2023 Conference Program

OVERVIEW

Conference Introduction

David Guralnick, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Kaleidoscope Learning
New York, New York, USA

Keynote Speech
Learning in Context: How Emerging Technologies Will Change the Game in Generative Learning

Tony O'Driscoll, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina, USA

As the world becomes increasingly connected, the rate of change itself is changing and the degree of complexity is compounding. In such an unpredictable context, the role of generative learning becomes paramount. As new waves of disruptive technologies come crashing down upon our educational shores, we must avoid falling prey to the “Routinization Trap" in which we use radically new technologies to accelerate the existing teaching model, where we fill classrooms to teach students what we know how to do.

To move beyond this trap, we must leverage the affordances inherent in these disruptive technologies to collectively figure out what to do next when faced with truly novel situational contexts. We need to evolve from the current practice of building individual competencies by closing individual skill gaps via productive learning to a new model of building collective capability. We can accomplish this by tuning human networks to help people make sense of the unfamiliar via generative learning. This session will explore what lies just beyond the horizon to unlock the power of generative learning to better prepare people to navigate an ever evolving and unpredictable world.

TRACK 1 [IN-PERSON] - SESSION 1A
PRESIDENTIAL ROOM 1
Session Chair: Hal Christensen, QuickCompetence, Forest Hills, New York, USA
2:15 PM - 4:15 PM

Learning and Performance Support Technology for the Performing Arts

Gary Dickelman, EPSScentral, Boynton Beach, Florida, USA

Throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, performing arts organizations worldwide became creative with technology-based learning and performance support tools to maintain some semblance of continuity for their respective crafts. While shared cloud repositories and collaboration tools—like Dropbox, MS Teams, Webex, iCloud, Google docs, Zoom—were in use prior to the pandemic, circumstances catapulted creativity in both the application of, and advances in, such technologies. 

The Enhancement of Creativity Skills in Higher Education through Evaluation and Assessment (Virtual Talk)

Antonella Poce, Ph.D, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Creativity is defined as the ability to use imagination, inwardness, intellect, feeling and emotion in order to modify an idea from the present to a different and not explored state (Dellas & Gaier,1970). Ideally, creativity should be the integration of two worlds: the world of the artist’s imagination and the world of the scientist’s technique (Gardner,1999). It’s the action that produces new ideas, approaches, and innovations, whereas innovation represents the process of application of such creative ideas in a certain context with the aim of creating new realities (Amabile et al.,1996; Amabile, 2017). Creativity has been identified by the World Economic Forum, the International Monetary Fund and global business analysts as the key to our future economies (Burayeva et al. 2020).

Extended Reality: Cooperation into the Metaverse to Boost Diversity and Inclusion (Virtual Talk)

Fernando Salvetti, Ph.D., Logosnet LLC, Houston, Texas, USA, Roxane Gardner, M.D., MSHPEd, D.Sc., Harvard Center for Medical Simulation, Jenny Rudolph, Ph.D., Harvard Center for Medical Simulation, and Rebecca Minehart, M.D., Harvard Center for Medical Simulation, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Cooperation into the metaverse is at the core of the ongoing digital revolution that is impacting the way we design and deliver education and training. The key questions that will be addressed are: What is the Metaverse today? How can we enhance education and training into the Metaverse? How can we design an immersive learning experience? Faculty will demonstrate how to design learning experiences by involving learners in authentic stories that address key issues and realistic concerns, because human beings respond well to things that are relevant to them and context related. The situation-impact-resolution (SIR) format will be presented as an effective tool (with a proven track record) to establish story context for each simulation. This focuses on the sequence drama, suspense, and resolution—to use with epistemological acumen, within a systemic paradigm. Learners will be invited to try quick remote interactions within a cooperative Metaverse, designed to boost diversity and inclusion within organizations.

TRACK 2 [IN-PERSON] - SESSION 2A
PRESIDENTIAL ROOM 2
Session Chair: Elizabeth Huttner, Formerly at IBM and MIT, Lexington, MA
2:15 PM - 4:15 PM

Learning in Encounter: Collaborative and Project-Based Strategies for Learning in Culturally and Religiously Diverse Contexts in the Higher Education Sector

Christoph Knoblauch, Ph.D., and Tamer-Uzun Gökcen, Ludwigsburg University of Education, Ludwigsburg, Germany

Focusing on the intimate relation of encounter and education, this presentation discusses evaluation findings from a collaborative and project-based course in the higher education sector. The course engages students in the development and implementation of collaborative projects in the field of Religious Education with a special focus on cultural and religious diversity. The empirical findings, therefore, focus on students’ experiences in collaborative and project-based settings with a special emphasis on encounter in religiously diverse groups. This paper analyses the planning, execution, and critical reflection of learning experiences through collaboration and encounter. It thereby discusses the structure, the methodology, and the outcomes of the course with a focus on the experience of encounter. The study uses digital feedback and evaluation methods for the evaluation research. By doing so, the study investigates and reflects the quality of students’ experiences through encounter in religiously diverse groups and possible influences upon learning. It also discusses the question of how these experiences can be constructively implemented to improve future collaborative scenarios in the higher education sector. 

Digital Transformation of Universities: A Research Agenda

David Rueckel, Ph.D., University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, Vienna, Austria

Both in the scientific world and in practice, the concepts of digitization, digital transformation and digital resilience are current topics that have been clarified to varying degrees of comprehensiveness. If one starts from the scientific status quo, the concept of digitization, i.e., the support or replacement of primarily manual activities by digital technologies, is largely transparent for theory and practice. After all, it is disciplines such as computer science and business administration, but especially the business informatics and information systems disciplines, that have dedicated themselves to this very task at different levels in the organization (operational, tactical, strategic).

Learning Together While Apart: Cohort-based Program Excellence

Heather Appell, ServiceNow, Seattle, Washington, USA

In this world of remote work, how do you drive cohort engagement virtually? Authentic connections and collaboration opportunities are hallmarks of cohort learning. How do you foster these learning connections in a virtual program while scaling quickly?

Join us to learn six best practices that have the biggest impact on the success of cohort learning – for both learners and the delivery team.

We will dig into the details of how ServiceNow leveraged the Intrepid learning platform to consolidate eight different tools and platforms, increase learner engagement, and decrease administrative overhead for the 12-week Certified Technical Architect (CTA) program.

You will leave this session with new ideas about combining the community benefits of cohort-based learning with automation and technology to deliver performance-based, scalable programs that learners love.

A Blended Learning & Assessment Model to Foster Student Success in a Gateway STEM Course

Kaushik Dutta, University of New England, Biddeford, Maine, USA

This presentation will share an award-winning model for implementing digital learning strategies and technologies to create a rich student-centered environment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses that also applies to other disciplines. Blended learning has received attention (further amplified in the current post-pandemic higher education environment) for being one of the best curricular strategies to engage diverse learners in traditional classroom teaching. Furthermore, with the continuation of curricular flexibility in the post-pandemic environment, blended learning is anticipated to play an important role. The traditional (lecture/textbook) approach to teaching has its shortcomings with students of varied learning styles, especially in STEM disciplines.  A high attrition rate is common in gateway STEM courses, perhaps due to a lack of adequate student preparation, interest, and/or motivation. These challenges are not uncommon and are faced by instructors everywhere, especially with beginning college students.

A Comparative Study Between the U.S. and Israel: How Do Teacher-Education College Students Perceive the Term “Parental Involvement”?

Yael Fisher, Ph.D., Achva Academic College, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Given that the professional literature provides ample evidence of the importance of parental involvement and its effect on learners’ academic outcomes and positive social/emotional states, the aim of this quantitative study was to understand and compare the perceptions of preservice teachers regarding parental involvement and family engagement in Israel and the U.S.

A Comparison of Online and In-Person Mindfulness Education Interventions on Self-Compassion and Creativity

Young Min Jung, Ph.D. and Eunmi Kim, Ph.D.,, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea

COVID-19 has drawn much attention to online learning to enhance mental health. The body of research on mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) has accumulated to reveal the effects of mindfulness on stress reduction and self-compassion. However, there are few studies of MBIs with respect to different platforms. The present study compares the effects of a 10-week MBI class in a STEM-focused college in Korea. The online and in-person curricula have been delivered with the same contents and facilitator with a one-year gap. Twenty participants from the online class and 32 from the in-person class are measured with a self-compassion scale and a domain-specific creativity scale before and after the class. Statistical analysis is conducted using R to check the homogeneity between the two groups. A repeated measures t-test will be conducted to see whether both groups have had a similar experience through the interventions. Regardless of the difference in intervention time, this study will contribute to understanding the strengths of in-person learning and the importance of online learning. A future study with a larger sample size and the same semester is needed. Future research will be discussed on how to improve the effectiveness of online MBI classes.

Learning Experience Participative Design through Group Concept Mapping

Slavi Stoyanov, Open University of the Netherlands, Limburg, Netherlands

Although there has been an increasing amount of literature on learning experience design in the past five years, it is not clear yet how to operationally integrate the process and methods of instructional design, learning design, user-experience design, design-based research and design thinking in a multi-step participative design process involving stakeholders with different perspectives. Our recent systematic literature review on relationships between learning design and learning analytics applying a critical interpretive synthesis and text analytics identified two issues rarely explicitly discussed in the literature: ‘evidence-informed instructional design approaches’ and ‘design-based research’. Elaborating on these two concepts, we proposed that evidence-based practice promoted within the learning design paradigm and the need for applying research-based findings advanced in the instructional design field should be complementary to each other in a participative learning experience design process built upon the tradition of design-based research and recent development of software engineering design and Design Thinking.  

Closing the Gender Gap in STEM MOOCs through Brief, Novel Interventions

Alexandra Urban, Ph.D., Coursera, Mountain View, California, USA

Females have consistently lower persistence rates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses. This study used previous insights to design in-course prompts for STEM Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to empower and support female learners. The self-determination theory of intrinsic motivation was used to align the novel intervention prompts with females’ sense of competency, autonomy, and relatedness. The intervention study deployed text-based messages to students in 150 STEM MOOCs to tackle the primary identified needs: boost confidence, improve planning, and emphasize individuals’ values to counteract gender inequality. The Coursera platform was used to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) experiment, allowing causal quantitative data analysis to assess the impact of these intervention groups on learners’ persistence, skill development, and continued learning…

New Perspectives for Internationalization in Higher Education: Collaborative Formats in Project-Based and Blended Learning Contexts

Christoph Knoblauch, Ph.D., University of Education, Ludwigsburg, Germany

This paper discusses a multi-method study focusing on students’ attitudes and preferences toward project-based collaboration in blended-learning courses in an international setting. These courses were developed and taught in the context of an international digital and physical collaboration in teacher education between Dr. Ambedkar University (AUD) in Delhi, India, and Ludwigsburg University of Education (LUE), Germany. The paper focuses on the analysis and discussion of students' experiences in project-based, collaborative, and blended learning settings. A special interest lies in data showing similarities and differences between digital and physical collaboration between students. The study uses a blended design with qualitative interviews and different written feedback forms, concerning different aspects of the collaborative processes. By doing so, the study assesses current practice and analyzes the above-mentioned collaborative processes closely and in detail, thus seeking to investigate how students experience project-based, collaborative and blended-learning environments, especially in an intercultural, international setting. The paper also discusses how the results can be constructively implemented to improve future blended-learning scenarios in the higher education sector.

Community Building in Online Learning: Tools and Strategies for Student-to-Student Interaction

Andre Callot, Ph.D., Scott Kamen, Sarah Hayward, and Alexa Wheeler, University of New Mexico - Valencia, Taos, New Mexico, USA

Online learning management systems (such as Blackboard, Canvas and others) integrate a number of browser-based tools for student-to-student communication, such as messaging systems, discussion boards and project collaboration tools. In courses where student-to-student interaction is essential (for example, an art class that centers on student critique of other students' work, or a history class that focuses on discussion and debate), how is that student-to-student interaction encouraged and achieved? What are the social and technological obstacles that prevent students in community colleges and four-year institutions from engaging in these interactions in online courses? What can be learned from the experiences of instructors and students since the massive adoption of online learning tools since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic? This panel discussion attempts to quantify the successes and failures of different approaches to improving student-to-student engagement, from the perspective of educators using collaborative, decentralized and contract-based pedagogical strategies.

Organizational Tools for the Future of Work: How Formal Mentorship & Strategic Planning Drive Success

Connie Steele, Flywheel Associates, Lansdowne, Virginia, USA and Sher Downing, Downing EdTech Consulting, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

People who feel successful become more fulfilled. People who feel successful become ideal employees. So how do we, as individuals, achieve success? How can organizational leaders nurture that success, future-proofing their organizations in the process? And, more broadly, what do people even want in this new world of work? These are the questions that drive Connie Steele’s annual State of Work & Career Success research. Data shows that the workforce is changing, not just demographically but in their attitudes, beliefs, motivations, and approaches to career development. The data also shows that most people are currently struggling to achieve the success they want in their career and personal life.

So You Want to Be a Tutor? Professional Development and Scenario-based Training for Adult Tutors

Danielle Thomas, Ph.D. and Shivang Gupta, PLUS Tutoring/ Carnegie Mellon University, Canfield, Ohio, USA

Tutoring is one of the most powerful academic interventions on increasing student achievement. In response, organizations are developing tutoring programs and discovering a common problem- a shortage of qualified and experienced adult tutors. We introduce Personalized Learning Squared (PLUS), a holistic tutoring platform designed to improve tutoring efficiency and workplace training. PLUS combines human tutors and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered math software to double math learning gains for low-income middle school students. In order to provide differentiated student support, tutors need to be trained in supporting math content and student socio-motivation. Currently, there is a wide range of experience among adult tutors, especially younger, part-time tutors…

Inclusive Mentoring: An Assessment of Coaching Styles in a Student Mentoring Program

Roxana Toma, Ph.D., Matthew Berge, and Quran Bell, SUNY Empire State College, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA

Many institutions have developed mentoring programs for students - systems of advisement that provide students with various kinds of personal/academic/professional supports to guide their way through college. All these mentoring efforts can be enormously valuable to the community, whatever someone’s role. However, while it is universally accepted that relationships between faculty and students will promote more positive educational outcomes, it has been challenging to identify what makes some mentoring relationships work better than others (O'Meara, Knudsen, & Jones, 2013)…

The Development of a Learning Arrangement in a Characteristic Curve Remote Laboratory

Ingrid Krumphals, Ph.D. and Thomas Steinmetz, University College of Teacher Education Styria, Styria, Austria; Christian Kreiter and Thomas Klinger Ph.D., Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Carinthia, Austria

Remote laboratories (short: remote labs) are an important extension for teaching and schools – especially regarding feasibility in schools. The project OnLabEdu (Online Laboratories for School Education) funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) addresses the challenge of developing remote labs for schools. An important factor for the broad use of remote labs is, among other things, the development of appropriate accompanying teaching and learning materials. The paper will describe the development of a characteristic curve remote lab with a first-developed learning arrangement to enhance and support teachers in using the remote labs in the classroom.

Education 5.0: Design Thinking Goes ICT

Birgit Oberer, Ph.D., International Society for Engineering Pedagogy, Carinthia, Austria, Alptekin Erkollar, Ph.D., ETCOP Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, Klagenfurt, Austria

In Education 5.0, students take on the role of protagonists instead of passively listening to the instructor. Lessons are more collaborative, individualized, and focused on developing hard and soft skills. New technologies are used to provide instruction that focuses on students rather than technology. Digital equipment, infrastructures, and platforms remain critical, but they are only a tool, which should support learning. Design thinking is a method and a process for finding solutions to complex problems. In this session results of a project, where the Stanford University design thinking process was applied, are presented. ICT students applied design thinking during their design projects, mostly for social media, web design, and audio and video editing and animation. A novelty of this project is that the Stanford University approach was extended by including a creativity component.

Gamifying Diabetes: An Education Game Teaching Diabetics about Physical Activity

Maria Rauchensteiner, Tim Colsman, Albina Fatykhova, Nilüfer Deniz Faizan, Matthias Utesch, Ph.D., Holger Wittges, and Helmut Krcmar, TUM School of Management, Technical University Munich, Bavaria, Germany

It has been found that sport is beneficial for persons with diabetes type 1. The risk for a severe hypoglycemia is increased by sport and needs to be managed carefully. Since health apps have a positive influence on the intended health behavior and clinical health outcomes, we decided to develop a health app for type 1 diabetics. We analyzed current apps for type 1 diabetics and found that there was no app focused on sports with diabetes type 1. Thus, we decided to develop an app to teach people how to safely engage in sports with diabetes type 1. For this we worked together with GLAICE. GLAICE is a startup which plans to bring a health app to the market which helps diabetics with their day to day live and the management of their glucose levels. GLAICE’s focus topic is sport with diabetes. In collaboration with GLAICE we developed a prototype of the app using the Design Thinking Method. Our solution is focused on the correct sports preparation and doing sports correctly with type 1 diabetes. We do this by using a game with multiple scenarios.

Perceptions of Online Strategies and Digital Readiness in the COVID-19 Environment

Pamela McCray and Norman St. Clair, Ph.D., University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas, USA

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sudden and forced shift to online teaching with limited preparation in delivering and developing digital-based courses for many institutions. The shift towards increased digital education necessitates a better understanding of online teaching strategies and digital readiness for students, faculty, and administrators. Students had to immediately adapt their learning behavior to new technology, and instructors had to reinvent their teaching approach to fit the new virtual environment. This qualitative, instrumental case study aimed to explore participants' experiences and viewpoints on effective institutional preparation, instructional support, faculty and student training, and strategies to ensure quality instruction and learning at one private Catholic university in San Antonio, TX…

The TechSelect Decision Aide: A Mobile App that Facilitates Pedagogical-Technological Alignment

Nada Dabbagh, Ph.D., George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA and Helen Fake, Ph.D., The Motley Fool, Alexandria, Virginia, USA

The increased access to mobile technologies has made mobile apps an attractive medium for delivering just-in-time support for users in a wide range of contexts including education and training. Not only can these technologies offer learning opportunities “on the go”, they also enable increased student interactions with instructional content. Additionally, mobile technologies offer educators a unique chance to support the learning processes of students beyond the traditional classroom environment. The Tech Select Decision Aide is designed to facilitate pedagogically sound decision making by considering the affordances of learning technologies when designing learning tasks. 

Online Education Innovation Strategies to Gain Support and Accomplish Team Goals

Joseph Evanick, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Montoursville, Pennsylvania, USA

The School of Graduate Education at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) successfully launched an online Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) program. The design, development, and implementation of this initiative brought forth plenty of change for the institution, which faculty and staff perceive in varying ways. Through intentional strategies to change GCSOM's culture around online education, educational technology, and innovation, we have improved engagement and gained additional support from all levels of the institution. Without faculty support, initiatives often fail to succeed or achieve their intended impact. The online learning team partnered with faculty members to ensure success through each stage of the process, including faculty training, educational technology, and instructional design. This session will break down the strategies used to ensure the School of Graduate Education at GCSOM continues to grow and innovate while building positive working relationships, helping the institution advance and improve.

Every Learner, Everywhere: Designing Inclusive Learning Experiences (Canceled)

Bonnie Budd, Ph.D., WGU Academy, Milford, Massachusetts, USA

As designers, we create learning experiences for people we may never meet. We can use personas to guide us but will most likely not be able to observe each learner interacting with our work. How might we design with inclusive intent and impact, such that our learning experiences “do no harm”? In order to reach all learners, everywhere, without alienating them along the way, we must understand the concepts of technical accessibility, inclusive language, and the tenets of Universal Design for Learning: multiple means of expression, engagement, and representation. This session will provide an overview of these concepts and the opportunity to explore the nuances and complexities of each. Using a “do this, not that” approach, we will work through real-world examples of learning experiences that could be made more inclusive. Together, we will identify needed improvements and take a look at how the design may have been approached differently. You will leave this session with an Inclusive Design Checklist that can be used to guide and evaluate your own work moving forward.

Using Design Thinking to Understand Student (Dis)Engagement: A Means of Teaching Innovation and Involving Students in the Co-creation of Their Own Learning Experiences in Higher Education

Elaine Tan, Newcastle University Business School, Newcaslte, UK

A return to campus for many students has been an underwhelming experience. Among colleagues many are anecdotally reporting a greater level of apathy, disengagement and absence among the students. The outcome and longer-term impact of enforced online learning are yet to be fully understood, as student practices have evolved to utilise technology to a greater extent and a core rather than peripheral component of their study. Their current understanding and experience of higher education is fundamentally distinct from those who are tasked with its provision. This is being reflected in student attitudes, behaviors, culture and ultimately practices and a cause for some conflict between staff and students. 

DEI-Minded Strategies for Learner Engagement, Interaction, and Inclusive Excellence in Higher Education: A Case Study

Hong Shaddy, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

The U.S. is projected to shift to a majority-minority country by 2050. The 2020 census shows rapid growth of minority population, with more than 40% of American who self-identify as people of color or from multi-racial or multi-ethnic groups, driving a diversity explosion according to noted demographer William Frey. However, demographic transformation will not automatically lead to desired social outcomes. Higher education plays a critical role in shaping a diverse and prosperous society. Previous literature points to positive educational and social benefits of diversity and calls for instructional practices that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).  This paper presents how a graduate engineering course connected to the national and international dialogue on inclusive education and implemented DEI-minded strategies to promote learner engagement, collaboration, and inclusive excellence…

Research on Mental Health Training for Pre-Service Teachers to Address Pupil Issues in Schools: An International Virtual Learning Experience

Barbara Schwartz-Bechet, Ph.D., Misericordia University, Dalls, Pennsylvania, USA

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), worldwide 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders. Half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and three-quarters by mid-20s. (2020). According to the most recent analysis of 2016 National Survey of Children's Health data published online in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics indicated that as many as 1:6 U.S. children between the ages of 6 and 17 has a treatable mental health disorder such as depression, anxiety problems or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). And in Canada, it is estimated that 10-to-20 % of children and youth in Canada experience mental illness and that one in five children and youth who need mental health services receives them. (Alberta Health Services: Mental Health Capacity Building - http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/amh/Page2754.aspx, 2018). And, with factors that may affect mental health of children and youth across the globe today, interrupted instruction, learning & accessing new platforms for learning, social unrest, uptick in domestic violence, etc., there is now more need than ever to ensure that our soon to be educators are properly prepared to understand and reduce the stigma of mental health/illness with their pupils. 

Integrating ChatGPT into Your Online Classroom: Using Bots to Make Education Better

Tiffany Mulally, Ph.D., Misericordia University, Pittston, Pennsylvania, USA

Integrating ChatGPT and AI in the online college classroom can revolutionize how students learn and engage with course materials. This session will explore the benefits of using ChatGPT for an online course and provide practical strategies for integrating ChatGPT into existing online learning environments.

The presentation will begin by providing an overview of the capabilities of ChatGPT, including its ability to generate natural language responses to complex questions and its capacity to learn and adapt to user input. The presentation will then explore the potential benefits of using ChatGPT, including increased student engagement, improved learning outcomes, and enhanced accessibility.

Using SaaS to Turn Subject Matter Experts into Winning Workforce Educators

Nicolas Tanchuk and Ben Zimmer, Sidekick Training, Milton, Ontario, Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the way that the world learns and works. With nearly 90% of large companies in a recent McKinsey (2021) survey embracing the shift to hybrid or remote work, there is an increasing demand for innovative solutions for digital workforce learning. In this case study presentation and demonstration, we share a three piece solution used by Sidekick Training to support subject matter experts in growing their ability to lead live digital learning experiences.  

Bringing the Best of In-Person Facilitation Into the Digital Future

Nisha Abraham, Engageli, San Francisco, California, USA and Kim Kilby, New York Life, New York, New York, USA

The pandemic-induced shift to digital learning in 2020 was hurried. Out of necessity, we prioritized availability and rapid integration over purpose-built, learner-centered solutions. Today Corporate Learning & Design (L&D) leaders are using technology to create new learning experiences, aiming to meet employees where they are and aid them in bridging physical distances and skills gaps. While technology makes this possible, many tools, especially traditional video conferencing solutions, also make it unnecessarily difficult to prioritize inclusivity, engagement, and human connection. L&D and training virtual platforms should foster active, collaborative, small-group interactions that proved impactful during past in-person trainings.

Hacking Distance: Workplace Learning in Contemporary Scenarios of Digital Disruption - Lessons Learned from a Case Study

Veronica Chehtman, AySA, Buenos Aires, Argentina

In a VUCA world, expectations about workplace learning are changing swiftly. Content, timing, delivery formats, educational strategies, learner profiles: nothing is "business as usual" anymore. Every dimension of managing learning in the workplace needs to be revisited in the light of new, challenging needs and the broader possibilities regarding ways to meet them.

In this scenario, we set the objective of hacking the distance between "learning" and the "workplace" in order to promote real "workplace learning".

Unlocking the Potential of Learner Engagement Analytics in Higher Education: An Educator's Perspective

Usman Naeem, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

Organisations across many sectors use data analytics to gain valuable insights to make effective decisions. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, data analytics has gained momentum in the higher education sector, which has resulted in the field of education research known as Learner Engagement Analytics (LEA). This is based on combining several data sources based on learner engagement, including data extracted from (but not limited to) learning management systems, attendance records, online sessions and library systems. This data can provide institutions, educators and learner support services with insights into the learner’s learning experiences, which in turn help higher education institutions to facilitate a learning environment that enables their learners to reach their full academic potential. LEA can also help in identifying learners who disengage with their courses, which can have an impact on learner retention rates. From an educator’s perspective, insights from LEA can be used by educators to assess the impact of their teaching and inform their pedagogic approach. However, educators can feel overwhelmed when presented with a plethora of engagement data, hence can be unsure how to start utilising LEA for their courses. This session aims to introduce LEA from an educator’s perspective and how it can be used in courses. This session will provide educators with an understanding of the purpose and importance of engagement markers and how they can be used effectively to gain meaningful insights.

Building Shelves of Success for Your Learner’s Closet

Emma Silva, MLS, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, Texas, USA

Have you ever wondered what’s in your learner’s “closet” (brain)? How do they encode, store, and retrieve information from their closet? This presentation discusses the roles of memory, different variations of learning, and how to organize new knowledge or build a “closet” that works for your learner. As we all know by now, everyone learns in a variety of ways so creating a closet that organizes specific information for your learner is essential for encoding, storing, and retrieving that information in their “closet” which in this case is the learner’s brain…

Loose Parts: Creating Learning Opportunities Beyond the LMS

Gary Natriello, Ph.D., Teachers College Columbia University, New York, New York, USA and Hui Soo Chae, Ph.D., NYU School of Professional Studies, New York, New York, USA

Software platforms and applications designed to facilitate administrative control and management are increasingly dominating the higher education and workplace training/learning landscapes. Not surprisingly these systems and tools are marketed to information technology administrators who are in positions to select, purchase, and implement such services for instructors/students in higher education and learning and development staff/workers in industry. This has resulted in the widespread adoption of learning management systems in educational institutions and industry training management systems in commercial enterprises. Such systems are also presented as simplifying online teaching for educators and streamlining access for learners/workers. In addition to the standardization within platforms, the competitive landscape for such products has evolved to reduce the number of providers and led remaining providers to converge on a set of features deemed to be essential. Once such platforms are adopted and installed in institutions, they are further configured to ease the burden on the staff supporting them. Standardized templates are developed and portrayed as easing the burden on educators and learners. 

How Effective Is Miro Use in Enhancing Student Learning Outcomes?

Emily Wright, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria, Australia and Oliver Thomas, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

The rapid digitalisation of society has led to the creation of novel teaching tools that facilitate collaboration and learning in an online space. The onset of COVID19 highlighted the value and importance of virtual teaching tools for the enhancement of student learning. Here, we investigated and measured the direct effect of Miro Online Whiteboard, a collaborative online tool, in improving Design students' achievement of learning outcomes. The ultimate goal here was to facilitate an evidence-based approach to the further improvement of teaching in both a school of design at an Australian University, as well as the broader education community.

Ethical and Pedagogical Strategies to Integrate Large Language Model Platforms as an Instructional Technology Artifact

Anthony Clemons, General Dynamics Information Technology, Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA

In recent years, the use, quality, and proliferation of large language model platforms have dramatically increased. This proliferation of use and availability has led more students, faculty, and researchers leveraging these platforms, absent ethical parameters or cohesive pedagogical approaches. While these platforms offer many potential benefits, their effective incorporation into practice as an instructional technology artifact requires careful consideration of both pedagogical and ethical factors. In this paper, I discuss some of the most important technological and ethical considerations for integrating large language model platforms into instruction, drawing from current research on both technology-based learning and academic ethics. I also provide several examples of how large language model platforms can ethically support different types of instruction and how these artifacts may serve as a meaningful addition to the technological repertoire of educators given the right application.

Promoting Positive Aging Lifestyles and Well-Being through the Use of Social Media to Facilitate and Enhance Creative Decision-Making

Ron Corso, University of South Australia, Australia and Charlie Helen Robinson, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia

This paper represents work in progress with aged care providers, on a project to explore the creative potential that can be harnessed from aged communities utilizing social media platforms to assist in the articulation and dissemination of ideas developed through creative collaborative decision making. Our aim was to promote creative aging through the introduction of concepts around the notion of deliberate creative practice in aged communities. We wanted to make a case for how this could be instructive for how these communities are empowered to participate in identifying issues and challenges that are able to be actively disseminated through social media, demonstrating the application of creativity processes to decisions and policy impacting and influencing their lifestyles, health and well-being across a wide spectrum of social and community applications.

From Laughter to Learning: How to Use Humor and Pop Culture to Keep Students Engaged

Julianna Woite, D'Youville University and Medaille University, Amherst, New York, USA

As Walt Disney said, “Humor is no enemy to learning.” In fact, it can be a very powerful tool for student engagement. By offering creative and meaningful ways to integrate pop culture in online and on-ground classes, this session aims to inspire instructors to explore their lighter side. Now more than ever, establishing a strong instructor presence and providing meaningful and interactive activities are paramount to creating an effective class culture. This session will explore techniques that have been shown to engage students in online learning, highlight tactics instructors can use to foster successful interpersonal interactions and feature ideas and strategies to benefit any classroom. Most importantly, it will highlight techniques for connecting with students in ways that make them feel both inspired and at ease.

Scripting Narrated Instructional Videos: A Beginner's Guide

Elizabeth Sanders, Mary and John Gray Library, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas, USA

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers and librarians in colleges and universities pivoted to digital tools to support their learners, including educational videos. However, many teachers and librarians lacked experience or training in video production. As a result, most videos were unscripted recordings of lectures or tutorials. Scripting these narrated instructional videos can seem overly time consuming at first. However, scripting helps create higher quality videos, reducing the amount of time editing content or rerecording videos. Scripting also helps create more sustainable and accessible videos, as content can be reused and updated. Scripting narrated instructional videos thus delivers a large return on investment.