2024 Symposium Schedule

01. Helping Students Thrive in a World of Mis/Disinformation 

Location: Circus 

With ever increasing misinformation and disinformation, it is more critical than ever for students to critically engage with their information environment. Integrating information fluency learning outcomes into curriculum is one step to ensuring students develop the ability to successfully navigate their information environment while in college and after they graduate. In response to this growing need and to support required elements of the Program Review Process, Milner Library established an initiative to integrate discipline-specific information fluency learning outcomes into departments, schools, and programs across the University. 

The program is a cohort model where every academic year, Milner provides a series of four workshops for pairs consisting of the subject librarian and a departmental/school faculty representative. The workshops cover creating broad overarching learning outcomes, determining unique objectives and skills, aligning outcomes through curriculum mapping, and determining assessment strategies. 

During this session, panelists will discuss workshop structure and content, share participant experiences with the workshops, post-workshop plans for integrating into specific departmental or school curriculum, and planned next steps of the initiative. 

Support for the project was provided by an Assessment Initiative Award and continued funding from Milner Library. 

Presenters:
Jennifer Sharkey, University Libraries
Chad Kahl, University Libraries 

Download a PDF of the presentation

02. Cura Personalis, Caribbean-Style 

Location: Founders 

Creating a holistic, thriving classroom community among general education students/faculty/classes in no easy task, but it is a thoroughly rewarding one. This presentation examines "care for the whole person" as an educational philosophy and practice, set on a foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion, scaffolded by FITE principles, to create a thriving classroom environment, based on experiences recorded and date collected over eighteen months teaching an award-winning undergraduate survey course in history.

Presenter:
Greg Carter, History 

Download a PDF of the presentation

03. Reorienting the Past: Reimagining a Survey Course Amid Calls for "UnCoverage" 

 
Location: Prairie I 

Few areas of teaching in higher education highlight the tension between the cognitive skills of a discipline and the expectation of teaching as the transmission of essential content more than history. Building on recent scholarship and a SoTL project to revise a history survey course, this session explores the challenges and opportunities associated with reimagining introductory courses to better reflect the skills and epistemology of our disciplines. The experiential class focused course content on four provocative case studies to foreground the work of historians and empower students to investigate evidence and build and defend arguments about the past. Recognizing that limits to traditional pedagogy often involve cultural assumptions and students' preconceptions about the nature of higher education, I was explicit about my ambitious goal to reimagine a survey course throughout the semester. The class, as part of a SoTL study centered on evidence, included pre and post assessments as well as opportunities for metacognitive reflections that encouraged students to think about themselves as learners. The result was a rewarding and liberating shift in perceptions about what constitutes success, for both instructors and students, in our college classrooms. 

Presenter:
Richard Hughes, History 

04. Using a Photovoice Intervention to Teach Nursing Students About Living Homeless 

Location: Prairie II 

Over 553,000 people live homeless in the United States daily. They have more health problems and are more likely to receive inadequate health care. Furthermore, they are apt to report that nurses treat them uncivilly. Photovoice has been used as a strategy to teach nursing students, but no studies employed this technique to teach about homelessness. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a photovoice intervention to teach nursing students what it is like to be homeless. We presented students with posters comprised of photographs taken by people living homeless and their narrative depictions of homelessness. The sample for this pre/posttest mixed methods design consisted of nursing students in a beginning health assessment course. Students were randomized into a control group, receiving standard content on homelessness, and an intervention group, receiving the photovoice intervention. We measured empathy and attitudes toward those who live homeless and compared pre/post intervention scores using paired t-tests. We conducted focus groups to further explore attitudes toward those who live homeless and elicit feedback about the intervention. Content analysis of focus group responses described themes. This photovoice intervention could be a powerful tool to raise awareness and broaden understanding of those living homeless. 

Presenters:
Sheryl Henry, Mennonite College of Nursing 
Jessica Sullivan, Mennonite College of Nursing 

05. Redbirds in Space: Initiatives in Space Technology @ ISU

Location: Prairie III 

CubeSats are having a significant impact on several areas of communication and technology infrastructure including mobile networks, global Internet connectivity, disaster response communications, precision agriculture, and the Internet of Things (IoT) by offering a satellite-based infrastructure for improved communication and data gathering.  

Ground stations are critical for maintaining communications with CubeSats during missions. They enable real-time monitoring, control, and data reception, facilitating the success of the mission and the retrieval of valuable scientific and operational data for analysis. 

The  School of IT and Technology Solutions plans to build an S-band CubeSat ground station on campus for mission communications. This instrumentation would allow us to: 1) enhance student learning by hiring and training students to operate and maintain the ground station, 2) supplement conceptual components in our curriculum with hands-on exercises for students, 3) provide extracurricular activities focused on space technology for ISU students through the Redbirds in Space RSO, and 4) engage in educational outreach activities centered around space technology with local schools. 

Offering these opportunities will help students enhance their learning experiences and thrive in an expanding field.  These first initiatives will allow our students to collaborate with other departments and universities while developing skills as tomorrow's technology leaders.  

Presenter:
Will Lewis, Information Technology 
Daniel Freburg, Information Technology 
Charles Edamala, Office of Technology Solutions 

06. Using Smartphone-Based Augmented Reality for Asynchronous Learning: A Case Study 

 
Location: Circus 

Programming an industrial robot is one essential activity for manufacturing automation. The desktop programming environment broadly adopted by higher education, while capable of verifying the codes through low-risk simulation, demands higher user cognitive activities. The software's steep learning curve could overwhelm novice learners, and its complexity is unsuitable for asynchronous learning. 

This presentation describes a new learning approach that could address this concern. A virtual robotic system can be presented in a smartphone-based augmented reality (AR) viewer to convey the learning objective and the intended outcome. Once the virtual system is anchored on a flat surface such as a tabletop or floor, users can move around with their phone and zoom in and out to comprehend the task details. A preliminary study determining the effectiveness of this approach will be presented. The following questions will be assessed with a small group of participants: (1) How can the AR models help students comprehend assignments and projects? (2) In what way can the AR viewer enable better project collaboration synchronously and asynchronously? (3) Does the AR-assisted approach change students' learning performance and self-efficacy? This presentation will conclude with lessons learned and suggest best practices for designing learning activities with AR in mind. 

Presenters:
Isaac Chang, Technology 
Jerrit Williams, Technology

Download a PDF of the presentation

07. Building Community Around Cross-Disciplinary Peer-Learning 

 
Location: Founders 

Developing opportunities for community building is an essential goal in higher education. Community building enhances the sense of belonging and improves students' wellness on campus. Community-building efforts, however, tend to be biased toward students who find the courage and time or have an initial nuclear circle of friends to participate with. Students who are non-traditional or parents, or those who commute or focus on coursework and part-time jobs to accomplish their life and educational goals, may rely on classroom experiences for a sense of belonging, impact, and community. In this experiment, students were encouraged to bring a peer or a friend to class, work on a course project involving the course objectives, teach their peers or friends a few foundational concepts and skills, and assume the role of near-peer to them. While satisfying course requirements and objectives, students would practice articulating concepts, teaching the skills, and making student-to-student connections around those topics. In addition to improving a sense of community, this experiment enables higher levels of learning and meaning-making in the course. 

Presenter:
Elahe Javadi, Information Technology 

08. Co-Creating Syllabi with Students: Thriving in the Classroom 

 
Location: Prairie I 

In this presentation, drawing on the scholarly (social justice theories, theories of transfer, and critical pedagogy theory) and professional influences (conversations with peers, mentors, and students) which encouraged us to begin co-creating our syllabi with students, we will discuss our experience co-creating syllabi with students and how we facilitate the activities associated with this process. As instructors from two different contexts, and teaching two different courses, we expect our audience to see how they can adapt their syllabus design to give students more say in their classroom content and course policies; a change that can have a significant impact on students' growth and participation in the learning environment. Our presentation will also cover why we think co-creating syllabi increases students' connection to and purpose in engaging with the content of our classes. Further, we'll explain why we think that co-creating syllabi prepares students to thrive both in the classroom and beyond the classroom. 

Presenters:
Emad Hakim, English 
Tiffany Bishop, English 

09. What Remained to Be Explained? Student-Feedback in a Sketching Course 

Location: Prairie II 

We will share how formative assessment strategies promoted a fast-paced feedback and assessment loop and fostered self-regulated learning in a sketching course. During the design process, free-hand sketching serves multiple purposes: investigation, exploration, communication, and persuasion. But many design students suffer from sketching-related anxiety indicated by the display of avoidance behavior. Art and design educators struggle to address the problem.  

This is a collaboration between a participant observer who has previously investigated and published about the common phenomenon of sketch inhibition, an undergraduate research assistant who served as ethnographic informer, and the instructor, who continuously adjusted her teaching strategies to address the "things that remained unclear." The pedagogic approach relied on three modes: 1) studio-based activities, 2) sketching field trips, and 3) sketches created between class sessions. Studio time was used for presentations, skill modeling, on-site sketching assignments, and a variety of peer feedback activities. 

Freshmen and sophomores were able and willing to provide meaningful weekly feedback to instructor and peers and shared the problems they experienced trying to understand three-dimensional drawing concepts and sketching methods. Immediate adjustments to skill-modeling techniques informed by students' and observers' feedback were accompanied by fast improvements of all students' skill levels.  

Presenters:
Elke Altenburger, Family and Consumer Sciences 
Poornima Mankame, Family and Consumer Sciences 

Download a PDF of the presentation

10. Invisible Disabilities: Challenges of Languagelessness, Lingual Bias, and Creative Work 

 
Location: Circus 

This presentation was inspired by discussions generated in a graduate raciolinguistics seminar titled "Linguistics and Language Study: Exploring language, identity, and race." Concepts such as linguistic justice, translanguaging, and culturally sustaining pedagogies were explored throughout the semester. Graduate students were asked to present a collective project related to their areas of interest. However, students tended to focus on the intersections of gender and race, overlooking other significant social identities such as disability. The focus here is the presenters' own invisible disabilities and its impact on their Concurrent creative production as they navigate linguistics in academia and beyond. Non-verbal communication challenges regarding autism; brain fog caused by Long Covid-19; and a trauma survivor's PTSD are discussed. The presenters argue creative writing may make a significant contribution in documenting one's lived experience and reclaiming the artist's voice, space, and self. This presentation discusses our efforts in how to create a more holistic seminar which accounts for and illuminates invisible disabilities. 

Presenters:
Laura Sweeney, English
Saima Afreen, English
Ulysses Bougie, English 

11. Navigating Success: Students Thriving at Illinois State 

 
Location: Founders 

The Student Success Community of Practice came together as a network of student success practitioners and experts across Illinois State University to share practices, initiatives, and knowledge.  This team brought together an even broader contingent of individuals and units who champion this work for a Student Success Think Tank in May of 2023.  Our panel addresses what we learned from this convening.  What is the university doing well?  What resources are available for both students and faculty/staff to help address student needs?  What needs do we continue to see at the university? How do we begin (or continue) to address equity gaps?  Together, the group created an agenda for student success work at Illinois State University. The panel will discuss the 10 crucial priorities for advancing this work at the university. 

Presenters: 
Rocio Rivadeneyra, College of Arts and Sciences 
Tamekia Bailey, College of Applied Sciences and Technology 
Dawn Pote, Well Being and Recreation 
Keenan Wimbley, Visor Academic Center 
Mallory Jallas, University Libraries
Amy Hurd, Office of the Provost 

12. Welcome to Otherland! A Gamified Approach to Understanding Choices, Borders, and 'Othering' 

 
Location: Prairie I 

Otherland teaches students the 'border-creating' nature of choices through the lens of Wild Systems Theory-WST (Jordan, 2013). WST conceptualizes living systems as energy-transformation systems (instead of as minds and bodies) that necessarily create and sustain borders at multiple levels, from the molecular, to the biological,  psychological, sociological, and cultural. Otherland gamifies (Sailer & Hommer, 2020) the discovery and understanding of the 'othering-like' nature of these borders, and the impact they have on peoples' lives, by having students choose their own path through a curriculum of quests (i.e., assignments) that involve culturally-informed graphic novels. Such gamification aligns with the evidence-based pedagogy dimension of FITE because choosing and completing assignments empowers students and requires self-regulation. Students also complete weekly 'strategy reports' that indicate their current points, target points, and assignment-plan that will get them to their target. Such repeated self-evaluation promotes the development of healthy habits for optimal learning (FITE dimensions science of learning and feedback and assessment loop).  Weekly graphic-novel discussions provide students feedback about the forms of 'othering' used by their peers (FITE dimension data-informed reflection). Finally, students decide if Otherland is an imaginary place, or if, perhaps, they have been living in Otherland their entire life. 

Presenters:
Scott Jordan, Psychology
Maisha Orthy, Psychology 
Zhi Quan Lim, Psychology
Megan Herling, Psychology 
Michael Dow, Psychology

Download a PDF of the presentation

13. Communities of Belonging and Success (COBAS): Faculty Dimensions 

Location: Prairie II 

COBAS is a program developed by an interdisciplinary team of colleagues in the College of Arts and Sciences focused on the learning and successful retention of first-generation students. For undergraduate students, COBAS assumes that "belonging" is a complex process that runs parallel and is dependent on "academic success" and other factors. This program has also offered us the opportunity to think about ways that faculty also need to be taken into account. Our panel proposal offers faculty the opportunity to reflect on their roles as part of this project. This project build on the scholarship of teaching and learning by focusing on the faculty dimensions of the COBAS project, an teaching initiative that started at ISU as a cross-disciplinary collaboration between the Languages, Literatures, and Cultures department and the Latin American and Latino Studies program. What are the motivations for faculty to pursue these projects? How do faculty address the pedagogy of changes needed to make COBAS work? Are there any tensions that present themselves in the classroom for faculty? How do faculty strategize to transform the classroom to meet COBAS goals? More importantly, how does having a community of support among faculty shape their own sense of belonging and success in the program? 

Presenters:
Maura Toro-Morn, Sociology/Anthropology 
Jim Pancrazio, Languages, Literatures and Cultures 
Lourdes Concepcion-Caban, Psychology
Lidia Huerta, Communication Sciences and Disorders

Download a PDF of the presentation

14. Reimagining Learning​: Navigating Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education​

Location: Prairie III 

This presentation and discussion explores the current outcomes of the Provost Fellowship related to AI and disruptive technology in higher education. This session will focus on a broad overview of what current generative AI is, what it is not, how we got to where we are today, and where we are heading. Further discussions will center around the research and collaborations undertaken during the Fellowship. This includes sharing findings from one-on-one meetings to gather insights, collecting and curating valuable resources, conference attendance, vetting software solutions, panel presentations, and ultimately beginning discussing a plan for the university's approach to AI in the coming years. 

Presenters: 
Roy Magnuson, Wonsook Kim School of Art 
Cooper Cutting, Office of the Provost 

Lunch

Join colleagues in one of the three Prairie Rooms for discussions about teaching topics while enjoying the provided boxed lunch. 

15. The Comprehensive Analysis of the Course Experience

 
Location: Circus 

Discussions on course assessment tend to narrowly focus on grading approaches and academic growth. In this workshop, we will consider a more broad analysis of what constitutes a successful course experience, using an approach that positions us to be more iterative, reflective practitioners going forward.

Presenter: 
Bryan Dewsbury, Florida International University 

16. Beyond Accommodation: Improving the Sense of Belonging in Skill-Focused Lab Activities for Students 

  
Location: Circus 

Hands-on, skill-focused lab activities could impose different challenges for those with visual disabilities. Our campus community needs to engage in research to improve inclusion and self-efficacy among students with visual disabilities in this context. Instructors and students must be supported with techniques and guidelines co-developed by the relevant stakeholders, including students, faculty, TAs, and Student Access and Accommodation Services. It is only possible to pinpoint the areas of improvement or lack by establishing the baselines and recognizing challenges to identify best practices. This presentation summarizes the findings of a preliminary study on potential antecedents or enablers of a more inclusive design for lab-based, skill-focused learning activities. 

Presenters: 
Isaac Chang, Technology 
Elahe Javadi,  Information Technology 
Jianwei Lai,  Information Technology 

Download a PDF of the presentation

17. Teaching Beyond Writing 

 
Location: Founders 

As I started my first semester of teaching in the Writing Program as an Instructional Assistant Professor, the first thing that became extremely obvious to me is that students' transition from being highschoolers to becoming college students is challenging. As part of my immediate responsibility of teaching them what a genre is and how to analyze a variety of genres from the perspective of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, which in its turn is a totally new universe for the students, I came to the realization that I MUST teach them how to be college students because only then can I promote the idea of how good quality writing, purposeful reading, and awareness of their own writing process  can become one of the conductors for their academic success. Teaching students how to listen, how to be open to classroom participation, how to be engaged with the material that they are reading and hearing during the lectures, how to be respectful to their peers and their instructor, how to take notes, how to navigate their digital teaching and learning space, how to follow through with the assignments, and how to be responsible for their learning process overall are the goals that I aspire to achieve as a professor who is teaching a general education class. My colleague, A B M Shafiqul Islam, addressed an issue of student engagement to me as well, and we had a solid conversation about the ways we can encourage students of different personalities, backgrounds, and learning styles to actually say something in the classroom. Therefore, the purpose of our collaborative project is to share our concerns, experience, and ideas on how to help our diverse student population to acclimate and adjust to a complex, and at times unpredictable, college environment. In our presentation, we would like to share our thoughts on how our Writing Program classes can be an effective contribution to our students' education, not just from the perspective of the initial subject matter, but from a broader set of skills the students can retain and perfect in their future courses and their professional lives. 

Presenters: 
Olya Cochran, English 
A M B Shafiqul Islam, English 

Download a PDF of the presentation

18. Genres, Connections, and Confluences: Writing Classes as Sites for Growth 

 
Location: Prairie I 

This presentation discusses aspects of intellectual and creative identities and how writing-research translates into growth for students and teachers by enabling them to create shared learning communities. 

When I, Ridita, started teaching at ISU, I developed a project on Genres, thinking that students would enjoy it, but I wasn't really invested in it. I valued "serious" academic research and believed it to be the only credible way. But as I worked with my students, my hierarchical thinking on writing loosened. I started to internalize the ideas that I understood intellectually and began to integrate my academic identity with my lived experiences.  

While teaching Genres at ISU, I, Sheilla, give my students the freedom to explore atypical subjects. By doing so, students can focus on creativity and individuality, bypassing the internalized prejudices and inhibitions that they have for writing. For me, this is a way to bring back my 'forgone' creative self and develop a shared sense of freedom and a room to grow together. 

Building on these ideas, we plan to elaborate on the constructedness of genres, the problematization of which through the teaching of ENG 101 has aided us to thrive in our pursuit of teaching, learning, and scholarship. 

Presenters:
Ridita Mizan, English 
Sheilla Nelson, English 

19. Sustainability to Thrive 

 
Location: Prairie II 

Climate change effects are here, and we cannot deny it, with extreme weather forecasts from coast to coast. But, besides the environment, can sustainability be applied in the classroom? 

Is our teaching, research, and service sustainable for us or for our students? What does it mean to teach sustainability? 

In this presentation, I want to explore these questions alongside the audience and expand the possibilities of what it means to be a professor and a student in the 21st century. We will discuss the meanings of sustainability, burn-out, busy work, and who or what it serves.  

This will not be a presentation full of answers, but one that hopes to expand these questions and bring a new perspective to the classroom. 

Presenter: 
Vitoria Faccin-Herman, Wonsook Kim School of Art 

20. Writing Play: Valuing Process to Thrive in Higher Education 

 
Location: Prairie III 

Could your teaching content be learned from Google? Your students might think so. Their perspectives echo students belonging to Generation Z who want more than just information. Today's college students increasingly value an emphasis on learning processes and experiences (Camfield & Bayers, 2023). Yet, learning in higher education is often valued via assessments of final products (i.e., "the what" of a course) rather than "the how" or "the why" of learning. 

Responding to such insights, my Fall 2023 courses drew on transparent teaching (Winkelmes, 2019) to shape class purposes, tasks, and criteria around the how and why of learning. Specifically, I focused on creating "playful" writing tasks that valued risk-taking, safe practice, and productive struggles as part of the learning process. Activities relied on interdisciplinary topics and ISU campus resources, including the Fell Arboretum and the University Galleries. 

Research by Winkelmes, et. al. (2016) suggests that courses built on transparent teaching strategies increase students' sense of belonging, among other positive outcomes. This finding is especially relevant for ISU students, as over half who began college during the 2023-2024 school year conveyed they were seeking belonging. Our courses, when approached transparently, might offer one such site for students to thrive. 

Presenter:
Shelby Boehm, English 

Download a PDF of the presentation

21. Pioneering Online Program Development: Insights from Faculty Leaders 

 
Location: Circus 

In the realm of higher education, the ever-evolving landscape of online program development is acknowledged. We recognize pioneering efforts at Illinois State University aligning with best practices and industry-informed outcomes. To demystify intricate processes in creating dynamic, student-centered online programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, we are committed to sharing real-world experiences, decision-making considerations, program proposals, quality assurance requirements, and essential support structures for data-informed decisions. Our goal is to inspire administrators and faculty leaders to become well-informed about the processes, practices, policies, and infrastructure supporting online program development. To achieve this, a panel of administrators and faculty actively involved in online program creation will engage in a compelling discussion. They will illuminate the innovative spirit of faculty leaders, provide valuable insights into the decision-making process, identify critical factors influencing faculty and prospective student success, and highlight available and necessary supports for those entering the realm of online program development. 

Presenters; 
Emily Jones,  Kinesiology & Recreation 
Terry Noel, Management & Quantitative Methods 
Chris Grieshaber, Health Sciences 
Anthony Piña, Center for Integrated Professional Development 

22. The Faculty Success Program: Learning to Thrive as an Academic 

 
Location: Founders 

The Faculty Success Program (FSP), offered by the NCFDD (formerly National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity), is a 12-week digital bootcamp for faculty focused on thriving in the academy. Specifically, it helps participants establish a daily writing habit while more effectively balancing other aspects of their academic and personal lives. Join three faculty members from across campus who participated in the summer 2023 ISU FSP cohort and ISU's NCFDD primary account holder to learn more about the benefits of the FSP program and NCFDD, including establishing healthy habits, accountability systems, measurable goals, and supportive networks. Hear how the experience challenged the participants to track their time, resistance, and habits, as they developed time management skills, strategic plans for their research, and awareness of the importance of self-care. Also, learn about what ISU's institutional membership can offer to you as an Concurrent faculty member or student through its core curriculum and other online resources, as well as how you can learn to contribute to a positive campus climate through intentional mentoring and sponsorship, engage in data-informed reflection on your own habits and behaviors, and consider service opportunities that leverage your interests and talents without overextending yourself. 

Presenter: 
Susan Hildebrandt, Office of the Provost
Eric Godoy, Philosophy
Beth L. MacDonald,  Teaching and Learning
Theresa Adelman-Mullally, Mennonite College of Nursing 

Download a PDF of the presentation

23. Thriving Beyond the Classroom: First-Gen Edition 

Location: Atrium 

Supportive relationships are critical to students' college experiences, opportunities, and success. However, not all students develop meaningful relationships or participate in extracurricular activities. A recent Student Voice survey, conducted by Inside Higher Ed and the College Pulse in 2023, revealed that first-generation students spend less time on extracurriculars than their continuing-generation peers, and Raposa et al. (2020) noted that first-generation students are less likely to identify caring relationships during college experiences. In 2022, a section of COM 110 specifically designed for first-generation students was revived to leverage the student-faculty relationship to influence student success. In this session, the Presenter(s) will discuss the origins of the course, and first-generation student panelists will address challenges and strategies for developing effective  student-faculty relationships and identify best practices for faculty to impact engagement beyond the classroom. 

Presenters: 
Tamekia Bailey, Applied Science and Technology  
Amy Hurd, Office of the Provost 

24. Introducing the Digital Scholarship Lab 

Location: Digital Scholarship Lab, Milner 165 

Milner Library recently opened a Digital Scholarship Lab and invites the community to consider how it might inform their teaching and research. Developed with input from two interdisciplinary working groups, the lab provides a space, programming, and specialized software and equipment for those interested in applying digital methods to their research and learning. The speakers will highlight some of the capabilities of the lab and invite your questions about integrating the space into your instruction and research. The session will bring together scholars with an interest in learning more about and engaging in digital scholarship, extending the community of practice on our campus. 

Presenters:
Rachel Scott, University Libraries 
Rebecca Fitzsimmons, University Libraries 

25. Beyond Inclusion: Educating for Democratic Participation and Engagement

 
Location: Prairie Rooms 

In this talk, we will explore a mindset of teaching that, in addition to preparing students technically, also explicitly cultivates the values associated with participating in an evolving democracy. Examples from an Introductory Biology classroom will be used, but the case will be made that naming and cultivating these affective skills should be agnostic to disciplinary titles.

Presenter:
Bryan Dewsbury, Florida International University 

Outstanding University Teaching Awards

Join Acting Provost Yazedjian for the presentation of the 2023 Outstanding University Teaching Awards immediately after the keynote address and preceding the poster session/reception.

Enjoy drinks and hors d'oeuvres in the Prairie Room and interact with colleagues presenting posters. 

P01. Examining the Decline in Participation in Student Evaluations of Teaching 

The present study contributes to the limited examination of student perceptions of Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET) and the motivating factors for student participation/lack of participation. 

Presenters:
Jessie Krienert, Criminal Justice Sciences
Jeffery Walsh, Criminal Justice Sciences 
Kimberly Ingold, Criminal Justice Sciences 
Braden Angelo, Criminal Justice Sciences 

P02. Supporting Students in High-Failure-Rate Classes 

 
Data from the development of a new student learning center will be presented and discussed, highlighting the impact on student outcomes in high failure rate classes 

Presenter:
Todd Thomas,  Information Technology 
Daniel Freburg,  Information Technology 

P03. Implementing "ProjectConnect" to Enhance Student Social-Emotional Connections 

 
In fall 2023, the "ProjectConnect" program was piloted in two courses to measure the programmatic impacts of addressing student loneliness. "ProjectConnect" is a program designed to build inclusion and connection. This presentation focuses on outcomes and results, implementation logistics, and next steps for enhancing student connection among ISU students. 

Presenters:
Alicia Wodika, Health Sciences 
Jim Almeda, Health Promotion and Wellness 

P04. Self-Care Lessons from NCFDD: An Essential to Enhance Student Resilience 

 
Two faculty members participated in the NCFDD (formerly National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity) Success Program (FSP). This evidence-based approach addresses personal well-being and resilience that is shared with students. The tools from FSP are integrated into Psychomotor Skills for Nursing and Maternal Infant Nursing courses. 

Presenters: 
Denise Hammer, Mennonite College of Nursing 
Theresa Adelman-Mullally, Mennonite College of Nursing 

P05. Empowering Faculty for Online Education: An Overview of Instructional Design Support 

 
At Illinois State University, a strategic and supportive collaboration between faculty and Instructional Designers has been developed to expand and strengthen online education. We will share insights, discuss decision-making, and outline support structures in developing master course builds that maximize online education quality offerings at ISU. 

Presenters:
Emily Jones,  Kinesiology & Recreation
Stephanie Wilson, Center for Integrated Professional Development 
Liz Sattler,  Kinesiology & Recreation 
Eric Hodges, Emergency Management 
Jennifer Peterson, Health Sciences 

P06. Evaluating Student Engagement and Connection in Summer STEM Camps 

 
This study evaluates the impacts of STEM summer programs on feelings of identity, efficacy, and belonging in STEM. Data collected through camper and caregiver surveys inform our findings regarding student learning outcomes and perceptions of STEM in our community. 

Presenter:
Allie High, Politics and Government 

P07. Long-Term Results Using Computational Exercises Teaching an Astronomy Course 

 
Results of a five semester study of the use of computational exercises in a general education astronomy course are reported. Assessment outcomes using computational exercises show TOAST correctness gains of up to 20% and LPCI correctness gains of up to 29%. Surveys reveal positive attitudes towards the computational activities. 

Presenter:
Raymond Zich, Physics 

P08. Milner Library: Centering Healing as Act of Radical Transformation 

This poster centers Milner Library's role in holistically supporting student well-being by redefining ‘thriving’ as a means of transformational healing. The library offers programs, collections, instruction, and spaces to enhance the student experiences and deepen perspectives on library support for classrooms and students. 

Presenters: 
Maria Tudela, University Libraries 
Mallory Jallas, University Libraries 

P09. Enhancing Learning Outcomes: Unveiling the Influence of Brief Quizzes in University Classrooms 

 
Explore the impact of short quizzes in classrooms. Discover how they boost retention, engagement, and overall learning outcomes. Learn practical insights and strategies to enhance teaching. 

Presenter:
Xing Wang, Mathematics 

P10. Task-Based Language Assessment Canvas Tools for Less Commonly Taught Languages 

There is a scarcity of discussion of polite forms of address in Urdu textbooks as well as traditional assessment tools. Since pragmatic competence is highly correlated with cultural values, there is a need for including social variables pertaining to forms of address in performing different speech acts in various sociolinguistic and sociocultural settings. We will share ideas to produce more canvas-mediated task-based material for the assessment of pragmatic norms in Urdu. 

Presenter: 
Iftikhar Haider, Office of International Engagement 

P11. Hands-on Learning in Swallowing Rehabilitation for Graduate Students 

This investigation is aimed to explore the teaching and learning methods to facilitate speech-language pathology students' learning about biofeedback of swallowing rehabilitation. This study examines the knowledge, competence, and preparedness with the application of biofeedback for patients with dysphagia. 

Presenters:
Taeok Park, Communication Sciences & Disorders 
Youngsun Kim, Communication Sciences & Disorders 

P12. Helping NTT Faculty Thrive at Illinois State 

Though U.S. universities are increasingly relying on non-tenure track (NTT) faculty for undergraduate education, research demonstrates NTTs are often treated as outsiders. This poster highlights dissertation research results about the experiences, supports, and barriers to success NTTs face, with strategies to be more inclusive of NTT faculty at ISU. 

Presenters:
Rachel Smith,  Kinesiology & Recreation 
Tracy Mainieri,  Kinesiology & Recreation 

P13. Fostering Sense of Belonging: What Are Students Telling Us? 

   
Using the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), University Assessment Services collected qualitative and quantitative sense of belonging data in 2020 and 2023. Heightened focus will be placed on ISU's vulnerable student populations. Attendees will leave with one thing they can do to enhance sense of belonging at ISU. 

Presenter:
Ryan Smith, University Assessment 
Derek Meyers, University Assessment 

P14. Implementing Civic Engagement in an Agricultural Policy Course: An Instructor's First Steps 

This poster describes the initial attempt of the instructor of "AGR 319: Agricultural Policies and Programs" to integrate civic engagement activities into the classroom. A discussion of the course redesign process and objective outcomes will be discussed. 

Presenter:
Michael Barrowclough, Agriculture