2026 Conference Program

OVERVIEW

Keynote
From ChatGPT to Classroom Impact: Causal Evidence for LLMs in Education

Maciej Pankiewicz, Ph.D.
Senior Research Investigator
Associate Director, Penn Center for Learning Analytics
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

This keynote explores how to understand AI's real classroom impact. Rather than asking whether a tool "works," I focus on how to make defensible claims about learning with LLMs: clarifying what the AI is doing instructionally, measuring outcomes beyond short-term performance, and separating tool effects from surrounding pedagogy.

Grounded in learning theory and real classroom evaluation, the talk emphasizes identifying mechanisms such as scaffolding, feedback timing, and self-regulation, measuring actual engagement with support, and treating heterogeneity as central: who benefits, who does not, and why.

Drawing on real deployments of LLMs in authentic learning workflows, I will discuss how to develop well-supported conclusions about what works, for whom, and when. The goal is to strengthen the empirical foundation for generative AI as a tool that broadens access to effective support rather than reinforcing existing advantages.

Speaker bio and talk abstract

Building Reflective Practitioners: Integrating Self-Reflection Across a Business Law Curriculum

Barbara Lämmlein, Ph.D. and Carola Berneiser, Ph.D., Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt, Germany

This session is about introducing an instructional design that embeds self-reflection as a sustained competency within the Bachelor’s program in Business Law at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. The approach links two curriculum components: an early module on Personal Development and Self-Competence and a structured reflective assignment integrated into the mandatory Practical Study Semester (BPS).

The model positions reflection not as a one-time activity, but as a continuous developmental process. In the initial module, students engage in guided reflective practices—including learning journals, peer feedback, and facilitated coaching—to examine learning behaviors, communication preferences, and team dynamics. During the internship semester, these competencies are deepened through Reflection Reports that explicitly connect academic content with workplace experience…

Keywords: Higher Education, Personal Development, Self-Reflection, Competency-Based Learning, Curriculum Design

AI-Assisted Idea Generation in Marketing Higher Education: A Structuration Perspective on Idea Fluency and Faithfulness to Assignment Design

Elitsa Alexander, Ph.D., IU International University of Applied Sciences, Freiburg, Germany

This case study examines the integration of custom artificial intelligence (AI) assistants as dual amplifiers of structure and creativity in the context of marketing higher education, with a specific focus on their role in supporting students' completion of semester coursework assignments. Rather than serving as tools for lecture development or instructional delivery, these AI assistants are conceptualized as collaborative partners that accompany students throughout the process of academic production – helping them navigate the complexities of topic selection, idea development, content structuring and revision within project-based coursework. Grounded in Giddens’ structuration theory, the study explores how AI assistants operate within the recursive relationship between institutional structures – such as curricular standards, assignment formats, and grading criteria – and the agency exercised by students engaging in academic tasks. The AI is not presented as a neutral or passive medium but as an active participant in shaping how students conceptualize, draft, and refine their work. It functions simultaneously as…

Keywords: Generative Artificial Intelligence, Marketing Education, Structuration Theory, Agency, AI-Assisted Learning

Beyond the Script: Using AI Avatar Simulations to Build Competence in High-Stakes Workplace Conversations

Dorothy Bouldrick, DHA, BouldVision LLC and Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

In workplace organizations worldwide, effective communication is essential to organizational success. Most individuals communicate well under normal day-to-day workplace circumstances, but what happens when professionals must navigate an emotionally charged conversation, deliver difficult news to a patient, communicate with angry stakeholders, patient's families or customers. These moments define workplace communication and leadership skills across every industry, yet most professionals receive minimal formal training in how to handle these high-stakes workplace conversations. The result is avoidance, turnover, burnout, conflict, and workplace violence.

Traditional communication training relies on role-play with colleagues which can be awkward and inconsistent, live actors (expensive and scheduling-dependent), or…

Keywords: Scenario-based Learning, AI-Powered L&D, Communication Skills, Instructional Design, Video-Based Learning

Vibe Coding in Action: Designing Learning Apps for Modern L&D

Smruti Sudarshan, LinkedIn Information Technology, Bangalore, India

This session introduces participants to Vibe Coding as a creative and practical approach to building Learning & Development (L&D) applications without deep technical expertise. As L&D professionals increasingly look for faster and more personalized solutions, traditional development methods can feel slow and complex. Vibe Coding focuses on intent, flow, and user experience, enabling educators, trainers, and learning designers to translate learning ideas into functional digital experiences.

In this session, participants will learn how to think like a product designer and use Vibe Coding principles to design and prototype a simple L&D app. The session will walk through identifying a real L&D problem, mapping learner journeys, defining features, and converting these ideas into working app components using low-code or no-code tools. Real examples from L&D use cases such as onboarding, skill development, and continuous learning will be shared…

Keywords: Vibe Coding, Learning & Development, No-Code / Low-Code, Learning Apps, Digital Learning Innovation

Leveraging AI and the Personalized Learning Interaction Framework to Personalize Training Programs at Scale

Helen Fake, Ph.D., Flexion, Inc. and George Mason University, Falls Church, Virginia, USA and Nada Dabbagh, Ph.D., George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA

The ongoing excitement surrounding emerging technologies has reignited interest in scaling personalized learning in meaningful ways (Bersin, 2021; Luo, Qin, Fang, & Qu, 2021). Despite this enthusiasm, however, there is little formal direction on how to implement personalized learning at scale for Workforce Training and Development programs, and specifically in a way that is also both sustainable and learner-centered. Drawing on an extensive and ongoing body of research to include a foundational Delphi study with 224 expert participants, a CLO survey, peer-reviewed publications, informal organizational and formalized international workshops, and a recently released book, The Personalized Learning Interaction Framework (PLIF) seeks to provide this guidance for CLOs and other learning leaders.

Grounded in a rigorous expert review process, the PLIF positions personalized learning as an exercise requiring a multitude of content and social, or socio-technical driven learning interactions. The framework identifies six different connections to support comprehensive personalized learning environments…

Keywords: Personalized Learning, Workforce Training and Development, Training, Training and Development, Adult Learning

Reimagining Degree Completion Through AI-Enabled Prior Learning Assessment: A Case Study from Manhattan School of Music

Fiona Jaramillo, Ed.D. and Lisa Springer, Ed.D., EIE Partners, Trumbull, Connecticut, USA

As higher education reevaluates traditional pathways to degree attainment, innovative models that recognize professional experience as meaningful learning are gaining momentum. This session presents a case study of a groundbreaking Bachelor’s degree completion program developed for the Manhattan School of Music, in which students may earn up to 90 credits through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and complete their degree in just one year. Central to the success of this model is an AI-enabled application and review tool designed to streamline portfolio creation, improve reviewer consistency, and reduce the administrative burden typically associated with PLA processes.

We will share insights from the program’s design, demonstrate how AI augmented both the student and evaluator experience, and discuss early indicators of impact on access, equity, and scalability. Participants will gain a practical understanding of how AI can support…

Keywords: Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), AI-Enabled Evaluation, Degree Completion Pathways, Experiential Learning, Higher Education Innovation

Quantitative Analysis of the Sustainability of Consumer Decision-Making through Human-AI Collaboration: An Experiential Assignment

Subhadra Ganguli, Ph.D., Penn State University Lehigh Valley, Center Valley, Pennsylvania, USA

Consumer decision making in microeconomics is grounded in the principle of maximizing satisfaction subject to budget constraints. This study examines how human–AI collaboration influences such decision processes in an educational setting. Using a two-stage assignment administered to approximately 100 undergraduate students across the 2024–25 academic year, the research first requires students to independently make purchase decisions within fixed income and budget limitations. In the second stage, students apply prompt-engineering strategies to collaborate with a Large Language Model (LLM), re-evaluating their choices under identical budget constraints. Students further explore decision making through two perspectives: that of a typical consumer and that of a dietician-nutritionist, allowing for sustainability-oriented comparisons…

Keywords: Sustainable Consumer Behavior, Prompt Engineering LLMs, Microeconomics, Budget Constraint

Low Tech, High Accountability: Using Slack as an Extension of Professional Learning Spaces

Julia Benedith, Ed.D., Teach For America, Washington, D.C., USA

Professional learning communities often rely on high-cost platforms and complex systems to drive engagement and accountability—yet many organizations already utilize simpler, digital spaces every day. This session explores how low-tech tools within Slack can be intentionally leveraged to create high-accountability professional learning environments.

Drawing on real-world practice, the session demonstrates how Slack templates, pinned resources, emoji conventions, and community norms can transform a messaging platform into an extension of professional learning spaces. Participants will see how structured channels, recurring templates, and shared visual cues support reflection, documentation of practice, peer feedback, and follow-through—without adding new tools or increasing cognitive load…

Keywords: Digital learning spaces, Visible accountability, Sustainable learning, Low-tech tools, Engagement strategies

The Forgotten Sense in Adult Learning: Vestibular Function in Digital Work and Education

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

Digital environments have fundamentally reshaped adult work and learning, offering unprecedented access, flexibility, and innovation across professional, higher education, and lifelong learning contexts. However, these environments also represent a significant shift in how adult learners physically engage with learning tasks and their surrounding environments. Emerging evidence suggests that reduced vestibular input—a consequence of prolonged, screen-based engagement—may contribute to challenges in balance, visuomotor coordination, attention, anxiety, reading efficiency, and information processing. These factors are closely tied to core adult learning outcomes, including cognitive endurance, self-regulation, and sustained attention, all of which directly affect learning effectiveness and workplace performance. This paper examines the physiological implications of increasingly screen-dependent work and learning environments, with a specific focus on the vestibular system—a foundational sensory system that is primarily activated by head movement and spatial orientation…

Keywords: Vestibular System, Adult Learning, Digital Learning Environments, Cognitive Performance, Screen-Based Learning

Panel Discussion
“Where Do We Go from Here? AI, Higher Education, and the Future of Work”

Panel Chair: David Guralnick, Ph.D., Kaleidoscope Learning, New York, New York, USA


Panelists:

• Maciej Pankiewicz, Ph.D., Penn Center for Learning Analytics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

• Alicia Sanchez, Ph.D., MPF, Sanford, Florida, USA

• Megan Torrance,TorranceLearning, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA