COLTT 2024 Program

Description: TBA

Description: Build or Buy is an old school game where you create your ideal online program. MA in Haiku? Dog Studies? Interpretive dance? Sure. You'll make choices for your program, from staffing to IT to partnering with a vendor or OPM, and spend your budget accordingly. Opportunity cards drawn each round will affect each choice differently, and you're off on the exciting journey that is online degrees! With years of online experience informing these "opportunities", you'll laugh, learn, and wonder how we all have done it! It's a game, of course there are winners and prizes!

Description: The Digital Accessibility Office (DAO) frames digital accessibility as "All people should have the opportunity to access the same information and services in the digital environment without facing undue barriers or burdens." To enhance awareness and create a more inclusive digital environment at CU Boulder, the DAO will discuss platform-agnostic accessibility fundamentals that you can implement into your digital content today! By the end of this session, attendees will better understand digital accessibility and how to proactively make their digital content more accessible.

Description: In part 2 of the Content Accessibility Workshop, attendees will put their learning into practice. The Digital Accessibility Office (DAO) will guide participants as they apply accessible content practices to make an inaccessible Word document accessible. The DAO will also share how to save an accessible Word document as an accessible PDF. Bring a laptop and your questions! Please note: Attendance at part 1 of Content Accessibility Workshop is strongly recommended to participate in part 2 of the workshop.

Description: Are you looking to leverage AI in ways that move beyond design efficiencies and into a true transformation of the learning experience? Then join us for a session grounded in a practical approach to student-driven learning and UDL prinicples that provides structure and clarity for how, when, and where AI can be utilized to empower learners and personalize their education.

Description: We’re long past the days of overhead projectors, but even in-person presentations should be accessible! Join the CU Boulder Digital Accessibility Office (DAO) as they discuss the best practices for presenting accessibly. From captioning to slide decks to verbal descriptions, we will cover inclusive best practices for different presentation modalities that will keep your audience engaged.

Description: As AI increasingly intersects with writing studies, educators face the imperative of equipping students with both the skills to utilize AI tools effectively and the ethical awareness to navigate this evolving landscape responsibly. This interactive presentation explores the integration of AI into writing pedagogy, emphasizing transparency and ethics as foundational pillars for guiding students in harnessing AI's potential while mitigating its risks. Attendees will gain insights into fostering a culture of transparency, empowering students to interrogate AI systems, understand their capabilities and limitations, and make informed decisions about their use in writing processes.

Description: In this presentation, I will share effective strategies and methodologies implemented at our university to enhance AI literacy among students and faculty. Our program emphasizes foundational knowledge, ethical implications, and practical applications of AI technologies across diverse academic disciplines. Our aim is to not only share insights from our journey but also to foster a collaborative discussion on best practices in AI education. By the end of this session, participants will gain valuable tools and ideas for cultivating AI literacy in their own institutions.

Description: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an exciting new tool in the realm of education, prompting the question, can it be used for Open Educational Resources (OER)? This presentation will cover the basics of what these concepts are and how they intersect, as well as how copyright laws affect these interactions. Current court cases will be discussed with an eye on how they could alter these intersections. Bring your questions and ideas for a robust discussion!

Description: This session shares guides and exercises for students to learn to write more productively and at higher quality by co-authoring with generative AI. We describe the results of 4 semesters of iteration with these tools, showing that generative AI can help “level the playing field” for students with less extensive writing backgrounds. We'll discuss how faculty can address student writing challenges more effectively and with less time investment, and we will experiment live and hands-on with selected exercises. We also will discuss the ethical complications of generative AI use by both faculty and students.

Description: Interested in boosting student success in STEM through Universal Design principles? Dive deeper into practical strategies tailored to diverse learners using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 3.0 framework. Discover a range of low-tech and high-tech curricular, instructional, and assessment practices designed to effectively engage all students in STEM courses. Join us to explore flexible solutions that demonstrate how to adapt learning environments to maximize teaching efficacy and student learning outcomes.

Description: Research abounds on the history of higher education. Anyone can look up teaching trends and find an abundance of information. But not all faculty members can look back on their own pedagogical journeys over five decades. How has the classroom changed, and more particularly, how has the teaching and learning relationship between students and faculty evolved? What has endured, what should we hold onto, what should we discard, and what have we learned? This session looks not only at research on university-level teaching, but it also recounts the first-hand journey of one very long-time faculty member in the University of Colorado system--with an eye toward lessons learned for the future.

Description: This conversation provides a practical approach to creating a state-wide Learning Design Community of Practice (LDCP). We will discuss how we defined, designed, and launched our LDCP.

Description: As various AI technologies continue to become integrated within education, it is challenging to develop syllabus policies that address its responsible use. However, crafting effective policies is crucial to promoting academic integrity, preventing misconduct and creating a supportive learning environment. This session offers strategies for crafting syllabus policies that foster responsible AI use. Participants will engage in discussions and activities to critically assess or develop policies which translate appropriate limits on generative technologies in their classrooms to students, empowering both students and instructors to feel confident about learning in a world which includes AI.

Description: Digital citizenship (DC) refers to an individual’s ability to engage in digital technologies in an ethical way. 25 years ago, dial up internet was the height of technology use and communication, and the moment AIM and MySpace hit the scene, the way humans connect with each other forever changed. This presentation will provide college teachers with an introduction into the salient aspects of DC, help them decide how much direct instruction might be warranted about DC, and ways to open these discussions with their students in a fun and collaborative way.

Description: Media technology/digital storytelling remain unfilled promises, frequently approached warily and disdainfully by higher educators. This session demonstrates the full power of instructional technology [using a cross-media approach] to deepen 1) content retention, 2) student motivation and engagement 3) timely relevance of media's value and 4) exploration of aesthetic and ethical issues raised through close comparison of a written text with its visual counterpart. Using two contemporary social science books adapted as films, AMERICAN PROMETHEUS to OPPENHEIMER and DEEP SECRETS to CLOSE we'll demonstrate a readily-applied pedagogy for ensuring content that "sticks" --and that matters.

Description: Although for many online education was something first discovered during the pandemic, online learning has been around for decades and has proven its use. Yet is still remains the stepchild in some schools. Many of us have been through peer review of our courses in our careers. But, how often do we see online courses included in the process? Can you use the same criteria for any course review, online or brick-and-mortar? We'll present current state of online peer review. We work in a hybrid environment, with some courses and programs online at our school. The session leaders were the first to participate in an online course review. Come discuss what we learned and consider the future.

Description: Learn to craft prompts that guide students in creating personalized learning paths, understanding complex concepts, and honing critical thinking. This hands-on session will transform how you teach with AI!

Description: Mastermind session to elevate online discussions! Do you dream of opening your laptop to see what your students have been discussing today and reveling in the high-level witty banter before your eyes? Can you imagine a day when facilitating online discussion feels like discussing science/art/humanities with well-informed and passionate adults? Amazingly engaged online discussions do happen in an online class near you, and you can get in on the action! This mastermind session will be facilitated by a faculty panel known for their magical abilities to bring discussion to life. Let our wizardry be your inspiration to get your creative neurons firing and build your next great online discussion!

Description: Educational conferences in are vital for both faculty and staff professional development. These events facilitate the exchange of innovative ideas, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and inspire individuals to refine their pedagogical approaches and administrative strategies. However, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity at events like these is crucial to maximizing participation and enhance personal/professional growth. By removing barriers and embracing diversity, conferences can become transformative spaces fostering innovation, collaboration, and positive institutional change.

Description: Are you ready to take your old-school formative assessment methods into the future? Check out the online platform MyOpenMath.com. This free, opensource platform can be used to engage students in class through the use of the LivePoll feature, an updated and expanded rendition of the "clicker" student response system. The platform also provides students with robust practice outside of class with online, auto-graded homework. Myopenmath has a dedicated community of educators who have made vast banks of questions to choose from, or you can utilize the powerful authoring platform to write your own questions.

Description: The Learning Resources Center (LRC) at CU Denver has framed generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as a set of tools that, within the framework of GenAI literacy, can support students with studying, planning, time management, and other student success skills. For the Fall 2024 semester, the LRC has developed two student-facing workshops adapted for in-person and online delivery. Participants will provide real-time feedback on content and design during partial demonstrations of these workshops. This workshop is an important part of the conversation about GenAI and higher education as it complements what others within Colorado's higher education institutions are doing with GenAI.

Description: Our session will involve a live interactive demonstration of how this can change the engagement in the classroom. We will use Mentimeter (and highlight other software that does similar) to engage participant skills in the classroom and feelings about their facilitation skills. We will demonstrate skills and teaching techniques as outlined in the SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observational Protocols) to provide equity in engagement and foster an environment of curiosity. Participants will be asked to engage with the Mentimeter along with the presentation. Co-presenters are student workers who will help role play scenarios one might encounter and how to use the technology, the SIOP skills, and both in tandem to address them.

Description: It is crucial for pediatric providers worldwide to have access to current, evidence-based medical education in a convenient format. This concept was launched with a novel podcast showcasing faculty experts on topics including education, innovation and cutting-edge technology. Now in season 7, “Charting Pediatrics” has reached listeners in 187 countries with over 2 million unique downloads and 370 lifetime episodes and is currently the most listened to pediatric podcast. Podcasts provide a scalable inclusive educational outreach platform in an on-demand format to uniquely meet global learning needs. This melding of teaching and technology may be the optimal vehicle for ongoing education.

Description: Join us for a compelling discussion on an exciting study, "Metacognition Mixtape: Promoting Self-Directed Learners with AI." This research investigates the use of a tailored large-language model (LLM) to boost metacognitive awareness and readiness for self-directed learning among graduate Neuroanatomy students. Over an 8-week intervention, participants engaged with the AI model, designed to promote reflective thinking and learning autonomy. Focus group and survey data demonstrate positive impacts during and after the intervention. Come learn about how the model was developed and implemented before engaging in a discussion of the utility and considerations in using AI in this context.

Description: Join the Digital Accessibility Office (DAO) as we discuss the conceptual frameworks of disability to support efforts to increase accessibility and reduce ableism on campuses. From 1973 to now, digital accessibility legislation continues to gain momentum. We will share the far-reaching benefits and impacts to integrating accessibility into your processes and practices. We hope to provide the why to the accessibility work and give everyone a chance to develop a strategy for increasing digital accessibility in your own work.

Description: In his exploration of video game learning principles, Gee (2005) emphasizes their transferability to education. He condenses and organizes the principles into three student-centered clusters: Empowered Learners, Problem Solving, and Understanding. Under each cluster, Gee identifies specific principles aimed at enhancing student engagement and learning experiences. By integrating concepts such as co-design, problem-solving scaffolding, and system thinking, educators can empower students to take ownership of their learning and cultivate deep understanding. Gee's framework offers valuable insights for designing effective and engaging educational experiences.

Description: Our session will be a robust discussion about our experience with two pilot programs, Artificial Intelligence and Ethics & Geographic Information Systems. We operationalized courses, certificates, and micro credentials which stack into masters programs as credit for prior learning within the non-credit space. We partnered with other schools and colleges to employ course design models with subject matter experts, instructional designers, and artificial intelligence to accommodate innovative teaching strategies and course drift. These activities align with the newly developing Higher Learning Commission guidelines on accreditation integrity in these non-credit to credit spaces. 

Description: This session is for all employees of the University of Colorado or any other institution that uses Percipio as a learning management system. In this session, you will learn how to navigate the Percipio LMS, and techniques for locating professional development and training tools in the system. You will learn about all the features of Percipio and learn how to organize resources for your needs. You will also learn how to use LinkedIn Learning for career growth in any field. It can be a challenge to find exactly what you need among the thousands of courses in LinkedIn Learning. This session will guide you through the process of finding, selecting, and curating the right courses for your needs.

Description: Many classes require students to acquire large volumes of factual knowledge while also applying that knowledge to learning difficult concepts. This can lead students to confounding memorization with understanding. In this session, I will present two game-based strategies I have used in my Anatomy and Physiology classes to encourage students to apply their knowledge of terminology to making conceptual connections: “Codenames” and “Escape Rooms”. These activities leverage the memorization process to scaffold the development of discipline specific critical thinking skills and can be adapted for both virtual and physical classrooms.

Description: What happens when generative artificial intelligence (AI) meets human intelligence (HI)? High quality work! In this session, we describe an innovative assignment where university students were REQUIRED to use generative AI as starting point for a course assignment. Students then customized the AI generated content using their own knowledge and submitted "before and after" versions of the assignment. In addition to learning about the assignment framework, session attendees will have an opportunity to engage in collaborative discussions and steal ideas. All attendees will leave this session with at least one new idea or actionable strategy that can be used in their own local context.