Wednesday & Thursday, January 10th - 11th
Sparking Success Conference Chair
Robert Dotson is Senior Professor of Practice in the Cell & Molecular Biology department at Tulane's School of Science & Engineering. His interest in improving student learning was sparked five years prior as an Academic Counselor in Loyola’s Office of Academic Enrichment, where he assessed student learning strengths and weaknesses one-on-one and assisted students in formulating personal learning strategies. Over the years he has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses, ranging from introductory biology to immunology. He frequently reinvents and modifies his courses in attempts to introduce more active learning opportunities and generate more student engagement.
Sparking Success Plenary Speaker
Sam Wineburg is the Margaret Jacks Professor of Education, Emeritus, and, by courtesy, of History & American Studies at Stanford University. Educated at Brown and Berkeley, he holds a doctorate in Psychological Studies in Education from Stanford and an honorary doctorate from Sweden’s Umeå University.
Breakout sessions took place on Thursday, January 11, 2024.
Some speakers have provided the resources from their sessions, here.
A Call to Action: How to Create Informed Digital Citizens in the Age of AI
Presenter: Sam Wineburg
- In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore how digital literacy can be integrated across the curriculum in ways that enhance and deepen topics already found on their syllabi.
Concept Mapping as a Classroom Tool – the Student Perspective
Presenters: Tulane University | Kerstin Honer zu Bentrup and Madelyn Kist
- Introducing fresh teaching and learning approaches may encounter some pushback from the intended audience. By fully engaging workshop attendees in the role of students discovering concept maps as an innovative learning tool, they will acquire valuable insights into how to effectively address potential challenges. Additionally, one of the speakers is presently integrating concept maps into her own study methods and can offer firsthand insights into the specific challenges she encountered.ies for community building aimed at creating collaborative peer and mentor relationships.
Enhancing Learning with ChatGPT: An Experiential Workshop exploring the many faceted ways to use ChatGPT for good, not evil
Presenters: Tulane University | Julia Lang and Jacquelyne Thoni Howard
- Examine how ChatGPT works and explore the tool’s strengths and limitations.
- Discuss concerns related to Generative AI within the context of higher education.
- Discuss practical and ethical ways to integrate this technology into classes, programs, workshops, and coaching appointments with students.
- This session is recommended for faculty and staff who are curious about how to use ChatGPT but have limited to no experience doing so (and want to try it out!)
Improving Faculty-Student Relationships Online and in Community Colleges
Presenters: Baylor University | Alicia Briancon and India Cooley
- How to use the research findings to support adjunct faculty engagements, build a sense of belonging, and create community amongst online learners.
- Learn how to apply research and literature review findings to improve faculty-student relationships and engage in informal faculty-student interaction inside and outside of the classroom in a meaningful and non-taxing way.
Introduction to Digital Accessibility - Creating an Inclusive Online Environment
Presenter: Tulane University | Samone Collins
- Foundational Knowledge: Participants will gain a solid understanding of digital accessibility, including its core principles, legal implications, and its impact on user experiences.
- Practical Skills: Attendees will learn practical tips and techniques for making digital content, including websites, documents, and multimedia, accessible to diverse audiences.
- Empathy and Inclusivity: Through experiencing real-life examples, participants will develop empathy for users with disabilities and understand the importance of inclusive design in fostering a sense of belonging for all.
Teaching and Developing Community Engagement with a Focus on Maintaining Community Partner Relationships through a Course Case Study
Presenter: Washington University of St.Louis | J. Tucker Krone
- Participants will learn practical techniques for community engagement in courses.
- Participants will be able to articulate the role engineering students can play in social equity.
- Participants will be able to develop a framework for identifying pitfalls when working with community partners.
The STAR Approach to Program Assessments Using Canvas Outcomes
Presenters: Tulane University | Bobbie Garner-Coffie and Bernice Houle
- The STAR Approach to Program Assessments Using Canvas Outcomes
- S – Set Clear Objectives and Course Mappings
- T – Track with Canvas Outcomes
- A – Analyze Data
- R – Review, Reflect, and Act
- Differentiate among the structural components of Canvas LMS Outcomes to determine the appropriate organizational level for setting up program and course learning outcomes.
- Apply the STAR approach to gather student achievement data linked to course assessments using the Canvas LMS.
- Critique visualizing techniques to represent outcome data from Canvas, facilitating informed decision-making.
The Subtle Art of Doing Nothing
Presenters: Xavier University of Louisiana | Bart Everson and Wendy Gaudin
- Mindfulness meditation is simple. It's easy to start a practice. Participants will be invited to try it for one month, as an experiment.
- In addition to numerous psychological and physiological benefits, mindfulness supports teaching and learning. Simply put, a happy/healthy teacher is a better teacher.
- Mindfulness meditation is a tool that can be taught to students, including short practices in the classroom.
Tips for Integrating Library and Information Literacy into Coursework
Presenters: Tulane University | Kaypounyers Maye and Agnieszka Czeblakow
- Provide faculty with an outline describing the intersection of research-based assignments and librarian expertise, services, and resources.
- Provide faculty with sample assignments that focus on information resources accessible through the library and other sources.
- Provide faculty with access to information literacy standards related to their disciplines.
Unlocking Classroom Success: Utilizing Instructional Design for Impactful On-Ground Teaching
Presenters: Tulane University | Lauren Futrell Dunaway, Kayla Jutzi, and Eunice Ofori
- Participants will be able to articulate the fundamental principles of instructional design and explain their relevance in enhancing in-person classroom teaching.
- Upon completion of this session, participants will be capable of identifying specific instructional design strategies and techniques that can be integrated into their own teaching practices to foster active engagement, optimize learning outcomes, and adapt to diverse student needs within a traditional classroom environment.
- After attending this session, participants will be able to apply instructional design principles and utilize the resources and tools in order to create robust and effective Canvas course sites and teaching materials for in-person classroom settings.
Using AI: Harnessing the Power For Good
Presenter: Nicholls State University | Stephanie Baran
- Helps facilitate how to use AI positively in the class so that as educators we can better handle it in the present and future. Additionally, how can we use it to help improve students writing, research and citation ability.
Dr. Sam Wineburg
Sam Wineburg is the Margaret Jacks Professor of Education, Emeritus, and, by courtesy, of History & American Studies at Stanford University. Educated at Brown and Berkeley, he holds a doctorate in Psychological Studies in Education from Stanford and an honorary doctorate from Sweden’s Umeå University.
In 2004, Wineburg founded the Stanford History Education Group (sheg.stanford.edu), a curriculum development effort that has grown into the largest provider of free curriculum in the social studies, with over 14 million downloads of its curriculum and assessments. Since 2016 his research has focused on “Civic Online Reasoning,” or how people judge the credibility of information on the Internet— research that has been featured in TIME Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and on multiple occasions in the New York Times. In 2021, UNESCO honored him with its International Media Literacy Award.
Wineburg’s interdisciplinary scholarship has appeared in outlets as diverse as Cognitive Science and the Journal of American History. His public scholarship has appeared in places like the New York Times, USAToday, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Slate, and the Smithsonian Magazine. His 2002 book, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past won the Frederic W. Ness Award from the Association of American Colleges and Universities for work that makes the most important contribution to the “improvement of Liberal Education and understanding the Liberal Arts.” His latest book, with co-author Mike Caulfield, is entitled Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online (Chicago, 2023).
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Agnieszka Czeblakow | Tulane University Libraries - Special Collections
Alicia Briancon Alumni Ed.D. program at Baylor University and an instructor at College of Southern Nevada
Bart Everson (he/him) is a Creative Generalist in the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development at Xavier University of Louisiana. Since 2010, he has organized workshops and initiatives to promulgate contemplative practice and pedagogy on Xavier's campus. He was the founding chair of the Earth-centered Special Interest Group of the POD Network and currently serves on the board of the Gaian Way.
Bernice Houle is the Director of Assessment in the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research at Tulane University. She oversees curricular program assessment plans, manages the course evaluation process, and supports the Interfolio Faculty Activity Reporting module. She has extensive experience in program assessment, curriculum development, and using data to help inform decision-making. Bernice earned her Ph.D. from New York University (2004), studying adult student persistence in online, asynchronous education.
Bobbie Garner is a seasoned EdTech specialist and advocate with a passion for innovation and problem-solving. With more than 20 years of experience in academic technology, distance/online education delivery, user experience development, and SaaS platform management. Bobbie has led cross-functional teams in developing software solutions for content development and delivery, research projects & proposals, program reporting, and more. Her expertise spans EdTech & LMS administration, media curation, data migrations, relationship management, and supporting the overall end-user experience.Bobbie holds a Master’s in Social Work and Liberal Arts, both from Tulane University. She has received her Certificate in Instructional Design from OLC and is a Certified Leadership and Resilience Coach. Bobbie is a patient and empathetic listener who shares her knowledge through collaborative endeavors, guest lecturing in courses, coaching adult learners, and opportunities to practice direct social work with clients. In her personal time, Bobbie enjoys making memories with her family, trying new recipes, and attempting to learn American Sign Language.
Eunice Ofori holds a PhD in Curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on Instructional Design and Technology from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. Currently, Eunice works as the Associate Director of Instructional Design with the Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT). She also serves as the Program Coordinator and faculty for the Master’s in Education program (Special Education Specialty) with the Teacher Preparations and Certification program at the School of Professional Advancement, Tulane University. She is an active member in the design of effective instruction in varied course modalities and provides advanced course development assistance across Tulane’s campuses. Eunice is passionate about providing equal access to education for ALL by engaging, nurturing, and supporting academic communities to develop and teach innovative research-based teaching and learning experiences using sound pedagogical strategies and instructional technology.
India Cooley | Ed.D. candidate Baylor University
Jacquelyne Thoni Howard is an inaugural Professor of Practice at the Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science. As a historian, her teaching, research, and mentoring work centers on critical data studies, data literacy education, surveillance studies, the history of empires and data information, and applying equitable data practices in classrooms and digital humanities labs. She is a founding editor of the nationally recognized guide Feminist Pedagogy for Teaching Online with Clare Daniel and Liv Newman.
Julia Lang is a Professor of Practice and the Associate Director for Career Education and Life Design and at the Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking. In her role, Lang creates life design curricula to support students in designing changemaking professional pathways and runs the Changemaker Institute social venture accelerator for graduate students and exceptional undergraduates in the early idea phase of social venture development. Lang is also a coach with Stanford University’s Life Design Studio and a higher education consultant, supporting colleges, universities, and K-8 schools prepare for the future of work.
Kayla Jutzi | Senior Instructional Designer, Adjunct Faculty, School of Professional Advancement | Tulane University
Kaypounyers Maye | University Libraries - Scholarly Engagement (Social Sciences & Data) | Tulane University
Kerstin Honer zu Bentrup is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine. She received her PhD from the University of Osnabruck, Germany, and transitioned from a bench scientist to a full-time educator more than 15 years ago. She is currently the director for the Infectious Diseases course for Medical Students and the director of the MS in Microbiology and Immunology program. Her educational scholarship interests center around active teaching and learning methods, including concept mapping, TBL, flipped classroom a.o.
Lauren Futrell Dunaway | Clinical Assistant Professor | SPHTM Undergraduate Public Health | Tulane University
Madelyn Kist is a second year PhD student in the Biomedical Sciences program at Tulane University School of Medicine. Her dissertation work in Dr. Lisa Morici's research lab in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology focuses on evaluating efficacy of novel topical antimicrobials using an animal model of multidrug resistant bacterial wound infections. Madelyn is actively pursuing numerous supplemental teaching opportunities in preparation for a career as a Professor of Practice; some of her professional interests include integrating career exploration into postsecondary coursework, improving design of biology courses for non-majors, and adapting aspects of her dissertation into a special topics lecture for premedical and medical students.
Samone Collins is a Biloxi native with an extensive background in software development with a strong focus on accessibility. With a B.A. in Marketing from Texas Southern University and multiple IT certifications, Samone is passionate about ensuring that everyone has equitable access to electronic, digital, information technology, and media.
Stephanie Baran received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with a specialty in race, ethnicity, sex and gender. She currently teaches at Nicholls State University. Her work often focuses on the varieties of inequalities that exist within the United States. Her Book “Intersections of Race, Class and Precarity: Navigating Insecurities in an American City” was published by Rowman and Littlefield, January 2022. She lives in New Orleans with her cat, Lucifer.
Tucker Krone joined the faculty in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis in 2017. He teaches statistics, ethics, publication writing, communication, and community engaged courses. Tucker emphasizes engineering and statistics as forces for equity and social justice. Tucker Krone's current passion focuses on integrating community engagement, social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion into both technical and non-technical engineering courses.
Wendy A. Gaudin is a writer, an American historian, and the proud descendant of Louisiana Creoles who migrated to California. Her nonfiction writing explores themes of race, ancestry, hybridity, memory, migration, family narratives, and Louisiana. A history professor at Xavier University of Louisiana, Gaudin divides her time between New Orleans and the Acadiana prairie.
Tulane University
Center for Engaged Learning & Teaching
Center for Public Service
Connolly Alexander Institute For Data Science
Goldman Center for Student Accessibility
Howard-Tilton Memorial Library
Newcomb -Tulane College
Phyllis M. Taylor Center
School of Architecture
School of Business
School of Liberal Arts
School of Medicine
School of Professional Advancement
School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine
School of Science & Engineering
School of Social Work
