EdMedia + Innovate Learning Workshops

Monday, July 10, 12:00-2:30 PM

The Art of Serious Game for Educational Use

Abstract: Feedback from industry indicates that students entering the workplace after graduation lack certain professional competencies and pervasive skills. Obtainment of these professional competencies and pervasive skills will prepare students to meet the challenges and opportunities of today’s business world. A growing body of literature, on teaching and learning across different fields of study, indicates that lecturers should amend their teaching practices to include teaching and learning of a diverse gamut of competencies and skills. It is however noted that the workplace-feedback, does not include how lecturers should amend their teaching practices. Teaching and learning research across different disciplines suggests that the use of games in the classrooms can help students obtain professional competencies and pervasive skills. The presenter developed a serious game, for educational use to: (i) address the professional competencies and pervasive skills students require and to (ii) afford students an opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge. From the development journey of the serious game – different design steps, processes and iterations were identified. During the workshop the presenter will explain the design journey and also highlight the design-oriented research goals and methodology that may be utilized.

Presenters: Veruschka Pelser-Carstens is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Accounting Sciences at the North-West University, South Africa. She completed her PhD at the University of Eastern Finland in 2022 by developing a serious game design framework for educational tabletop games with digital components. Dr Pelser-Carstens also diversified her research focus to include Blended Learning, that utilises various multimedia platforms, and Instructional Design with particular emphasis on Design Science Research. Dr Pelser-Carstens is part of the research entity Technology Enhanced Learning and Innovative Education and Training in South Africa (TELIT-SA). She is also an executive member of the Southern African Accounting Association (SAAA) an association striving to promote education and research, and the interests of educators and researchers, in the field of Accountancy. Current research projects involve the development of an interactive, serious game for the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (FEMS). Dr Pelser-Carstens is also the recipient of numerous Teaching Excellence awards.

Gordon Matthew completed his PhD in 2018 by determining different ways to measure cognitive load while a person reads subtitles. In recent years, Dr Matthew also branched out his research focus to Multimedia Learning, Instructional Design, Subtitling and Cognitive Load theory with special focus on the Eye Tracking methodology. He also served on the executive committee of Eye Tracking South Africa (ETSA) and Digital Humanities Association of South Africa (DHASA) and was also part of the Planning Committee for ETSA conferences Dr Matthew also forms part of the Understanding and Processing Languages in Complex Settings (UPSET) focus area and Technology Enhanced Learning and Innovative Education and Training in South Africa (TELIT-SA) research entity. Current research projects involve the development of an interactive, serious game for the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (FEMS) as well as a the development of an instructional design checklist for designing multimedia learning environments on learning management sites based on multimedia learning and cognitive load theory. Both projects incorporate an eye-tracking methodology to determine interaction and usability of the games and environments generated.

Monday, July 10, 2:45-5:15 PM

Building Your Online Faculty Dossier for Tenure & Promotion, Annual Review, University Awards, and Future Employment Opportunities

Abstract: The content of the faculty member dossier usually includes but not limited to (1) a running curriculum vitae, (2) a teaching folder for the teaching statement, list of courses taught, copies of course syllabi, student evaluations, examples of student work etc.), (3) a research folder for the copies of the grants, publications and presentations, (4) a service folder for the list of the services provided at the university, college, and community level with the supporting evidences, (5) a folder for the copies of the awards and honors received by the faculty member, (6) and possibly additional folders to provide a list of professional development activities, letter of reviews by the colleagues and administration and more. (Miller, 2022; Vega, & Hengartner, 2021).

While some institutions have an electronic dossier system in place for faculty to use, others prefer paper-based portfolios and binders. Regardless of the system used for the dossier (paper or electronic), faculty members face the problem of not being able to organize and keep track of their academic activities (Vega, & Hengartner, 2021; Viswesh, Coyne, Hassell & Erstad, 2021). To address this problem at their institutions, the authors of this study developed an electronic dossier system and piloted it with the senior and junior faculty members. This workshop describes the process of preparing your own digital faculty dossier for tenure and/or promotion, annual reviews and future employment.

Presenter: Dr. Zafer Unal is a professor at the University of South Florida. His research focuses on the assessment and accreditation of teacher preparation programs, technology integration in education, and innovative classroom management strategies. He has presented at national and international conferences and published in leading education journals. He is the recipient of the 2021 AERA Distinguished Paper Award, 2020 EERA Best Professional Paper Award, 2019 AERA Distinguished Paper Award, 2018 GERA Best Paper Award, and 2004 TLC Best Paper Award. During his career at USF, Dr. Unal created various open-source and free technology projects. He developed the “FolioData” assessment system for his college collecting and analyzing data on applicant qualifications, candidate and graduate performance, and unit operations to evaluate and improve the unit and its programs (University of South Florida Patent & Copyright Office © 2005 (Tech ID # 14B166). He also developed a web-based application that calculates the demographic diversification of each school and school district in the United States. He created a web-application for educators to use case-based teaching methods in classroom management. He also created flippedclassroommodel.com for preservice teachers to build flipped lessons.

Monday, July 10, 2:45-5:15 PM

Ready Student One! Exploring how to build a successful Game-based Higher Education Course in Virtual Reality

Abstract: Today more than ever before, we have access to new technologies which provide unforeseen opportunities for educators to pursue new innovations in online education. Pursuing innovation is a complex process! It starts with an idea, but that needs to be coupled with the right team of experts willing to take big risks and put in the hard work to build something new. An instructional design team was empowered to reimagine an Introduction to Sociology university course as a Game-Based Learning (GBL) experience utilizing cutting edge Virtual Reality (VR) technology. The result was a innovate collaborative process that resulted in a brand-new type of learning based in Game theory, Method of Loci, and VR Immersion Simulations to promote deeper retention of core concepts. The team deconstructed the way that university courses operated, in order to rebuild the educational process in a whole new, learner-centric manner. In addition to a review of the build process, this presentation will explore the results of in-course surveys completed by student participants.

Presenters: Dr. Michele Wells PhD, MSW, LCSW
Dr. Robert Jesiolowski, DSW, MSW, LCSW, Indiana Wesleyan University
Mike Jones, MFA

Monday, July 10, 2:45-5:15 PM

AI in Education: Course Design Institute

Abstract: Are you AI-curious? Do you wonder if image generators such as Dall-e can turn your ideas into the next Picasso painting? Are you worried that your students will cheat relentlessly with their new study buddy ChatGPT? Perhaps you are secretly hoping AI will teach your next class, write recommendation letters or attend department meetings? As a field, educational technology grapples with the transformative potential of AI technology. The workshop will provide an introduction to generative AI, its underpinning technological principles and inherent limitations, and introduce tools and techniques to make the most of AI in Education. It will give examples of how to leverage AI to support Universal Design for Learning (UDL) by generating multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. Participants are encouraged to attend the workshop with the goal of redesigning or enhancing the instructional design of a specific course.

Presenter: Dr. Stefanie Panke is an educational technology specialist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is native German, and holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics and Literature from the University of Bielefeld, which she completed in 2012 with summa cum laude. Her research interests comprise social media, informal learning, open educational resources, and design thinking. As social media coordinator for AACE she is responsible for the blog AACE Review. Stefanie is an adjunct professor for teacher education at the Asian University for Women. She also teaches Web Science at Cologne University of Applied Sciences and Design Thinking at Münster University of Applied Sciences.

Tuesday, July 11, 1:45-4:15 PM

Creating and Adjusting the Lessons Content to Students’ Needs

Abstract: The nowadays challenges and difficulties the educational systems worldwide are facing, are an opportunity for educators to change teaching approaches for achieving greater outcomes and for responding to students’ needs. Despite the use of the term ‘CLIL’ in educational institutions worldwide, oftentimes the teachers are not yet aware of the fact that Content Based learning can be a more efficient approach for educating the future generation. The adjustment and creation of the materials is a tool that derives from the CLIL. This proposed session offers the participants the possibility to explore different approaches for creating and adjusting the curriculum content to the students’ needs and interests. One of the examples of materials that can be used during Content-Based lessons, would be the materials issued by Media outlets (newsmakes, newspapers, news channels). The examples used within the session will be for teachers of English mainly. The session would help the teachers participating in the workshop, explore and develop different task-based exercises for their students, using a recent article that is of high interest for the students. The used materials would be more of an interest for the students rather than the books where the content has not been changed for a number of years.

Presenter: Larisa Guzun, university lecturer, teacher trainer, English teacher, an activist in the field of education management, continuing professional development and youth policy development with an experience of over 15 years. Founder and main managing director of a unique Teachers’ Association – META NGO; an NGO that managed to gather over 400 members in 5 years and the NGO that aims at offering teachers career development opportunities which gradually influences and has an impact on the quality of education in Moldova.

Wednesday, July 12, 1:45-4:15 PM

E.N.G.A.G.E Your Learners

Abstract: This workshop will be a highly interactive session on creating learning experiences that connect, inspire, and engage your learners. The session will also headline strategies, tools, and real examples from different classrooms that have worked at our institution.
This workshop is based on two premises, 1. The E.N.G.A.G.E Model from the book Brilliance by Design (Halsey, 2011) and 2. Improving Student Engagement (Jim Parsons & Leah Taylor, 2011).

This workshop aims to create a peer-to-peer learning opportunity, a community of scholars, and an intentional space for you to share and discuss your experiences, insights, and best practices for engaging your students while also building your peer networks.

Presenter: Shweta Kailani is a creative and innovative professional with the aspiration of changing the face of education using evidence-based pedagogy and emerging technologies. With over 10 years of experience in Learning Design and Educational Technologies, Shweta is currently the Director of Transformational Teaching and Learning for the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University. She holds an undergraduate degree in Architecture, a master’s degree in Digital Design, and an MBA with a focus in Project Management. Shweta is currently also pursuing her Ph.D. in the Dept. of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University with research interests in Game-based Learning and the development of 21-century skills.

Kim Ritchie has a BS in Engineering Technology and has been working with educational technologies and distance education for almost 20 years. She is currently at Texas A&M University as the Director of Operations for Online Learning in the Statistics Department and is also on the Transformational Technology & Learning team in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The instructors have led multiple workshops on this topic at their home institution and worked with faculty from all different disciplines in arts and sciences.

Thursday, July 13, 10:15 AM-12:30 PM

Digital Shadows and Digital Twins as Exercise for Integrating XR in Higher Education

PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN LAPTOP TO PARTICPATE.

Abstract: XR technologies are often still referenced to as a new technology despite being around for the last three decades. Scientific literature provides several recommendations on how to design and implement XR experiences. Usually, these works imply expertise and experience in XR. There is the implicit question on how should end users, who are not expert, researchers or developers, use XR for their needs, in this case, for education. A common approach in XR literature is that a group with some experience in the development of XR applications, either as a research direction or addressing a particular problem, will involve educators in order to develop an application that offers an XR-based approach to education in that particular domain. An interesting question is whether a research group specialised in XR development is necessary in order to make it feasible to integrate XR in an institution. In September 2021 we started a project aimed at integrating XR technologies in higher education. We have investigated the challenges for integrations in higher education, usual difficulties faced by stakeholders and available contents in the fields of engineering. We explore the use of digital shadows and digital twins in engineering education and propose an approach to extend their use to other disciplines.

Presenters: Dr. Jose Garcia Estrada leads the Project “Integration of Virtual Technologies in learning and laboratory experiences” funded by the City of Vienna MA 23 at the University of Applied Sciences UAS Technikum Wien. He was awarded a PhD in Computer Science by the University of Hull in United Kingdom. His research interests include adoption of immersive technologies in higher education, mixed reality human-machine interaction and emerging technologies in higher education and industrial training.
Dr. Garcia started his research in immersive technologies at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics in Darmstadt, Germany. After obtaining his PhD. Dr Garcia carried out research at the University of Portsmouth at the School of Creative Technologies and the School of Computing in the United Kingdom. Afterwards he carried out research at the department of Education and Lifelong Learning at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway.

Sebastian Rauh, MSc is a researcher and lecturer at the department of Industrial Engineering, UAS Technikum Wien. Mr Rauh carried out his doctoral research at KTH Royal institute of technology in Sweden in the area of MR assistance systems in industry. He was a researcher at Heilbronn University in Germany. His research interests include digital shadows and digital twins, MR and AR in education.