Teaching Students How to Participate in and Lead Discussions

Robyn Brinks Lockwood, Stanford University

Students are often better prepared for writing when they enter academic programs. We teach students how to write five-paragraph essays and organize their writing for a variety of genres. And rightly so! However, we don’t give this same attention to speaking. As a result, students are often overwhelmed when they speak. Many people don’t realize that discussions are similar to writing genres and there are patterns to follow and language to use to participate in and lead discussions. This poster will share the steps for academic discussions on college campuses. By sharing the steps, teachers will be better able to prepare their students to succeed on campus.

Remind: Using a Communication Platform to Improve Engagement with Students in Higher Education

Aubrey Statti and Kelly Torres, The Chicago School

This poster will focus on the benefits of the use of the Remind communication platform in higher education. In this mixed-methods action research study, faculty surveyed appreciated the ease of use and found it to be helpful in the brief, back-and-forth conversation with students that is often needed. Faculty also enjoyed using the tool to send out additional resources and reminders throughout the week. This poster will provide a brief of the features and benefits associated with the Remind app, highlight the need for innovative engagement methods based on support from scholarly literature, and the potential uses of the Remind app, or similar platforms.

Current Events in the Classroom: Engaging Students IRL

Megan Beeler, Blackburn College

Current events bring the real world into the classroom. Through well-crafted assignments, instructors can utilize current events and embrace AI influence on current learning trends, while still building student critical thinking skills and increasing engagement. This poster explores the use of current events to engage students and assist with understanding of theoretical concepts while overcoming some of the challenges instructors face with AI student used tools.

Beyond the Click: Enhancing Psychomotor Learning with Classroom Response Systems

Michael Robinson and Katie Graves, Howard University

This poster presents the use of classroom response systems (CRS) to enhance student engagement, formative assessment, and peer teaching in lab settings. As class sizes grow, CRS provide an interactive way to ensure all students participate, receive immediate feedback, and refine psychomotor skills. We highlight how CRS facilitate real-time assessment, allowing instructors to adjust teaching and students to evaluate their peers. Additionally, we showcase how CRS support peer teaching through image and text-based skill demonstrations. This approach fosters active learning and improves lab-based education.

Future-Proofing Careers: Unlocking the Potential of AI-Driven Digital Badges

Harika Rao, Lynn University

This poster explores the transformative role of AI-driven digital badges and microcredentials in addressing the urgent need for adaptable, workforce-ready graduates in an era of rapid technological change. By offering personalized, stackable, and industry-aligned credentials, higher education institutions can empower learners with just-in-time skills that traditional degree programs often fail to provide. This poster highlights how AI can support granular competency assessment, flexible online delivery, and lifelong learning pathways, enabling students to showcase evidence of skill mastery in ways that are both affordable and scalable.

Flip It Before You Teach It: Engaging Students from Day One with Micro-Lectures and Prep Work

Randy Pellew, Molloy College School of Nursing, and Judith James Borga, Molloy University

This poster introduces a practical and dynamic approach to flipping the very first-class session. It highlights how short, targeted micro-lectures and simple pre-class assignments can create immediate student engagement, encourage active participation, and foster a collaborative learning environment from day one. This poster provides ready-to-use templates, sample micro-lecture ideas, and tech tips that educators can quickly adopt, regardless of discipline or teaching modality.