Exciting Developments at This Year’s Conference in Orlando
This May, Orlando will host a dynamic three-day conference featuring innovative hallway kiosks, staffed by dedicated volunteers from the conference committee. These kiosks will provide participants with hands-on demonstrations of various tools discussed during the sessions, enhancing the overall learning experience.
In response to the surge in presentation proposals—nearly double what was submitted in 2024—the programming has been expanded. According to Howard, “We are introducing 10-minute lightning sessions. While we couldn’t accommodate all the outstanding submissions for the 25-minute sessions, we’re now opening up the ballroom for TED Talk-style presentations to foster lively discussions and share more ideas.”
Leveraging AI in Higher Education
At Vanderbilt University, faculty members have the autonomy to determine how to integrate AI into their teaching. There isn’t a university-wide policy dictating its use, as explained by Jennifer Ogg Wilson, the director of the Office of Education Design and Development.
To support educators in navigating AI’s complexities, the university’s Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education (AdvancED) provides a comprehensive online hub filled with generative AI resources. These include vital information about accuracy issues when employing generative AI in research and strategies for visualizing data.
The resource library also offers approaches for integrating generative AI into course design and development, alongside a chart that outlines the potential roles of AI in teaching, along with its associated pedagogical benefits and challenges.
LEARN MORE: Institutions are encouraged to develop generative AI policies to guide usage.
Wilson notes, “This technology has profoundly impacted faculty both in teaching and research. Our goal is to equip them with the necessary information to establish their own expectations and guidelines for students.”
In addition to online resources, Vanderbilt offers a variety of generative AI support, including one-hour workshops, multi-month professional development programs, and instructional sessions focused on topics like AI-assisted tutoring and considerations for academic integrity.
Recently, the university formed a committee of around 25 interdisciplinary faculty members, meeting monthly to explore both the opportunities and challenges that generative AI introduces to the classroom. “We are truly aiming to be responsive to faculty needs,” Wilson adds. “In a course design program launched in August 2024, nearly half of the participants had minimal experience with tools like ChatGPT. Today, a significant majority of attendees are actively using these technologies and eager to explore more advanced applications in their teaching and research.”
