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Save the Date information for the Great Ideas in Teaching Mini Conference

Great Ideas in Teaching (GIT) Mini Conference

The College of Education, in partnership with the ISU Center for Learning and Instructional Excellence (CLIE) and the ISU Graduate School, is excited to announce the first annual College of Education Great Ideas in Teaching (GIT) Mini Conference. This event is designed to bring our teaching community together to share innovative practices and learn from one another.

GIT will take the form of a mini conference with many different sessions, open to faculty, staff, and graduate students. Each session will be 10 minutes with 5 minutes for questions, and will provide an opportunity to share innovative teaching strategies, creative classroom ideas, or research on instructional practices in Higher Education. Presentations will focus on teaching with technology, assessment best practices, or innovative pedagogies. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. 

Date and time: November 7th, 2025 | 12pm - 5pm

Location: POND Student Union Building 

Conference theme: “Sharing Pedagogies and Practice”

View full conference schedule

Headshot of Liza Long

Keynote speaker: Dr. Liza Long, academic technology program manager for the Idaho State Board of Education

Biography
Liza Long is the Academic Technology Program Manager for the Idaho State Board of Education. Prior to taking this role, she was an Associate Professor of English and General Studies program committee chair at the College of Western Idaho, where she still teaches courses. She is also a Ph.D. student in the English program at Idaho State University. Liza's research is at the intersection of open education and generative artificial intelligence in writing instruction. Liza holds an MA in Classics from UCLA and a, Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership from Argosy University. She blogs about teaching and writing with AI at Artisanal Intelligence. 
Presentation: "Cyborgs, Centaurs, and Resistors: Teaching and Learning in the Age of Generative AI Intelligence"
The higher education apocalypse is here—or is it a renaissance? As generative AI forces us to question everything we thought we knew about teaching and learning, educators are increasingly becoming cyborgs (embracing AI integration), centaurs (cautiously considering limited AI use cases) and resistors (building digital fortresses to keep AI out of their classes).  One thing that's not in question: Your students are using AI, often in ways that harm them. What tools, knowledge, and experience do you need to help your students survive and thrive in the post-ChatGPT world? 
Learning Outcomes
    • Assess current AI capabilities and limitations to make informed pedagogical decisions in 2025.
    • Design assessments that evaluate authentic learning rather than AI-generated output.
    • Develop teaching strategies that leverage AI as a thinking partner while building uniquely human skills.
    • Explore institutional policies and practices that balance academic integrity with AI literacy preparation.

RSVP to the event

Schedule & Presenters

view schedule and presentation zoom links

Presenters

Suzanne Beasterfield, M.A. – Building Peer-to-Peer Connections in AO Courses: A Group Protocol

Moyedun Zannat Brinta – The Impact of Contemplative Pedagogies on Student Well-Being and Learning

David Coffland, Ph.D. – Multimedia Principles for Instructional Videos

Kaywin Cottle, M.Ed., and Allison L. Roxburgh, Ph.D. – Strategic LLM Selection: Choosing the Right Large Language Model for Your Use Case

Elaine Foster, Ph.D. – Beyond Recall: Using Higher-Order Questions and In-Class Quizzes to Elevate Learning and Assessment

Mackenzie Gorham – Experiential Training Through Case Studies for Technology Students

Don Hastings, Ed.D. – Active Learning Made Simple: Using Nearpod to Drive Student Participation

Rachel Hayes – Bridging the Gap: Scaffolding Writing and Research Skills

Sarah Maddux, PA-C – Write to Learn: Multiple-Choice Question Generation as an Active Learning Strategy for Physician Assistant Students

Marie Martinez, M.S., M.Ed., CCC-SLP, BCBA, LBA and Kristina Blaiser, Ph.D., CCC-SLP – Training an Interdisciplinary Cohort of Graduate Students to Utilize Best Practices When Using an Asynchronous Family Support Program

Beverly Ray, Ph.D. – Making a Case for AI Literacy

Susmita Saha – Inclusion of Postmethod Pedagogy and Digital Tools: Rethinking ESL Learning in the Bangladeshi Tertiary Context

Joshua K. Swift, Ph.D. and Eliana Claps, M.S. – Tracking Meaningful Outcomes of Teaching Effectiveness in a Self-Care and Well-Being Class

Kasey L. Wozniak, Anna S. Grinath, Ph.D., Heather J. Ray, Ph.D., and Devaleena S. Pradhan, Ph.D. –Course Design Elements of a Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) Course that Fosters Student’s Project Ownership

Xiaomeng (Mona) Xu, Ph.D. – Building Rapport in Asynchronous Online Courses – Messages and Media

Weijian Yan, Ph.D. – Innovating Instructional Design Pedagogies: Integrating Generative AI into VoiceThread Presentations