Are They Ready for You? Academic and Cultural Considerations for Transitioning from a 2-Year to a 4-Year Institution — Amanda Owens <aowens@bishop.edu>

This session explores the academic and cultural transition of community college students into four-year faculty environments. While many students arrive motivated and capable, they often encounter significant shifts in class workload, instructional pace, faculty expectations, and independent learning demands. The presentation examines differences in teaching techniques, assessment styles, study habits, and the structure of learning communities that can leave transfer students feeling unprepared and disconnected. ## Presenters - Amanda Owens <aowens@bishop.edu>, Bishop State Community College

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Beyond the Bench: Collaborative Partnerships and Professional Identity Work — Adam Barnes <abarnes@southalabama.edu>

Doctoral students develop deep research expertise, yet many struggle to translate their work into language that resonates beyond the lab. Through a collaboration between Career Development and the College of Medicine—alongside a current PhD student partner—we have facilitated structured conversations around professional identity, transferable skills, and the influence of AI in today’s job market. This session centers the student collaboration experience and introduces a flexible concept map used to guide career translation discussions. Participants will engage in a structured pilot-planning activity to identify potential campus partnerships and low-lift implementation strategies. Attendees will leave with a concept map template, discussion prompts, and practical tools to integrate career readiness conversations into their own programs while maintaining a human-centered focus in an AI-influenced educational landscape. ## Presenters - Adam Barnes <abarnes@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Alani Rodgers <arodgers@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Haley Kominek <had2221@jagmail.southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama

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Care, Clarity, Community: Building a Village in Every Classroom — Lynn Strong <ldw0027@auburn.edu>

In AI-saturated writing environments, students can generate “good enough” documents without ever asking a deeply human question: Who am I writing for, and what do I owe them? This session offers a humanities-forward approach to technical writing that treats audience identification as ethical care and human-in-the-loop reasoning. I share a sequence of classroom practices, including stakeholder mapping, persona interviews, community agreements, and feedback circles, that moves students from generic audience labels to real, accountable relationships. These practices strengthen clarity and usability, and they also reduce online isolation by helping students see peers and publics as present, named, and worth listening to. Participants will leave with adaptable prompts and assessment moves that require meaningful human intervention, such as weighing tradeoffs, anticipating consequences, and evaluating AI-generated text, visuals, and data through empathy and ethics. We will also discuss transparent AI use policies that position students as responsible authors and collaborators. The goal is a classroom village where technology supports critical thinking, curiosity, and humane communication. ## Presenters - Lynn Strong <ldw0027@auburn.edu>, University of South Alabama

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Everything Is Writing: Humanizing English Composition Through Public Writing — Kimiko Lumsden <kimikolumsden@gmail.com>

As generative AI reshapes writing, many English Composition students feel disengaged with their own words. Educators and students alike echo the same concerns. In a world where machines can draft essays, we are left wondering: do our words matter?  This interactive workshop argues yes, and participants will help demonstrate how and why.  Through this session, we return English Composition to its oldest foundation: storytelling in a community. Long before formal essays, humans made meaning through story. Our memory and observation became shared experience. Public Writing in a Post-AI World builds on that inheritance. Writing begins with presence as students compose through storytelling and creative risk. They enter communities. They observe and listen. They remember.  Writing then becomes an act of witnessing.  Students learn everything is writing, and everything is community. Technology does not replace their work but becomes the vehicle that reveals why the humanity within their work matters, especially now. Their words carry weight because they come from a life only they have lived. Participants will engage in a live public-writing experiment drawn directly from the course. Together, we will move from an impersonal paragraph into human revision and collaborative meaning-making through memory, sensory detail, and participative reflection. Attendees will leave with adaptable, human-centered assignments that help students reclaim their own voices as they connect to their work again. This session demonstrates how public writing assignments can restore agency and curiosity, but most importantly, joy while teaching critical AI literacy. ## Presenters - Kimiko Lumsden <kimikolumsden@gmail.com>, United Stated Sports University

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From Concept to Curriculum: Implementing Professional Identity Formation — Tiquera Hall <twhall@southalabama.edu>

Professional identity formation (PIF) is widely acknowledged as essential in professional education, yet institutions often struggle to implement it beyond conceptual language. This interactive workshop presents the development and operationalization of the Whiddon College of Medicine Professional Identity Formation model and the structured process used to embed and tag PIF elements across the curriculum. Participants will engage in a guided identity audit and a tagging simulation to explore how reflective and relational outcomes can be made visible without increasing curricular overload. The session offers a practical framework for translating identity-based goals into implementable curricular strategies. Attendees will leave with adaptable tools to map, align, and tag identity formation within their own programs while preserving human-centered development in increasingly competency-driven and technology-supported environments. ## Presenters - Tiquera Hall <twhall@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - LoRen Modisa <lmodisa@southalabama.edu>, Unversity of South Alabama

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Generative AI: Strategic Adoption, Risks, and Student Impact — Timothy Johnson <timothyjohnson@southalabama.edu>

This session explores Generative AI’s transformative role in education, balancing its potential to boost student achievement against critical ethical risks. Aligning closely with "Humans, Humanity, and the Humanities," we will examine how strategic AI adoption can elevate—rather than replace—human-centric teaching and critical thinking in our learning environments. The presentation features a blend of targeted insights and interactive engagement. Participants will collaborate in small-group "AI Sandbox" activities and analyze real-world case studies to evaluate AI-generated outputs. Session Outcomes: Attendees will: 1. Identify key GenAI opportunities and risks. 2. Establish human-centered guidelines for classroom AI use. 3. Design teaching strategies that leverage technology to empower, rather than diminish, the human element of learning. ## Presenters - Timothy Johnson <timothyjohnson@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama

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High-Touch Pedagogy in a High-Tech World: Preserving Humanity of Caring — Melinda McGaughy <mmcgaughy@umobile.edu>

A High-Touch Pedagogy in a High-Tech World: Preserving the Humanity of Caring This presentation by the nursing faculty of the University of Mobile explores the foundational concept of human caring science and the understandings of moral reasoning in the context of sharing the skills of empathy, compassion and connection with students. This presentation will demonstrate the value of modeling these uniquely human traits in the classroom in practical ways, including modified syllabus language and faculty/student interactions. The unique challenges of online teaching will be discussed, with tips on enhancing engagement.  The presentation will provide evidence-based strategies for faculty for gaining insight into the high-tech future while finding balance through intentional connection. ## Presenters - Melinda McGaughy <mmcgaughy@umobile.edu>, University of Mobile - Tammy Brown <tbrown@umobile.edu>, The University of Mobile - Beverly Collier <bcollier@umobile.edu>, The University of Mobile - Shannon Cronn <scronn@umobile.edu>, The University of Mobile - Jessica Garner <jgarner@umobile.edu>, The University of Mobile - Julie Hughes <jhughes@umobile.edu>, The University of Mobile - Vicki Park <vpark@umobile.edu>, The University of Mobile - Kendra Strenth <kstrenth@umobile.edu>, The University of Mobile - Sarah Witherspoon <switherspoon@umobile.edu>, The University of Mobile

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Human-Centered AI Literacy: Designing for Agency, Ethics, and Curiosity — Leah Gutenson <ldgutenson@ua.edu>

As artificial intelligence becomes embedded across educational and professional contexts, AI literacy must extend beyond tool use to include human judgment, ethical reasoning, and curiosity. This session advances a human-centered conception of AI literacy aligned with the conference theme, positioning AI readiness as a cognitive, ethical, and relational capacity that spans K–12, higher education, and workforce preparation. Drawing on interdisciplinary research and cross-sector perspectives, the session reframes AI literacy as a continuum of critical inquiry and reflective practice rather than a technical skillset. Participants will engage in a guided, small-group design activity in which they analyze and redesign an assignment, curriculum element, or workplace directive to foreground self-regulated learning, ethical evaluation, and human oversight. Through dialogue and reflection, attendees will leave with adaptable, resource-conscious strategies for designing learning experiences that prepare learners not just to use AI, but to question, supervise, and ethically shape it. ## Presenters - Leah Gutenson <ldgutenson@ua.edu>, University of Alabama - Jason Miller <jason.miller@ua.edu>, University of Alabama

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Human-Centered Assessment in the Age of AI — Travien L. Capers <travien@uscmed.sc.edu>

As generative AI reshapes higher education, assessment practices must evolve to preserve the central role of human judgment, reflection, and ethical reasoning in learning. This interactive workshop explores human-centered approaches to assessment that emphasize critical thinking, synthesis, and meaning-making rather than task completion or AI-detective work. Grounded in the conference theme Humans, Humanity, and the Humanities, participants will examine assessment strategies that require “human-in-the-loop” engagement across disciplines and modalities, including online, hybrid, and experiential learning environments. Through guided discussion and applied activities, attendees will analyze current assessment challenges, explore authentic and process-based assessment models, and leave with practical strategies they can adapt for their own courses and programs. The session highlights assessment as a powerful tool for sustaining humanity, curiosity, and connection in AI-mediated teaching and learning environments. ## Presenters - Travien L. Capers <travien@uscmed.sc.edu>, Univesrity of South Carolina

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Human-Centered Prompt Engineering in Teaching & Learning — Ryan Buchanan <ryan.buchanan@coastalalabama.edu>

As artificial intelligence becomes woven into higher education, educators face new questions about how to preserve human presence, empathy, creativity, and judgment in the learning environment. This hands-on workshop introduces a human-centered approach to prompt engineering—one that emphasizes reflective practice, ethical reasoning, and meaningful human oversight. Participants will learn practical strategies for transforming course materials while ensuring that AI enhances rather than replaces the uniquely human elements of teaching. Through guided demonstrations and active creation, attendees will develop structured prompts for module pages, assignments, discussions, and student communications. The workshop highlights where instructors must remain “in the loop,” using critical thinking to evaluate, refine, and contextualize AI-generated content. Participants will leave with adaptable workflows, prompt templates, and confidence in using AI to support student success while maintaining humanity at the core of educational practice. ## Presenters - Ryan Buchanan <ryan.buchanan@coastalalabama.edu>, Coastal Alabama Community College

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Keep Learning Human: Reflective Journaling in an AI World — Jennifer Humber <jhumber@ches.ua.edu>

As artificial intelligence reshapes higher education, reflective journaling offers a powerful, human-centered counterbalance—cultivating critical thinking, self-awareness, and ethical reasoning. This session explores how intentional reflective writing practices can preserve the social and moral dimensions of learning, help students create meaning, reflect on experiences, and engage deeply with course content in ways AI cannot replicate. Audience engagement is central to the session’s design. Participants will engage in brief reflective prompts, small-group discussion, and guided analysis of sample journal assignments and feedback strategies. These interactive elements model reflective pedagogy and invite participants to adapt journaling techniques to their own teaching contexts. ## Presenters - Jennifer Humber <jhumber@ches.ua.edu>, University of Alabama

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Keeping Students in the Loop | A Faculty Learning Community Investigation — Lisa LaCross <lacross@southalabama.edu>

In the age of AI and the often transactional faculty-student relationship, our Faculty Learning Community (FLC) considered ways to emphasize our students’ connection, agency, and curiosity. We explored relevance and motivation, while questioning AI usage and policies. While potential solutions include teams, active learning, and wicked problem investigation, we recognized the limitation of a lack of direct student input. Our investigation led us to facilitating a student panel and discussion to learn more about the student experience in our current classrooms. This workshop identifies the major takeaways from our student-centered discussions and prompts participants to reflect on how they lead students to see the value of their courses. ## Presenters - Lisa LaCross <lacross@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Laura Frost <lafrost@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Andrei Pavelescu <andreipavelescu@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Gayan Abeynanda <gsabeynanda@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Marie Leonard <mleonard@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Leigh Delaney Tucker <leighdelaney@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Dallas Schmidt <dallasschmidt@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Mara Kozelsky <mkozelsky@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Karen Peterson <kpeterson@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Lisa LaCross <lacross@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Dave Messenger <davidamessenger@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama

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Making Learning Visible: A Human-Centered Approach to Helping Students Connect Course Learning to Real-World Career Competencies — Brandy Rhodes <brandylrhodes@yahoo.com>

This interactive workshop is grounded in the work of the 2025/26 LevelUP Faculty Learning Community (FLC) and addresses a persistent challenge in higher education: while students often complete meaningful and rigorous coursework, they struggle to articulate and demonstrate what they have learned - particularly in ways valued by employers - on résumés or portfolios. While faculty routinely design learning experiences, their role in helping students translate course learning into visible, career-ready competencies is less clearly defined. This session presents a human-centered, evidence-informed approach that places students’ goals, contexts, and aspirations at the heart of teaching design - especially amid AI-driven shifts in education and hiring. Participants will engage in guided activities drawn from the LevelUP FLC, including learner persona (profile) development, employer research, course analysis, artifact identification, and résumé template drafting. Attendees will leave with practical templates, draft artifacts, and a transferable framework for helping students make their learning visible in human-driven, real-world ways. #### Objective By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to create a draft résumé or portfolio template that aligns course learning outcomes with employer-valued competencies through a human-centered, evidence-informed approach. ## Presenters - Brandy Rhodes <brandylrhodes@yahoo.com>, University of South Alabama - Michelle Hale <mahale@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Gayan Abeynanda <gsabeynanda@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama - Amma Adusei <gammaadusei@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama

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Packback AI Keeps Humans in the Loop — Karen Peterson <kpeterson@southalabama.edu>

Can we embrace the emergence of AI as a tool in the education of our students? Can students critically think in efforts to teach AI systems? In this session we will explore how Packback can be used to give feedback to improve student writing in Freshman Composition. We will also examine how this Canvas add-on can aid students in writing their own discussion questions and responses that meet a minimum curiosity score in online literature classes. We will see how student feedback and acceptance of Packback suggestions has improved the quality of feedback, teaching the Instructional AI to give better responses in subsequent assignments. This session will explore how humans make connections with AI that fosters learning on the part of students and on the part of the Instructional AI program, Packback. Feedback from Packback has improved students' writing and questioning ability in an online literature class as well as Freshman Composition. Participants can expect to see how Packback approached feedback with designed rubrics in English 102, and with a minimum curiosity score required in the World Literature course. ## Presenters - Karen Peterson <kpeterson@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama

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Packback AI Keeps Humans in the Loop — Karen Peterson <kpeterson@southalabama.edu>

Can we embrace the emergence of AI as a tool in the education of our students? Can students critically think in efforts to teach AI systems? In this session we will explore how Packback can be used to give feedback to improve student writing in Freshman Composition. We will also examine how this Canvas add-on can aid students in writing their own discussion questions and responses  that meet a minimum curiosity score in online literature classes. We will see how student feedback and acceptance of Packback suggestions has improved the quality of feedback, teaching the Instructional AI to give better responses in subsequent assignments. This session will explore how humans make connections with AI that fosters learning on the part of students and on the part of the Instructional AI program, Packback.  Feedback from Packback has improved students' writing and questioning ability in an online literature class as well as Freshman Composition. Participants can expect to see how Packback approached feedback with designed rubrics in English 102, and with a minimum curiosity score required in the World Literature course. ## Presenters - Karen Peterson <kpeterson@southalabama.edu>, University of South Alabama

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Skillcourt and Human Flourishing: Enhancing Teaching and Training Environments — Noemi Zaharia <nzaharia@ussu.edu>

This workshop explores how Skillcourt, a neuroscience-based training platform, fosters both cognitive development and humanistic growth in educational and athletic contexts. Skillcourt’s evidence-based modules enhance cognitive decision-making and spatial awareness, cultivating mental agility and situational responsiveness, skills essential for thriving in complex environments. Beyond measurable performance gains, its structured design promotes self-awareness and confidence, empowering individuals to perceive themselves as capable, resilient, and adaptable. To illustrate these principles, participants will engage in rapid decision-making and spatial awareness challenges, followed by guided reflection exercises that connect these experiences to creativity, resilience, and personal growth. These interactive activities demonstrate how simple, low-tech strategies can replicate the benefits of AI-driven technology, inspiring innovative practices in classrooms, gyms, and training environments. Ultimately, this session underscores the importance of integrating cognitive science with humanistic pedagogy to create learning spaces that value both technical skill and holistic development. ## Presenters - Noemi Zaharia <nzaharia@ussu.edu>, United Stated Sports University - Mark Deaton <mdeaton@ussu.edu>, United States Sports University - Noemi Zaharia <nzaharia@ussu.edu>, United States Sports University

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Teaching Human Connection using Graphic Medicine in Medical Education — Leesha Coleman <ljcoleman@southalabama.edu>

Participants will engage in a classroom style workshop where they will be immersed in a medical ethics session through the use of graphic medicine. Through small and large group discussion, they will engage with a comic that deals with a medical ethics situation. The activity will allow participants to reflect on the humanizing value of this method of instruction while learning how to integrate the style to other fields outside of medical education. ## Presenters - Matthew Gervase <mgervase@shc.edu>, Spring Hill College

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Teaching the Humans Who Will Teach the Humans — Dr. Freda Barnett-Braddock <freda.braddock@columbiasouthern.edu>

As generative artificial intelligence reshapes higher education, much of the discourse centers on efficiency, automation, and oversight. This is often framed as “Human in the Loop.” While necessary, this framing risks reducing education to supervision rather than purpose. This presentation will show how the College of Education occupies a uniquely consequential role in the AI era by preparing the educators, instructional designers, and leaders who will shape how AI is used across K–12, higher education, and workforce learning environments. Grounded in research on educational psychology, human-centered pedagogy, and ethics (Mollick, 2024; Selwyn, 2019; OECD, 2021), the session aligns with the conference theme by centering human judgment, empathy, and moral reasoning as essential to teaching and learning. Using examples from teacher preparation, leadership, and online programs, the session highlights curriculum and assessment strategies that require meaningful human intervention. Interactive design activities will engage participants in reimagining education as an ethical anchor, ensuring AI-enhanced learning remains relational, reflective, and deeply human. ## Presenters - Freda Braddock <freda.braddock@columbiasouthern.edu>, Columbia Southern University

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The Accessibility Equation: Balancing Materials, Pedagogy, and Student Experience — Ameya Kolarkar <akolarkar@fsu.edu>

While the Title II deadline has passed, accessibility is about more than just checking boxes — it is about creating an equitable learning environment. Accessible materials are only the beginning; true inclusion requires an intentional shift in pedagogy and instruction. In this hands-on workshop, participants will move beyond theory into implementation. Using the PreTeXt framework, attendees will perform real-time conversions of their own materials into accessible formats. We will then apply principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Learner-Centered Teaching to design assignments and assessments that support all students, with examples focusing on strategies for low-vision/blind learners. Participants will leave with a tangible, accessible roadmap for their courses. This workshop is designed to be fully accessible to all participants, including those who are low-vision or blind. ## Presenters - Ameya Kolarkar <akolarkar@fsu.edu>>, Florida State University

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Using Game-Based Learning in Choosing, Designing, Implementing and Assessing Learning & Retention — Barry Karrh <bkarrh@hotmail.com>

This presentation is based on my dissertation: SIMULACRA ALLIGORÍA SPÍLAIO SOCRÁTI A RECONSIDERATION OF THE ALLEGORY OF SOCRATES CAVE: GAME-BASED THEORY IN INCLUSIVE HIGHER EDUCATION Which addresses the use of Game Based Learning (GBL) and Game Based Pedagogy (GBP) implemented in higher education, considering how participants reacted in similar scenarios during ‘serious games’ implemented in college level classes. This study used a pre- and post-test model to assess the difference games used as an intervention had on short-term retention.  Data showed that specifically tailored ‘serious games’ purposefully implemented in higher education have a positive effect on both retention and learning for the majority of participants. The significance is that it offers insight into the effects of GBL in higher education, on multiple communities of participants, with both quantitative and qualitative evaluation. This lead to a protocol to design and implement learning platforms for face-to-face and online instruction. ## Presenters - Barry Karrh <bkarrh@hotmail.com>, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

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Writing at the Service of Speaking in Foreign Language Instruction — Matthew Gervase <mgervase@shc.edu>

As artificial intelligence forces us to reconsider the work we do with our students, it continues to offer new opportunities for building more inclusive, participatory learning environments. Many scholars have celebrated the role of in-person communication as a way of training students to be more attentive to voice, audience, and message in their writing and speaking. In this presentation, we will examine how both human and artificial intelligence shape our teaching and learning environments in foreign language instruction. We will focus on how communicative approaches to FLI allow language teachers to rethink the role of writing in our pedagogies. By repositioning writing in service to speaking, we will look to set natural limits on the efficacy of AI use in the work students undertake for our potential assignments. In doing so, we will look to spark new paths for creativity and collaboration in how students approach their work and learning. ## Presenters - Matthew Gervase <mgervase@shc.edu>, Spring Hill College

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