework.

Innovative Course Design for a New Online Teacher Preparation Program

Blake Beckett, Macy Geiger
2325

When presented with the opportunity to design a new online elementary education program with an apprenticeship framing, we posed the question, “In what ways can an instructional designer and a faculty member collaborate to design flexible and responsive student-centered courses for a new online elementary certification program?” During phase 1 (program development), we used program and course mapping, iterative design memos, and alignment processes connecting FEAPS standards, High Leverage Practices, and on-the-job competencies to develop an innovative seven-step module framework implemented across all courses. This structured learning path was designed to promote coherence, deep reflection, and applied practice throughout the student’s experience in the program. During phase 2 (first-semester implementation), we employed practitioner scholarship methodology to examine instructor experiences, course artifacts, and student feedback, comparing the online experience to the traditional on-campus version. Data sources included instructor reflective journals, meeting documentation, course evaluations, and student work samples. Preliminary findings suggest that structured designer–faculty collaboration enhanced cross-course alignment and instructional clarity. The apprenticeship-framed online model required stronger performance documentation and revised facilitation strategies to support student learning. Instructor reflection played a critical role in iterative course improvement. This study offers a practical model for collaborative course design in apprenticeship-based online teacher preparation and contributes to Research in Teaching and Learning by examining how structured design partnerships influence implementation and instructional outcomes.

Is it human? AI Personality-infused Chatbots in the Design Studio Practice

Luis Mejia-Puig
2330

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the design process by supporting its iterative and overlapping stages. Tools such as image generators and rendering software assist with concept development and visualization, while large language models (LLMs) enable conversational interaction, bridging written expression and image generation. As AI reshapes research, writing, and data interpretation, AI literacy, prompt development, and adaptive use have become essential skills in design education and practice. This study builds on prior work using AI-assisted personas in a hospitality interior design project and investigates LLMs infused with personality traits as chatbots for client role-playing. Thirty-four interior design students (93% undergraduate; 6% male) participated using UF Navigator with GPT-5. Working in teams, students created chatbot clients based on a template describing an older adult with a disability seeking an aging-in-place design. After assigning personality traits and developing the chatbot for over four hours, chatbots were exchanged for peer interviews to inform design proposals. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and a post-intervention questionnaire grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model. Qualitative findings indicated that LLM use enhanced creative thinking, engagement, and professional skill development. Quantitative results showed increases in perceived usefulness, ease of use, enjoyment, and intention to use AI, with over 93% rating usefulness and intention to use as high or very high. Overall, the findings demonstrate that integrating LLM-based role-playing into project-based design studio environments enhances creativity and supports the development of AI competencies increasingly vital to professional design practice.

Communicating Unseen Science

Maggie Murphy, Jamie Loizzo
2335

The study examined how PjBL influenced agricultural and natural resources (ANR) communication students’ (1) nematology content knowledge, (2) awareness of the Nebraska Sandhills, and (3) perceptions of science communication and artificial intelligence (AI). Qualitative analysis of student interviews, written reflections, and project artifacts revealed four key patterns related to nematology learning. Students entered the courses with minimal or surface-level prior knowledge, but PjBL activities significantly expanded their understanding of nematode biology, ecological roles, and agricultural importance. Participation in the projects increased students’ curiosity about nematodes and fostered a greater appreciation for invertebrate research more broadly. Students also reported limited initial awareness of the Nebraska Sandhills; however, through research, peer storytelling, and podcast production, they developed meaningful understanding of the region’s unique geography, alkaline wetlands, biodiversity, and agricultural context. PjBL further strengthened students’ science communication competencies by increasing confidence, improving multimedia production skills, and supporting deeper comprehension of complex scientific concepts through applied storytelling. Students’ perceptions of AI in ANR communication were nuanced: while many viewed AI as a useful tool for brainstorming and editing, most emphasized the need for human oversight, expressed mixed trust in AI-generated content, and consistently preferred human-driven communication for its authenticity and creativity. Overall, findings demonstrate that PjBL enriches scientific understanding, broadens environmental awareness, and strengthens science communication competencies while prompting critical reflection on emerging technologies in ANR fields. The results emphasize the value of PjBL as an effective and engaging pedagogical approach in ANR education.

Effect of Pre/post-Assessments in Calculus

Chamila Gamage
2340

Assessment plays a major role in how students learn, especially in Calculus 1 where each new unit builds quickly on earlier ideas. In many traditional setups, students only realize what they don’t understand when they see it on a midterm or final, which is often too late to respond in a meaningful way. This project examined a practical question: Did structured pre-assessment and post-assessment quizzes help students learn more effectively and help the instructor teach more responsively? The design was guided by formative assessment principles. The pre-assessments functioned as short “check-ins” before each major unit: they gave students a preview of upcoming ideas, helped them identify what they already knew (and what they didn’t), and gave me clear information about gaps and misconceptions so I could adjust instruction. The post-assessments, given after instruction, acted as benchmarks for growth and a structured way to reinforce key concepts. Last semester, I implemented six Canvas-based pre-assessment quizzes, one before each major unit. These quizzes were graded for completion only (5% of the course grade), so students could respond honestly without penalty for incorrect answers. Solutions were provided immediately. After instruction, students completed weekly post-assessment quizzes in discussion, aligned with the pre-assessment questions and counted as part of the regular discussion quiz grade. After each pre/post pair, students answered brief reflection questions about what they learned, what challenged them, and what strategies helped them improve. Data included completion and participation patterns, pre/post performance, course assessment outcomes, and student reflections. When compared with other course sections, students in this section performed well across multiple attributes, including consistency on unit assessments and overall course performance. The main challenges were time management, convincing students that the quizzes were a learning tool (not “just another assignment”), and encouraging active participation throughout the semester. Going forward, I plan to continue this approach in Calculus 2 and other courses in the sequence, and to collaborate with other instructors so this model can be implemented consistently across all sections.

The FLUFF Test: Gauging Student Interactions with AI

Jennifer Parker, Ed.D.
Grand Ballroom

This lightning round explores how the FLUFF Test transforms AI users—from K–12 to higher ed—into confident prompters and critical reviewers of AI output.

As generative artificial intelligence becomes embedded across educational and professional domains, users increasingly require practical frameworks for critically evaluating AI output. This lightning round presentation spotlights the evolving, cross‑disciplinary research surrounding the FLUFF Test (Format, Language, Usability, Fanfare, and Function), a user‑centered evaluation framework developed by Dr. Jennifer Parker to improve human–AI interactions. The central research question guiding this body of work asks: How effectively does the FLUFF Test support users in critiquing, contextualizing, and confidently applying AI‑generated content across diverse disciplinary settings?

Using mixed methods across multiple case studies, faculty integrated the FLUFF/FLUF Test into authentic instructional and professional tasks. Methods included rubric‑based evaluations of AI output, comparative model analysis, pre‑ and post‑surveys measuring AI literacy and confidence, and qualitative reflections on usability and disciplinary relevance. Application contexts spanned pharmacy education (critiquing AI‑generated drug information), architecture and sustainability (comparing AI model responses to UN Sustainable Development Goals), veterinary large animal sciences (assessing AI summaries of scientific research), teacher education and instructional design (examining alignment to ISTE Educator Standards), and K–12 classrooms (supporting teacher and student confidence in AI‑supported teaching and learning).

Findings across studies indicate that the FLUFF Test consistently enhances users’ ability to identify inaccuracies, bias, overconfidence, and contextual misalignment in AI outputs. Participants reported increased AI literacy, stronger critical evaluation skills, and greater confidence in responsible AI use. Collectively, these studies demonstrate the adaptability and disciplinary transferability of the FLUFF Test as a scalable framework for empowering AI users. This session offers concrete research examples illustrating how structured critique tools can move AI engagement from passive consumption to informed, intentional practice.