1-120 // Humanistic STEM: Blending the “Two Cultures”
TYPE: Hands-on Workshop (45 minutes)
Presenters:
Dr. Debra Bourdeau – Vice Provost of Online Learning and Educational Innovation; Missouri S&T
Dr. Beverly Wood – Associate Professor of Mathematics; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide
Audience: Higher Education; K-12 Education
Time and Location: 9:00 – 9:45 a.m.; Room 120
Humanistic STEM (H-STEM) offers a transferable curriculum model blending humanities and STEM, revealing their mutual relevance. STEM-focused students often undervalue the humanities, though industry leaders emphasize the importance of humanistic habits of mind as a complement to technical skills. H-STEM bridges this gap by showing how these meta-disciplines inform one another, fostering deeper understanding of intellectual contexts in which discoveries are made and ideas are born. This workshop highlights diverse implementation models: from brief “infusions” into existing courses to full H-STEM courses, minors, microcredentials, and even study abroad experiences, all demonstrating adaptable strategies for integrating humanistic perspectives into STEM education.
1-121 // AI-Powered Productivity for Educators
TYPE: Hands-on Workshop (45 minutes)
Presenter:
Dr. Stephanie J. Madlinger – MAD Educator, LLC
Audience: Higher Education; K-12 Education
Time and Location: 9:00 9:45 a.m.; Room 121
Tired of paperwork and daily tasks stealing your time? Discover the power of generative AI and familiar Google tools to revolutionize your workday! This hands-on session is for every educator (PreK-20) looking to save time and boost efficiency. Learn practical ways to use Notebook LM, Gemini, Docs, and Keep to streamline communication, summarize content, and draft lesson outlines in a snap. Walk away with high-impact, ethical AI tricks to take back your time and focus on what matters most: your students and your family!
2-101 // AI and Accessibility: Friend, Foe, or Both?
TYPE: Hands-on Workshop (45 minutes)
Presenters:
Suzanne Hickman – Instructional Technologist; University of Missouri-System
Justin Palozola – Senior Technology Resource Manager of eLearning; University of Missouri-System
Audience: Higher Education
Time and Location: 12:15 – 1:00 p.m.; Room 101
Artificial Intelligence is transforming education, offering a way to help in the process of creating more accessible learning environments, but it’s not without challenges. This session examines how AI and accessibility work in tandem. The presentation will examine the ways AI tools can serve as a friend by automating captions, generating alt. text, and personalizing learning experiences, versus how it can become a foe through inaccurate outputs, algorithmic bias, and over-reliance on automation. Participants will explore practical strategies for leveraging AI responsibly, ensuring human oversight, and selecting tools that meet accessibility standards. Join us to discover how educators can harness AI’s potential for accessibility while mitigating risks to create inclusive learning environments.
2-120 // Caution: Professors at Play- Powerful strategies for student engagement
TYPE: Hands-on Workshop (45 minutes)
Presenters:
Dr. Jami Swindell – Assistant Teaching Professor of Education; Missouri S&T
Lisa Pavia-Higel – Assistant Teaching Professor of English and Technical Communication; Missouri S&T
Audience: Higher Education
Time and Location: 12:15 – 1:00 p.m.; Room 120
In this 45 minute, hands-on session the presenters will present the concept of, “the professor at play,” an instructional approach that employs not only active learning and gamified strategies, but also an attitude of curiosity and wonder. The presenters will share research-based strategies that can reduce student barriers to learning and promote better teacher-student relationships and classroom engagement. In addition to sharing their own experiences and examples, we will also help attendees envision ways to integrate play-based learning into their own classrooms regardless of discipline. Below is an outline of the session:
– Introduction: what is a “playful professor”
– Theoretical foundations of play-based learning in adults
– Examples from the classroom
– Implementation of play-based learning
3-101 // “Teaching with AI: Designing Faculty Learning that Inspires Inquiry, Integration, and Impact”
TYPE: Hands-on Workshop (45 minutes)
Presenter:
Dr. Tracy Gross – Faculty Professional Development Coordinator; Missouri State University
Audience: Higher Education; K-12 Education
Time and Location: 1:15 – 2:00 p.m.; Room 101
Generative AI is transforming higher education, creating both opportunity and uncertainty for faculty. This session shares Teaching with AI: Inquiry, Integration, and Impact—a Missouri State University initiative that helps faculty explore AI through reflection, collaboration, and classroom innovation. Participants will experience a brief activity from the program, discover how its four strands (Community Building, AI Teaching Competencies, Individual Instructional Activity, and Collective Contribution) guide learning, and consider adaptable strategies for their own courses or programs. Attendees will leave with practical ideas, prompts, and design approaches for teaching—and learning—with AI in meaningful, ethical, and human-centered ways.