EdgeCon Spring 2024

Room: BSC 100

While fully ‘ChatGPT-proofing’ your course might be challenging, learn how to creatively design assignments that promote genuine student engagement. This session will guide you through innovative strategies to modify your assessment approach,  either using or limiting AI tool use to create captivating, challenging assignments that inspire authenticity and excitement in your students.

Presenter:

• Ellen Farr, Assistant Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, The College of New Jersey
• Judi Cook, Executive Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, The College of New Jersey

Room: BSC 225 East

Innovation in higher education is fueled by new approaches to instructional design and technology, partnered with advances in pedagogical theory and process. But most schools don’t have the time or budget to do it because their most talented, motivated staff and faculty are weighed down by important, but somewhat monotonous tasks and responsibilities. This session will demonstrate how EdgeLearn can lessen that burden at a non-profit price and allow you to advance your online programming with ease.

Presenter:

• Joshua Gaul, Associate Vice President & Chief Digital Learning Officer, Edge

Room: BSC 225 West

Tired of the same old AI discussions? This panel flips the script! Join a conversation with college and graduate students, the future leaders in AI development and application, to hear their unfiltered thoughts and expectations. Get ready for a dynamic discussion about:

• Student concerns: What ethical considerations are paramount for the next generation of AI?
• Emerging trends: What exciting possibilities do students see for AI in their fields?
• Bridging the gap: How can academia and industry better prepare students for the AI-powered future?

This isn’t your typical AI talk. Be prepared to be challenged and inspired!

Moderator:

• Diane Rubino, Adjunct Assistant Professor, NYU 

Student Panelists:

• Harshil Thakkar, Stevens Institute of Technology, Master’s Engineering Management Candidate
• Evangelia Gkaravela, Stevens Institute of Technology, Master’s Engineering Management (researcher), Space Systems Engineering Candidate
• Katherine Weiss, NYU, MS in PR/Corporate Communications Candidate

Room: BSC 100

New to AI? This workshop is your launchpad! Designed specifically for faculty new to AI, this session will equip you with a foundational understanding of AI’s potential as you rethink activities and assessments to address AI disruption. We’ll break down key terms, explore innovative AI tools that personalize instruction, boost engagement, and deepen understanding. We will also address the challenges faced by artificial intelligence usage. Get hands-on ideas about where to start redesigning your online course with practical applications of AI tools in your field. Walk away with a solid foundation to revolutionize your teaching and student success!  

Presenter:

• Laurie Hallick, Instructional Designer, Molloy University

Room: BSC 225 East

This goal of this interactive discussion will be to address questions about the relationship between organizational structures and the success or demise, as well as the level of quality of online education programs. During the session we will employ dynamic online polling to gather group insights and present them visually throughout the session, as well as the opportunity to engage in a deep exploration of key questions dissecting the organizational ecosystem which includes the interplay of administrative policies, institutional culture, technology infrastructure, and student support. Through this dialogue, the goal is to identify challenges and opportunities for better synergies within institutional frameworks to advance online learning.

Presenter:

• Alexandra Salas, President, Cognition Ink LLC

Room: BSC 225 West

Almost all fields that our students enter into after graduation require enhanced data science and computational skills in the modern workforce. The importance of these skill-sets will only continue to increase. TCNJ’s High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster is used for computationally driven scientific research by all departments in the School of Science and supports 500 to 700 students per academic year in both class related usage as well as faculty mentored research opportunities. In this presentation we describe how we have successfully integrated HPC into our science curriculum. allowing us to equip students directly with the skills they will need to enter the 21st century workforce, and providing faculty with a resource to engage students in transformational research experiences and hands-on learning in the classroom and the laboratory.

Presenters:

• Sunita Kramer, Dean, School of Science, The College of New Jersey
• Joseph Baker, Professor of Chemistry, The College of New Jersey
• Shawn Sivy, HPC Systems Administrator, The College of New Jersey

Room: BSC 100

New Jersey Institute of Technology is embracing AI to support everything from campus life to curriculum planning. In this presentation, you’ll see a glimpse of the future of student success enriched by AI. Along with their partner, Slalom, NJIT will debut their early-stage Digital Student Advisor. Ed Wozencroft, NJIT’s Vice President for Digital Strategy & CIO, will inspire you to think of the world of possibility for students and faculty… What If…?

Presenters:

• Stephen Walsh, Senior Director, Public & Social Impact, Slalom
• Ed Wozencroft, Chief Information Officer, VP for Digital Strategy, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Room: BSC 225 East

“MAGIC in Higher Education: Motivating, Active Learning, Gamifying, Imagining, and Collaborating,” a convergent parallel design, mixed-methods study, assessed how embedding play into the architecture of a classroom can improve the learning process for students. We aimed to identify if changing the natural passive environment of a classroom to an active, play-driven environment would influence learning outcomes. Considering low national retention and graduation rates within community colleges, we examined concepts highlighting embedded play in the lesson as an extrinsic motivator to augment the learning process. 

We hypothesized that creating an abstract classroom learning environment, considering both passive and active learning can positively impact comprehension and the student learning experience. We collaborated with faculty and administration to investigate learning environments and teaching practices. We focused on the architecture and design of the classroom environment and how engaging students in play might strengthen its structure, increasing comprehension of the subject material. Our research revealed that play promotes positive experiences for students focusing on active learning.

The data exposed a dichotomy between teaching and learning; faculty primarily engage in passive lecture-based teaching, whereas students prefer active play-based learning. We recognized that a natural classroom environment is subjective depending on the discipline and pedagogy. Therefore, we engaged faculty to redesign a lecture to include play-based learning aligning with their discipline. The data from the active learning investigation revealed that participating in the playful activity significantly improved students’ understanding and application of the lesson’s content. Reflecting on our research and outcomes, we created a forum to showcase our data to faculty, administration, and students. This showcase has launched a play-based, active learning Community of Practice (CoP) for faculty professional development.

Presenters:

• Dr. Jennifer Gasparino, Associate Professor, Human Services & Phi Theta Kappa Advisor, Passaic County Community College
• Andy Perales, Program Coordinator, Teachers Excellence Project & Phi Theta Kappa Co-Advisor, Passaic County Community College
• Alexandra Della Fera, Associate Professor, English, Passaic County Community College
• John Paul Rodriguez, Assistant Professor, Computer Information Services, Passaic County Community College

Student Presenters:

• Bilal Gebril, President, Phi Theta Kappa
• Erick Vasquez Minaya, Provisional Membership Coordinator, Phi Theta Kappa
• Venus John, Honor in Action Co-Chair

Room: BSC 225 West

Digital accessibility is frequently approached reactively, wherein instructors generate course content, students submit accommodation letters, and the subsequent realization of content inaccessibility prompts efforts to modify and enhance accessibility. This method proves time-consuming and perpetuates the marginalization of students by reinforcing structural and environmental barriers to learning. Rather, embracing a proactive universal design perspective in addressing digital accessibility enables instructors to prioritize the diverse needs of learners during the creation of digital content and materials. This approach minimizes the necessity for accommodations, fostering a more inclusive learning environment from the outset. While achieving digital accessibility necessitates a comprehensive commitment at the systemic and institutional levels, instructors can adopt various practices within their classrooms to advance the creation and provision of accessible course materials. This interactive workshop will guide participants in contemplating the significance of digital accessibility in higher education and in exploring practical tools for implementing digital accessibility principles across physical, hybrid, and online learning environments, grounded in a universal design approach.

Presenter:

• Mel Katz, Accommodations Support Specialist for Curriculum and Assessment, The College of New Jersey

Room: BSC 104

Edge, in collaboration with our partner institutions, has launched the HPC, AI, and Data (HPC AID) Affinity Group. The group aims to expand knowledge access, community, and practice in HPC and Research Computing in support of AI and data intensive research and education. 

Join us in our mission to share information and best practices related to High Performance Computing and Research Computing and Data. The group is open to anyone with focus on leveraging HPC and Data in support of Research and Education, so please invite peers or colleagues to join us. 

Room: BSC 100

Escape rooms offer numerous benefits when integrated into higher education classroom settings. By presenting students with complex puzzles and challenges, escape rooms promote teamwork, communication, and critical thinking skills. Collaborative problem-solving becomes the focal point, encouraging students to leverage each other’s strengths and expertise to achieve a common goal.

During this workshop, participants will see photos of the TLTC’s Pirate Escape Room and an example of an online escape room, followed by a discussion of pros and potential pitfalls of designing one. Everyone will receive a digital copy of resources, tips, and ideas to guide them through creating an escape room of their own.

Presenter:

• Kate Sierra, Instructional Designer, Seton Hall University

Room: BSC 225 East

This presentation explores the latest trends and future prospects of digital accessibility in learning environments, focusing on integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI), Voice User Interfaces (VUI), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mobile Accessibility, and Inclusive Design principles. Participants will gain insights into AI-driven accessibility solutions, the benefits of VUI in digital learning platforms, leveraging AR and VR for accessible learning experiences, mobile accessibility considerations, and strategies for incorporating inclusive design.

Presenter:

• Laura Romeo, Instructional Designer, Edge

Room: BSC 225 West

Technological advancements have made multimedia a main language for conveying information and knowledge. Multimedia elements like video, audio, animation, and interactive media enable learners to encode information in multiple formats, which leads to deeper understanding. A multimedia learning environment tailored to the context allows students to integrate and interpret relationships. This approach promotes learner-centered teaching and adheres to constructivist theory. According to this theory, learners do not passively absorb new knowledge and understanding. Instead, they actively build new knowledge by experiencing and integrating new information with their prior knowledge.

This session will explore the concept of visual thinking by delving into the cognitive psychology behind media-based instructions and their role in humanizing digital learning and fostering stronger teacher-student relationships. It will also highlight the significance of interactive multimedia in learning environments. Encouraging students to interact with and manipulate media to achieve their learning goals creates an environment that promotes learning by doing. This teaching approach promotes higher-order thinking in multiple dimensions, resulting in better knowledge retention. 

This session will also explore the distinct capability of multimedia in addressing various learning objectives and requirements and discuss the methods of integrating them into instructional design. I will use actual course examples to illustrate how and when students learn best. By participating in this session, attendees will better understand the distinct advantages of multimedia teaching and acquire practical techniques for integrating multimedia design into their courses.

Presenter:

• Cecily McKeown, Instructional Multimedia Specialist, Hudson County Community College

Room: BSC 100

In January 2023, the instructional design team at Montclair State University began ideating a response to the advances in artificial intelligence, which broke headlines in late 2022. Since then, Instructional Technology and Design Services (ITDS) has produced a suite of web-based resources, workshops and trainings, consultations, and more to guide University faculty through discovery and exploration of GenAI to be leveraged pedagogically and mitigate misuse. In this session, Montclair instructional designers Joe Yankus & Gina Policastro will share their experience composing these resources, facilitating small and large-group faculty development, lessons learned, and goals for the upcoming year. 

Presenters:

• Joseph Yankus, Instructional Designer, Montclair State University
• Gina Policastro, Instructional Designer, Montclair State University

Room: BSC 225 East

Word-processed documents, presentation slide decks, PDFs, and videos can all be made ready for use by all students. It’s not just a good thing to do, it’s also the law. In this presentation, you will learn ten easy tips that can help anyone have a better experience using your digital documents. 

This session will concentrate on Microsoft documents. The concepts will be applicable to other programs available on other platforms as well as documents created in the cloud.

The big ideas include the importance of headings, alternative text for images, tables, accessibility checkers, lists, font selection and color, slide titles, saving files as PDFs, reading order, and captioning.

Presenter:

• Ann Oro, Senior Instructional Designer, Seton Hall University

Room: BSC 225 West

Simple Rubrics support LEARNING by offering a checklist of expectations, a mechanism for delivering formative/summative evaluation, and a framework for learner reflection and self-remediation. Dual Rubrics go further to also support TEACHING by offering a means for making an inference about about students’ mastery of learning outcomes/competencies. Implementing Dual Rubrics in the Canvas LMS, at the course or program level, offers a data-driven opportunity to incorporate learning insights that support quality improvement in instructional effectiveness and curricular design.

Presenter:

• Karen Harris, Senior Instructional Designer and Assessment Specialist, Rutgers University