Plenary Sessions
OPENING PLENARY
Teaching in the College Classroom During Polarizing Times
Tuesday, Oct 20
10:15-11:15 AM
Central Time
We know well the importance of relationship- and community-building for effective teaching. But in extraordinarily divisive times, how do you actually do the hard work of cultivating community when you’re constantly talking about “live” issues among individuals who hold radically different worldviews?
In this plenary, Nimisha Barton draws on the knowledge and experience that organizers—and especially organizers of color—have to offer. For decades, organizers have undertaken the challenging work of bringing a wide group of people together in pursuit of a single aim. But organizers don’t speak in the accents of diversity and inclusion, as we do in the academy. Rather, they employ a framework that centers on solidarity- and community-building. These concepts offer us a productive new way in which we can navigate, not just the college classroom, but potentially, a wider world on fire.
Nimisha Barton, PhD
PLENARY
A Teacher’s Guide to AI Literacy, Ethics, and Policy
Wednesday, Oct 21
10:00-11:00am
Central Time
As generative AI tools become impossible to ignore in higher education, professors are being asked to make consequential decisions—about course policies, how to talk to students about AI, and even how (and whether) to use it themselves. But much of the conversation on this topic has focused on cheating, detection, and tool tutorials.
This plenary provides a different starting point: AI literacy and ethical grounding beyond academic integrity. Drawing from the speaker’s experiences with public-facing AI education and AI ethics research, Fiesler will cover what genuine AI literacy looks like (for faculty as well as students), the ethical dimensions of AI that should inform decision making around both teaching and learning, and student-centered approaches to AI policy.
Casey Fiesler, PhD
Closing PLENARY
Shifting Our Lens: Neurodiversity Affirming Practice
Thursday, Oct 22
1:30-2:30pm
Central Time
This talk invites participants to rethink traditional deficit based lens and adopt a neurodiversity-affirming lens. Grounded in lived experience and practical examples, this plenary explores how reframing expectations, challenging neuronormativity, and prioritizing autonomy over compliance transforms how we support and understand neurodivergent people.
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of neurodiversity affirming principles, the impact of language and the lens we use, and concrete ways to create environments where neurodivergent people are respected and supported.
Sonny Jane Wise