EdgeCon Spring 2025

Connecting with Graduate Students in the Digital Learning Era

The day’s events kicked off with the breakout session, Connecting with Graduate Students in the Digital Learning Era, presented by Georgian Court University’s Denise Furlong, Assistant Professor, and Janine Ataide, Educator and Graduate Student. As more graduate programs provide online options to meet the needs of working adults, universities must consider different ways to engage these students as valued members of the community even though they may never see the physical campus. Some students report that they feel a sense of belonging and strong collaboration within their program and others feel a sense of isolation in their learning experience. This session explored the different aspects of programs and courses that are important in engaging and empowering graduate students as truly part of the university community, as well as how course design, faculty collaboration, and peer connections can contribute to fostering a sense of belonging among online graduate students.

Navigating the Use of Generative AI in Online Classrooms

As generative AI tools become increasingly prevalent, educators face unique challenges and opportunities in the online classroom. Carol Smith-Cuevas, Associate Director, Learning Engagement & Development, Kean University, discussed effective strategies for responding to students’ use of generative AI in Navigating the Use of Generative AI in Online Classrooms. Attendees explored this topic from a professor’s perspective and learned practical approaches to integrating AI tools into coursework, setting clear guidelines, and promoting ethical use. Smith-Cuevas also explained different ways to design assignments that encourage critical thinking and originality, how to utilize AI detection tools, and resources that can help students to understand the implications of AI-generated content. Attendees left equipped with actionable practices to create a fair, engaging, and academically rigorous online classroom.

Integrating Free AI Training and Micro-Credentials into Learning Environments

Professors John Shannon, Seton Hall University, and Susan O’Sullivan-Gavin, Rider University, led the session, Unlocking the Future of Learning: Integrating Free AI Training & Micro-Credentials into Learning Environments, and explored how educators can seamlessly integrate free, high-quality AI training programs and micro-credentialing opportunities from platforms like MIT OpenCourseWare, Harvard Online, LinkedIn Learning, Google, and others into their courses. Attendees learned how to identify and incorporate free AI training and certification programs that align with course objectives, and strategies for scaffolding these resources into curriculum design to enhance student engagement and skill development. Shannon and O’Sullivan-Gavin also shared helpful methods for leveraging micro-credentials to increase student employability and lifelong learning pathways.

Demystifying AI Literacy

Attendees joined NJIT/NJII’s Learning & Development Initiative to explore critical AI literacy standards for education and beyond. Led by Stefanie Toye, Project Manager, NJIT & NJII, and Dr. Teresa Keeler, Project Manager at The Learning & Development Initiative, NJIT, this presentation shared why these standards are essential, who needs them, and how to implement them effectively. They shared specific ideas about how these standards can be constructed and adopted, and why AI literacy is crucial for K-12 and higher ed educators and administrators.

Advancing Accessible Digital Education at Hudson County Community College

Callie Martin, Senior Instructional Designer, Hudson County Community College, and Joshua M. Gaul, Ed.D., Associate Vice President & Chief Digital Learning Officer, Edge, led the presentation, Building an Inclusive Future: Advancing Accessible Digital Education at Hudson County Community College (HCCC). This breakout session highlighted HCCC’s collaborative efforts with Edge to build a more inclusive and accessible digital learning environment. Through this partnership, HCCC has embraced Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to remove barriers and create equitable educational experiences for all students. The session showcased how the college, supported by Edge’s expertise and resources, has implemented student-centered strategies that prioritize accessibility, engagement, and success. Attendees will learn practical approaches to designing inclusive courses and hear firsthand how institutional collaboration can drive meaningful change in digital education.

The Digital and Data-Driven Center for Teaching and Learning

The day continued with the second round of breakout sessions, including The Digital and Data-Driven Center for Teaching and Learning led by John Baldino, OFS, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Lackawanna College. He shared best practices for using communication technology, digital content and marketing platforms, artificial intelligence, and collected data to create a sustainable Center for Teaching and Learning model that can help empower CTLs to support faculty in their academic success.

Crafting Collaborative Conversations

Curiosity Catalysts: Crafting Collaborative Conversations, led by Adelphi University’s Karen Kolb, Director, Faculty Center for Professional Excellence, Jennifer Southard, Instructional Designer, and Marilena Orfanos, Instructional Designer, examined research-backed, low-effort strategies that enhance online discussions and collaboration without adding to instructor workload. Participants learned how to design thought-provoking prompts that ignite curiosity, integrate AI and digital tools to support interaction, and implement alternative discussion formats—such as multimedia responses and collaborative annotation—to foster deeper engagement. This session also covered effective ways to maintain instructor presence without micromanaging, and gave attendees ready-to-use techniques to create more engaging, inclusive, and meaningful online discussions.

Supporting Persistence in STEM Learners

Natalya Voloshchuk, Assistant Teaching Professor, and Karen Harris, Senior Instructional Designer and Assessment Specialist, from Rutgers University led the session A Learning Outcomes Strategy for Supporting Persistence in STEM Learners to demonstrate how assessment and feedback can aid in developing self-directed learners by examining an implementation of a deliberate data collection Rubric. They discussed how the Rubric is used to help students identify their strengths alongside the areas to work on toward improvement, while also offering the instructor valuable insights for supporting persistence in STEM courses. Harris and Voloshchuk shared some course-level learning data and reflected on how it might impact learning across a STEM curriculum. They also considered how incorporating learning outcomes in rubrics can help students make connections to work skills they are developing that will support them in internships and research settings. 

The Implications of AI for Next-Generation Education

Steven D’Agustino, Senior Director for Online Programs, Fordham University, joined EdgeCon to explore the transformative impact of AI on education. He began by defining key AI terms such as Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Neural Networks, and discussed the growing use of AI tools like ChatGPT among students for academic tasks. The presentation highlighted the challenges and opportunities of integrating technology into education, categorizing adoption methods as intentional, accidental, or unilateral, and how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated unilateral adoption due to necessity. D’Agustino raised concerns about AI’s potential to depersonalize learning, leading to cognitive de-skilling, and creating a sense of futility among students and educators. However, he also outlined four essential tasks for educators in the AI era: curating, contextualizing, creating, and collaborating. The presentation underscored the importance of equity in AI integration and how educators must focus on humanistic ends to ensure that AI is used deliberately and equitably to benefit all students.

A Blueprint for Excellence in Short Course Development and Design

In the session, Beyond the Badge: A Blueprint for Excellence in Short Course Development and Design, Molloy University’s Dr. Amy Gaimaro, Dean of Innovative Delivery Methods, and Susan Watters, Associate Director of Blended and Online Learning, examined the blueprint development of high-quality short courses while embedding quality course design badges. Participants learned how to identify quality criteria for designing courses, establish clear learning objectives and outcomes that align with industry standards and learner needs, and how to address regular and substantive interactions in online asynchronous short courses.

This session was ideal for instructional designers, online administrators, training managers, and educators who were looking to enhance the quality and impact of their short course offerings. Attendees gained strategies for incorporating quality assurance throughout the course development lifecycle, best practices for designing and implementing effective quality badge systems, and actionable steps to improve learner engagement and course effectiveness.

Visions for Online Learning: Evolving Strategies and Institutional Growth

As online learning continues to evolve, institutions must adapt their strategies to meet shifting student expectations, market demands, and technological advancements.  EdgeCon panel discussion, Visions for Online Learning: Evolving Strategies & Institutional Growth, brought together higher education leaders to explore innovative approaches to online learning that drive institutional growth and long-term success. Panelists, Michael Ciocco, Ph.D., Associate Vice President of Online Learning, Rowan University, John F. O’Callaghan, Jr., Vice President for Transformational Learning & Chief Online Officer, Kean University, and Joshua M. Gaul, Ed.D., AVP & Chief Digital Learning Officer, Edge, discussed emerging trends, the role of data and AI in shaping digital learning experiences, strategies for scaling programs sustainably, and the balance between quality, accessibility, and financial viability. Attendees gained valuable insights into how institutions are redefining their online learning strategies to expand access, improve student outcomes, and remain competitive in an evolving educational landscape.

The Rise of Non-Degree Credentials

Afternoon sessions kicked off with The Rise of Non-Degree Credentials–The Future of Higher Education led Michael Edmondson, Associate Provost, NJIT. He shared how traditional higher education is struggling to keep pace with workforce demands and a growing number of companies now favor skills-based hiring over degree-based credentials, with 70% of job skills expected to change by 2030 due to AI and automation. Employers increasingly prefer hiring candidates with business-oriented or technical microcredentials that provide real-world experience and rapid upskilling. Attendees learned how microcredentials can offer a solution by closing the workforce gap, aligning learning with employer needs, and fostering lifelong learning. As businesses prioritize AI, data analytics, and soft skills, microcredentials are emerging as the future of education, providing professionals with the flexibility to adapt and thrive in an evolving job market.

The Growth of Online Education at Rowan University

Mike Sunderhauf, Director of Instructional Design, and William McCool, Online Course Operations Coordinator, from Rowan University led the breakout session, Shaping the Future: The Growth of Online Education at Rowan University, where they shared how Rowan University is undergoing a transformation in its approach to online education, shifting focus from traditional on-campus programs to scalable online offerings. The session explored how Rowan University is reshaping online education through a combination of strategic collaboration, program design, and faculty empowerment, ultimately fostering an engaging and dynamic learning environment for students and instructors alike. Sunderhauf and McCool shared how their learning strategy aligns with a flexible model, allowing instructors to follow a standardized framework while being empowered to update and adapt their courses to meet the needs and interests of each learner group. They showed how this balance between consistency and adaptability fosters both reliability and innovation in the learning process.

 Integrating Virtual Reality into Higher Education

Joining EdgeCon from Seton Hall University, Renee Cicchino, Director of Instructional Design and Training, and Riad Twal, Senior Instructional Designer, gave a closer look into how the University has been experimenting with Virtual Reality since the release of the Google Cardboard Viewer in 2014. In 2024, they acquired 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, Seton Hall launched a pilot program examining how they can best facilitate Virtual Reality experiences for graduate and undergraduate classes.  These experiences are informing the development of a Virtual Reality Showcase to formally introduce this technology to their faculty, along with examples of how this technology can be incorporated into various course topics.

This session focused 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, future plans for expanded access and utilization, and suggestions for implementation at other institutions.

Using AI in the Math Classroom for English Language Learners

Grace E. Cook, Ph.D., Program Area Lead of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Montclair State University, has seen an increase in the number of English Language Learners (ELL) in her classroom, particularly students whose primary language is Spanish. By incorporating the use of ChatGPT and Google Notebook into the daily functions of the class, she has been able to make mathematics more accessible. In this session, Cook shared her experiences with teaching in English and Spanish with the assistance of AI and discussed the pros and cons of their uses and what her ELL students list as the positives and negatives of each resource.

Podcasting to Create Interdepartmental Collaboration

In Podcasting to Create Interdepartmental Collaboration and Showcase Faculty Innovation, Seton Hall University presenters, Kate Sierra, Instructional Designer, Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center, and Ann Oro, Senior Instructional Designer, explored 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. They highlighted how topics such as technology integration, accessibility tools, and other innovations are transforming learning, improving student outcomes, and addressing classroom challenges.

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

Creating an Institutional Culture of Accessibility

Many institutions approach accessibility in silos and rely on specialized offices rather than embedding responsibility across the entire campus. In Creating an Institutional Culture of Accessibility, Laura M. Romeo, Ph.D., Director of Learning Innovation, Development, and Scholarship, Edge, shared strategies for shifting to an integrated, institution-wide approach. The discussion looked at governance structures, training models, and change management strategies that can empower all departments to play a role in accessibility. Attendees gained practical insights on overcoming implementation barriers, methods to measure cultural progress in institutional accessibility efforts, and how to foster a culture that moves beyond compliance to true inclusivity.

Celebrating Achievements and Contributions

At this spring event, Edge celebrated the exceptional work of higher education institutions across the region by presenting a series of awards to recognize their impressive impact and accomplishments.

By fostering meaningful dialogue and showcasing innovative practices, EdgeCon Spring 2025 not only sparked new ideas but also strengthened the connections that can help drive higher education forward. As institutions navigate a rapidly changing landscape, the shared insights and partnerships formed at EdgeCon play a vital role in shaping a more connected, resilient, and student-centered future.