EdgeCon Spring 2025

The presentation, Navigating the Future: The Implications of AI for Next-Generation Education explores the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on education. It begins by defining key AI terms such as Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Neural Networks, and discusses the growing use of AI tools like ChatGPT among students for academic tasks. The presentation highlights the challenges and opportunities of integrating technology into education, categorizing adoption methods as intentional, accidental, or unilateral, with the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating unilateral adoption due to necessity.

The presentation emphasizes the disruptive nature of technological innovations in education, which often clash with the system’s inherent stability. I raise concerns about AI’s potential to depersonalize learning, leading to cognitive de-skilling, and creating a sense of futility among students and educators. However, I also outline four essential tasks for educators in the AI era: curating, contextualizing, creating, and collaborating.

The presentation underscores the importance of equity in AI integration, addressing informational, technological, cultural, and linguistic disparities. I argue that educators must focus on humanistic ends, ensuring that AI is used deliberately and equitably to benefit all students. I conclude by asserting that the purpose of technology, like education, is human liberation, urging educators to prepare students for the future rather than clinging to outdated practices. The presentation calls for a re-imagination of education in the age of AI, balancing innovation with equity and human connection.

Presenter:

• Steven D’Agustino, Senior Director for Online Programs, Fordham University

At Seton Hall University we have been experimenting with Virtual Reality since the release of the Google Cardboard Viewer in 2014. Our early experiences with stand-alone Google Cardboard led us to the workstation connected HTC Vive, which led us to the stand-alone Oculus Quest and Quest 2 devices.  The common thread had been designing and implementing a VR experience for a class of 20 – 30 students with one or two devices.  

In 2024 we were able to acquire a number of Meta Quest Pro devices, allowing for an entire class to participate in a virtual experience at the same time. During the 2024 Fall semester we launched a pilot program examining how we can best facilitate Virtual Reality experiences for graduate and undergraduate classes.  These experiences are informing our development of a Virtual Reality Showcase to formally introduce this technology to our faculty, along with examples of how this technology can be incorporated into various course topics.

This session will focus on the instructional designer’s perspective of evolving VR Technology, the introduction of the Quest for Business device management software, initial faculty and student experiences with the Meta Quest Pro devices, and future plans for expanded access and utilization. Suggestions for implementation will be shared. 

Presenters:

• Renee Cicchino, Director of Instructional Design & Training, Seton Hall University
• Riad Twal, Sr. Instructional Designer, Seton Hall University

This session will explore the blueprint development of high-quality short courses while embedding quality course design badges. 

Participants will learn how to:

• Identify quality criteria for designing courses.
• Establish clear learning objectives and outcomes that align with industry standards and learner needs.
• Address regular and substantive interactions in online asynchronous short courses.
• Incorporate a robust quality assurance framework to ensure course content consistency, accuracy, and relevance.
• Implement a meaningful quality badge system to recognize learner achievement and enhance the value proposition of your short courses.
• Gather data and continuously analyze learner feedback to improve course quality and effectiveness.

This session is ideal for instructional designers, online administrators, training managers, and educators who are looking to enhance the quality and impact of their short course offerings.

Key Takeaways:

• A practical framework for developing high-quality short courses.
• Strategies for incorporating quality assurance throughout the course development lifecycle.
• Best practices for designing and implementing effective quality badge systems.
• Actionable steps to improve learner engagement and course effectiveness.

Presenters:

• Dr. Amy Gaimaro, Dean of Innovative Delivery Methods, Molloy University
• Susan Watters, Associate Director of Blended and Online Learning, Molloy University

Podcasts are a powerful tool for creating dialogue and disseminating innovative practices in higher education. They provide another method of community outreach and engagement. Podcasts invite your listeners to learn and listen at their convenience whether it is at the gym or during their commute. This session will explore how the Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center (TLTC) at Seton Hall launched a podcast series called Innovate and Educate to explore the intersection of technology and teaching. It highlights how topics such as technology integration, accessibility tools, and other innovations are transforming learning, improving student outcomes, and addressing classroom challenges. 

The podcast’s conversational format encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration, allowing faculty, instructional designers, staff, and administrators to share strategies for integrating technology with educational objectives. Topics range from leveraging accessibility tools to create inclusive learning environments, exploring the use of a wide variety of technology in assessments, to implementing digital tools that support active learning. By curating these stories, we create a resource that both informs and inspires our campus community to experiment with new approaches. 

Attendees will gain insights into the process of developing and sustaining a podcast, including identifying relevant resources, building an audience, and maintaining engagement. They will also learn how this initiative has strengthened institutional resiliency by fostering a culture of innovation and shared learning. This session will inspire participants to consider how podcasting could serve as a scalable, cost-effective strategy for their own institutions to spotlight success stories and support strategic goals. 

Presenter:

• Kate Sierra, Instructional Designer, Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center, Seton Hall University

I have seen an increase in the number of English Language Learners (ELL) in my classroom, particularly students whose primary language is Spanish. I have incorporated the use of ChatGPT and Google Notebook into the daily functions of the class in order to make the mathematics more accessible. This has an added benefit of helping all the students in my course, including my students with official accommodations through the university. In this presentation, I will share my experiences with teaching in English and Spanish with the assistance of AI, primarily ChatGPT and Google Notebook. I will discuss the pros and cons of their uses and what my ELL students like and don’t like with each resource. 

Presenter:

• Grace E. Cook, PhD, Program Area Lead of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Montclair State University