Digital Transformation:
Leveraging Technology for Student Success
Monday, August 14, 2023
8:30 am - 2:30 pm
Williams Center
State University of New York at Fredonia
Fredonia, NY
View the Conference Program
Keynote Address:
Embracing Digital Transformation in Higher Education:
Shaping the Future of Teaching & Learning
Keynote Speaker:
Mark McBride
Associate Director for Libraries, Scholarly Communications, and Museums, Ithaka S+R
9:00 - 10:15 am
Williams Center Multipurpose Room
Mark McBride is currently the associate director for Libraries, Scholarly Communications, and Museums at Ithaka S+R. He is a thought leader in higher education, with a track record of implementing changes within complex organizations. In his role current role at Ithaka S+R, Mark leads a team of researchers and analysts that investigate the talent management strategies of complex memory organizations, specifically focusing on helping to deliver innovative services that support organizational culture, collections, and infrastructure. He has worked in public higher education for nearly 20 years, focusing on academic libraries and student access to education. He is a learning scientist, focused on investigation implications of open education in the higher education curriculum and applying design based research to methodologies. He is co-founder of the Open Education Research Lab at the University at Buffalo and his research interests focus on the impact OER has on teaching and learning.
8:30 - 9:00 am: Refreshments and Networking
9:00 - 10:15 am: Keynote Address with Mark McBride
Embracing Digital Transformation in Higher Education: Shaping the Future of Teaching & Learning
Morning Breakout Sessions:
10:30 - 11:20 am
The Best of FREDLearn for Engaging Students
with Brianna Garland, Online Support Coach; Lisa Melohusky, Director of Online Learning; and Laura Shrader, Instructional Designer, Online Learning, SUNY Fredonia
From Closed to Open: Introducing Dryad and the Era of Open Science
with Christina Hilburger, Senior Assistant Librarian/Research and Information Literacy Services Librarian; Michael Jabot, Ph.D., SUNY Distinguished Professor, Science Education; and Amanda Shepp, MLS, CA, Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives, SUNY Fredonia
Leveraging AI for Grading Computer Programs
Syed Haider, Assistant Professor, Computer & Information Sciences, SUNY Fredonia
11:30 - 12:20 pm
You Can Do It (Uke & Do It): Inclusive Strategies for Teaching!
Jill Reese, Professor of Music Education, School of Music, SUNY Fredonia
Copyright Compliance in Online Learning Environments: Fair Use in the Classroom Redefined
Christina Hilburger, Senior Assistant Librarian/Research and Information Literacy Services Librarian; and Stuart Shapiro, Visiting Assistant Professor, Music Industry, SUNY Fredonia
Learning is for All: Designing Courseware with Students For Students to Address Diverse Student Needs
Tony DiFranco, Director of Operations, SUNY OER Services, and Tori Matthews, Jeanette Koskinas, Daysha Jackson-Sanchez, Lumen Learning
12:20 - 1:30 pm: Lunch (Assorted sandwiches and wraps, green leaf salad, pasta salad, and cookies)
Afternoon Breakout Sessions:
1:30 - 2:20 pm
Curated Emerging Technologies to Help Instructors Engage Student Learners
Roberta (Robin) Sullivan, Teaching & Learning Strategist, University at Buffalo
ChatGPT for Educators: Exploring AI Applications in Higher Education
Christina Hilburger, Senior Assistant Librarian/Research and Information Literacy Services Librarian; Katelynn Telford, Digital Services Librarian/Interim Music Librarian, SUNY Fredonia
SUNY and the Open Learning Initiative: Partnership Overview and Opportunities to Engage
Tony DiFranco, Director of Operations, SUNY OER Services, Norman Bier, Director of the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) and the Executive Director of the Simon Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University; Erin Czerwinski, Manager, Learning Engineering and TEL Product, The Simon Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University
View the conference program for complete session descriptions.
Monday, August 15, 2022
Williams Center
State University of New York at Fredonia
Fredonia, NY
View the Conference Program
Afternoon Keynote Address: Moving Forward Together: Becoming More Inclusive Educators
Andrea O'Reilly Herrera
University of Colorado, Women's & Ethnic Studies Program
Attend in person, Williams Center S204D&E or via Zoom
This workshop will examine ways that educators can create more inclusive learning environments in their classrooms, regardless of what subject they teach. It will begin by focusing on social identity formation and cultural responsiveness, a term that has alternatively been referred to as cultural competency, proficiency and/or humility. At its heart, this refers to developing an understanding of one’s own social and cultural lenses, and the many ways these may shape our work and relationships with others. We will consider questions such as: How do our own cultural practices, beliefs, worldviews, communications, and more limit, devalue, and provide obstacles for some, while recognizing and prioritizing others? How do we learn to recognize and create inclusive spaces for varying cultural worldviews and practices? We will then discuss how to create settings for inclusive dialogue and lay the groundwork for a deeper examination of the dynamics of inclusionary practices, including exploring implicit bias, stereotype threat and more. Concrete tools and strategies will be shared.
About Dr. Andrea Herrera:
Dr. Herrera is a published poet, literary critic, and the author of a number of books, essays and journal articles. Her novel, The Pearl of the Antilles, was awarded the Golden Quill Book Award in 2005, and is currently in the process of being transcribed into a play script. Her most recent book, Cuban Artists Across the Diaspora: Setting the Tent Against the House, continues her exploration of Cuban diasporic history and culture.
Dr. Herrera was selected for the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in American Studies at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland in spring 2006 and has received numerous awards for her teaching and research. She was selected for the 2009 University of Colorado President's Teaching Scholar, the 2008 Elizabeth D. Gee Memorial Lectureship Award, and the 2004 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching, and Service.
TED* - The Empowerment Dynamic [Trauma-Informed Practices for Faculty & Staff]
Jeffrey Janicki, LMHC, NCC - Clinical Director of Mental Health Services, SUNY Fredonia
Williams Center S204D&E
This workshop is intended to introduce strategies for faculty/staff to engage students in meaningful conversations that promote student engagement and academic success by shifting student orientations from learned helplessness towards resilience. While all students face challenges through the college transition, for those who come to campus with a history of trauma, it can be even more challenging. This program is intended to raise awareness of trauma in institutions of higher education, help faculty and staff understand how trauma impacts learning and development, and provide practical advice on how to work effectively with college students who have been exposed to trauma. Participants will learn the differences between problem and outcome orientations; strategies to improve student motivation, engagement, and success; coaching/referral skills; and an overview of Counseling Center Services.
Improving Student Engagement Through Designing of Interactive STEM Education Apps
Gurmukh Singh, Senior Lecturer, Computer & Information Science
Williams Center, S204C
Generally speaking, in literature the deterministic STEM education problems are solved using well-known numerical methods, whereas probabilistic STEM education problems are solved through Monte Carlo simulations. In both cases, the computer simulation plays an important role and requires the computational techniques involving modern software systems to develop such applications. To improve the engagement of middle, secondary and post-secondary levels of STEM education, it becomes imperative to include many opportunities for learners and teachers to learn how to employ modern technology to better understand and promote students’ engagement in the learning of mathematical concepts with technology-based pedagogy. This scholarly article highlights the designing of a variety of STEM education Apps to help out teachers and learners use commonly available Spreadsheets and .NET Framework as an interactive exploratory teaching/learning tool. Several examples of designing STEM education Apps will be presented and discussed, which may be used by the teachers in their own teaching.
Well, That Escalated Quickly: When One Project Becomes Many Projects
Mandi Shepp, Senior Assistant Librarian, Reed Library
Williams Center, S204A
Have you ever been working on a large-scale project, found one problem that needs to be resolved in order to continue the project, and in the process of solving that one problem, discovered several smaller, more immediately urgent, problems along the way? Figuring out these project knots can be overwhelming and potentially discouraging at times, especially when each individual issue that’s run into seems to have several others wrapped up in it as well. How do you even begin to continue on your original project when all of these other sudden to-dos are standing in the way? In this session, you’ll learn about various project management and productivity techniques, software and apps, and thought strategies - for individuals and small teams/groups - to prioritize, manage, and begin to solve their project knots.
Going beyond “How’s it going” to integrated wellness “habits” in our courses: Action strategies
Kathleen Gradel, Interim Director, Grants & Sponsored Programs, and Professor, College of Education
Williams Center S204D&E
We all integrate peer-to-peer and instructor-student segues with students in our courses. We mean well, but sometimes don’t strategically embed wellness-smart moments and practices into our course structure. This session will focus on a few actionable “habits” that you can embed in your courses to both check in with and empower students to bring their growing resilience to the table, while they grapple with major mental health “busters” they are facing.
Using Grackle and Ally to Create Accessible Course Content
Lisa Melohusky, Director of Online Learning
Williams Center, S204A
Accessible course content gives all students the same access to educational experiences, services, and information, whether a person has a disability or not. In this session, several tools will be covered to assist with creating accessible materials. Topics covered will include:
- Learn about the Ally, a Moodle plugin that checks course materials against WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards and provides guidance to educators to improve the accessibility of their course material.
- Learn how to create accessible documents in Google Docs using the Grackle add-on
- Accessibility tools in Brightspace
Participants should have access to their syllabus and bring a device to use during the session.
Talking with Students about Allyship
Jennifer Hildebrand, Associate Professor, History Department and Coordinator of Ethnic Studies
Williams Center, S204C
Many of our students (and many of us!) want to be good allies and advocates, but don't know the best ways to offer support. We'll talk about five key steps we can take to help us be thoughtful and engaged partners in a push for social justice. Sometimes people are hesitant to step forward because they worry they'll say or do the wrong thing. And at some point they will, because we're all learning together and we all make mistakes! We'll spend some time brainstorming about the "do's and don't's" of a good apology to underline the fact that fear of misstepping shouldn't stop anyone from trying to be a good ally and advocate and to prepare ourselves for that inevitable moment when we need to reevaluate our words and actions.
Course Mode Best Practices and Seven Course Design Activities You Can Accomplish Today
Session Recordings from Monday, August 17, 2020:
Course Mode Best Practices
- Remote Course Mode Best Practices Overview AB and ABC Course Mode Best Practices Overview
- Hybrid Course Mode Best Practices Overview
Seven Course Design Activities You Can Accomplish Today
- Activity One: Upload syllabus and course schedule to OnCourse and manage preloaded template items. Find students who are enrolled and communicate with the entire class or individuals.
- Activity Two: Using Google Slides for Engagement in Remote, Hybrid, and AB/ABC Courses
- Activity Three: Hide/show content to students in OnCourse, move items around in OnCourse, and make use of topic areas. Link to a YouTube video or URL in OnCourse
- Activity Four: Using Google Docs for organization and housekeeping in Remote, Hybrid, and AB/ABC Courses
- Activity Five: Using library resources with your remote students. Link to an article(s) in the library database using the article’s permalink and the URL tool in OnCourse
- Activity Six: Use the Assignment tool in OnCourse to create an activity or assessment submitted using a dropbox that includes a start, end, and late options. Use the calendar to schedule a due date for an item.
- Activity Seven: Use Discussions Boards in OnCourse
Session Recording from Tuesday, August 18, 2020
- Fredonia's Students of Concern Team - Helping Students and Those Who Care About Them
Monday, August 19, 2019: "Limitless Learning: Empowering Students through Inclusive Course Design"
13th Annual Teaching & Learning Conference
Keynote Address: "Beginning your own Inclusive Design Strategy", presented by Jess Mitchell, Senior Manager for Research + Design, Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University
Join us for a candid and compelling discussion about Inclusive Design and what it looks like in college learning environments. Participants will examine their teaching practices through critical lens of inclusive design, and will be able to intentionally apply this approach in daily decision making. Essential elements for making teaching and learning inclusive will be shared, as well as challenges that arise in making inclusive content. Next steps to being empowered and supporting each other in a community of practice will be provided. Learn how you can begin to see things differently and what it looks like to apply these learnings tomorrow!
About the Keynote Speaker:
Jess Mitchell serves as the Senior Manager for Research + Design at the Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University in Toronto, Ontario. Jess’ recent work includes a project for the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research dedicated to helping people with disabilities personalize a “one-size-fits-one” approach to accessibility, removing barriers to access for users with sensory or physical limitations, cognitive constraints or other unique learning affordances.
A word from the speaker: “I am lately most fascinated with the evolving world of design, in particular ethics and design. I spend most of my time in inclusion, diversity, and equity. And am deeply committed to empowering people and helping to shift their perspective.”
Monday, August 19, 2019: "Limitless Learning: Empowering Students through Inclusive Course Design"
13th Annual Teaching & Learning Conference
Keynote Address: "Beginning your own Inclusive Design Strategy", presented by Jess Mitchell, Senior Manager for Research + Design, Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University
Join us for a candid and compelling discussion about Inclusive Design and what it looks like in college learning environments. Participants will examine their teaching practices through critical lens of inclusive design and will be able to intentionally apply this approach in daily decision making. Essential elements for making teaching and learning inclusive will be shared, as well as challenges that arise in making inclusive content. Next steps to being empowered and supporting each other in a community of practice will be provided. Learn how you can begin to see things differently and what it looks like to apply these learnings tomorrow!
About the Keynote Speaker:
Jess Mitchell serves as the Senior Manager for Research + Design at the Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University in Toronto, Ontario. Jess’ recent work includes a project for the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research dedicated to helping people with disabilities personalize a “one-size-fits-one” approach to accessibility, removing barriers to access for users with sensory or physical limitations, cognitive constraints or other unique learning affordances.
A word from the speaker: “I am lately most fascinated with the evolving world of design, in particular ethics and design. I spend most of my time in inclusion, diversity, and equity. And am deeply committed to empowering people and helping to shift their perspective.”
August 14, 2017: "Free Your Curriculum Using Open Educational Resources"
11th Annual FredoniaTeaching & Learning Conference
Keynote Address: "How to Reach the Full Potential Offered by Open Educational Resources (OERs)" presented by Dr. C. Edward Watson
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are resulting in a great deal of excitement in higher education today, not only because they save students money, but because their successful adoption by faculty is also being found to have positive impacts on a number of student success metrics. With that said, there are key challenges that faculty and institutions must resolve to achieve the full benefits of OERs. This keynote is designed to address the complete range of topics associated with OERs. Attendees will learn about what constitutes an OER, where to find high quality OERs, proven course redesign strategies customized for OER adoption; and what resources are being developed to complement OER textbooks. Research regarding faculty and student perceptions of OERs will also be shared as will emerging research regarding the impact of OERs on students in large enrollment general education courses. Those attending this session will leave with a broad understanding of the value of OERs as well as practical strategies for finding/authoring, adopting, and utilizing these materials in their own courses.
About the Keynote Speaker: C. Edward Watson, Ph.D. joined the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Summer 2017 as Associate Vice President for Quality, Advocacy, and LEAP Initiatives. He was previously the director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Georgia (UGA) where he led university efforts associated with faculty development, TA development, learning technologies, media production services, classroom support and learning spaces, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. At UGA, he launched and led an OER initiative that has saved UGA students over $2.5 million to date. Dr. Watson is also the executive editor of the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and the International Journal of ePortfolio and is on the board of directors for the International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning; the Association for Authentic, Experiential, and Evidenced-based Learning; and the Reacting to the Past Consortium. He is author of two new books, Teaching Naked Techniques: A Practical Guide to Designing Better Classes(Jossey-Bass) and Playing to Learn with Reacting to the Past - Research on High Impact, Active Learning Practices (Palgrave MacMillan), both published in 2017.
August 15, 2016: "Learning & the Mind: The Power of Deep Learning"
10th Annual Fredonia Teaching & Learning Conference
Keynote Address: "Focus, Remember, Motivate: Setting the Stage for Deep Learning" presented by Dr. Michelle Miller
How can we help all students gain a solid foundation of knowledge, while also teaching them how to think? How do working memory and attention factor into the learning process? And how do we keep students motivated to put in the effort that’s necessary to accomplish deep learning? These questions are some of the most challenging ones we face as we design and teach our courses. Fortunately, findings from cognitive psychology and related disciplines tell us a lot about how to address them, offering design principles that we can use in blended, face-to-face, and online modalities.
About the Keynote Speaker: Michelle D. Miller is the Director of the First Year Learning Initiative, Professor of Psychological Sciences, and President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Northern Arizona University. Dr. Miller's academic background is in cognitive psychology; her research interests include memory, attention, psychological impacts of technology and student success in the early college career. Dr. Miller co-created the First Year Learning Initiative at Northern Arizona University and is active in course redesign, serving as a Redesign Scholar for the National Center for Academic Transformation. She is the author of Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology (Harvard University Press, 2014), and has written about evidence-based pedagogy in scholarly as well as general-interest publications including College Teaching, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, and The Conversation. Dr. Miller’s current work focuses on using psychological principles to help instructors create more effective and engaging learning experiences and to help students become more effective learners.
August 17, 2015: "Moving Beyond Walls: Teaching Through Engagement"
9th Annual Fredonia Teaching & Learning Conference
Keynote Address: "New Media, students: New literacies, citizens" presented by Dr. Jason Ohler
What are some of the key issues that define leading and learning in the digital age? Digital literacy, new media participation, digital citizenship, and engagement lead the agenda. Without digital literacy, digital citizenship is not possible. Therefore, we need to help students become truly literate by helping them become active media creators, critical media consumers and engaged digital citizens. Above all, we need to help them learn how to use tools to imagine the world they want to create, as students, workers, citizens. Based on Jason’s latest books, Digital Community, Digital Citizen and Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning and Creativity.
About the Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jason Ohler is a professor emeritus, speaker, writer, teacher, and cyber researcher. He is also a lifelong digital humanist who is well known for the passion, insight, and humor he brings to his presentations, projects and publications. He has worked both online and in classrooms at home and internationally for over a quarter century helping students develop the new literacies they need to be successful in the digital age. He is a passionate promoter of “Art the Next R” and of combining innovation, creativity and digital know how to help reinvent teaching and learning.
August 18, 2014: "Framing the Future: Teaching, Learning, Advancing"
8th Annual Fredonia Teaching & Learning Conference
Keynote Address: "Learning to Learn" presented by Dr. Cathy Davidson, City University of New York
A passionate manifesto from one of the nation’s leading educational innovators, this talk is a real-world critique of current practices in higher education and an optimistic argument that we can redesign learning in the classroom for the skills students are already developing outside the classroom – collaborative, interest driven, connected to technology, and deep in global understanding. “Learning to Learn” is the story of educational change—how the system we have inherited was made by real individuals, preserved by real institutions, in reaction to real technological and economic circumstances. We are at a tipping point where, now, we can remake the systems we have inherited for the contemporary world. To make change happen we have to be able to think in several directions at once (including thinking through new methods of peer learning, digital literacy, assessment, and credentialing). The good news is that this process is beginning everywhere worldwide. This talk offers both theoretical and practical advice on how to think through new forms of higher education for the world we live in now.
About the Keynote Speaker: Cathy N. Davidson, co-founder HASTAC, a network of innovators dedicated to new forms of learning for the digital age, was appointed by President Obama to the National Council on the Humanities in 2011. In October 2012, Cathy received an Educator of the Year award from the World Technology Network in recognition of her contribution to science and technology in education through her work as co-founder of HASTAC. Cathy recently joined the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and will be directing the Futures Initiative, a CUNY-wide program to promote collaborative and participatory innovation in higher education.
August 19, 2013: "Innovative Learning Environments"
7th Annual Fredonia Teaching & Learning Conference
Keynote Address: "Getting Serious About Education: Cultivating Culturally Relevant Teachers for New Century Students" presented by Dr. Gloria Ladson Billings, University of Wisconsin, Madison
According to the annual Beloit College Mindset list for incoming freshmen, the young people on our campuses know and experience a world profoundly different from that of their professors and administrators. However, most college campuses continue to teach courses in the same ways they have done for decades, perhaps even centuries. This presentation takes a look at how culturally relevant pedagogy—a way to think about teaching—can apply to collegiate settings and recruit youth and popular culture to engage in powerful learning.
About the Keynote Speaker: Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings is the Kellner Family Professor of Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Ladson-Billings' area of expertise focuses culturally relevant pedagogy, and her research examines the pedagogical practices of teachers who are successful with African-American students. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children. She is a former president of the American Educational Research Association and former editor of the American Educational Research Journal.
August 20, 2012: "Education for Social Change"
6th Annual Fredonia Teaching & Learning Conference
Keynote Address: "Learning in Harmony with Our Brain" presented by Dr. Terry Doyle, Ferris State University
Almost daily neuroscience, biology, and cognitive science researchers reveal new insights about how the human brain works and learns. The value of this research is its potential to elevate the learning success of all students regardless of their learning situations. Hard science research about human learning levels the playing field for all learners. This presentation will discuss many of these new research findings and suggest ways to apply them in a higher education setting. Topics will include findings on movement and exercise, stress, sleep, memory enhancers, attention enhancers, and the role of neurogenesis, neuroplasticity, and genes in enhancing learning.
About the Keynote Speaker: Terry Doyle is an author, educational consultant, and Professor of Reading at Ferris State University where he has worked for the past 35 years. From 1998 to 2009 he served as the Senior Instructor for Faculty Development and Coordinator of the New to Ferris Faculty Transition Program for the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning at Ferris State. He is the author of the book Learner Centered Teaching: Putting the Research on Learning into Practice which was featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Selected New Books in Higher Education in 2012 and the book Helping Students Learn in a Learner Center Environment: A Guide to Teaching in Higher Education, published by Stylus, 2008. His newest book titled Learning in Harmony with Your Brain is written for college students and is scheduled for publication in 2013.
For more information on Dr. Doyle's work related to learner centered teaching and brain research, please visit his website: http://learnercenteredteaching.wordpress.com/
August 15, 2011: "Creating Community: Collaborative Learning & Technologies"
5th Annual The State University of New York at Fredonia Teaching & Learning Conference
Keynote Address: Dr. Holly Lawson, Professor, Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Fredonia