AcademicTechExpo2025: Full Schedule

The Academic Tech Expo 2025 at the University of Oklahoma
Sooner AI: Pioneering Educational Innovation at OU

January 9th ATE Virtual! All virtual presentations over Zoom.
January 10th ATE In-person on the Norman campus in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

THE SCHEDULE IS LIVE!

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8:30am CST

Registration Check In and Breakfast

Friday January 10, 2025 8:30am - 9:30am CST

Registration check in will be set up on the third floor landing outside the Oklahoma Memorial Union Ballroom entrance near the main staircase.

Please check in and receive your name badge before proceeding into the ballroom for a light breakfast. Lunch will also be in the ballroom. You must have your name badge for breakfast and lunch.

Map of the Oklahoma Memorial Union: https://www.ou.edu/content/dam/union/docs/OMUBuildingMap.pdf

Parking information is available on academictech.ou.edu - if you are driving from a non-Norman location and need assistance, please email ate@ou.edu before Friday, January 10th.

Friday January 10, 2025 8:30am - 9:30am CST
Ballroom Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

9:00am CST

Opening Address

Friday January 10, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am CST

TBA

Speakers

Nishanth Rodrigues

Chief Information Officer, OU Information Technology

Nishanth Rodrigues brings 20 years of experience in strategic information technology (IT) leadership, administrative leadership and IT roles in health care. Recently, Rodrigues served as the CIO at Ole Miss since 2017, where he led several major IT initiatives, including the construction... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am CST

9:30am CST

Welcome to Academic Tech 2025

Friday January 10, 2025 9:30am - 9:45am CST

Kevin Buck, assistant director of OU IT Learning Spaces, will welcome everyone to the expo and provide a few agenda notes and reminders before sending everyone off to sessions

Speakers

Kevin Buck

Assistant Director, Learning Spaces, OU Information Technology

Friday January 10, 2025 9:30am - 9:45am CST

9:45am CST

Facilitating Collaborative Literature Reviews in Canvas

Friday January 10, 2025 9:45am - 10:35am CST

Regents

This session will explore an open framework for facilitating literature reviews within Canvas courses. Using this open framework, instructors provide students with opportunities to pursue scholarship in collaboration, easily gather and share resources among peers, and participate in discussions surrounding their explorations. This open framework is discipline agnostic and flexible by design. It can be utilized for smaller or larger classes, for single assignments, or as repeated engagement during the semester.

By the end of this active session, participants will have experienced the open framework in practice as well as exploring the requirements for integrating collaborative literature reviews into their own Canvas courses.

Speakers

Keegan Long-Wheeler

Lead Educational Technologist in Academic Innovation, OU Education Services

Keegan is a trained instructional designer, chemist, and secondary science teacher. He is also a proponent of sustainable technology, an advocate for student experience, and a teacher of teachers. Keegan gains fulfillment from problem-solving pedagogical challenges that intersect... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 9:45am - 10:35am CST
Regents Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

9:45am CST

GenAI: Balancing Innovation and Academic Integrity

Friday January 10, 2025 9:45am - 10:35am CST

Scholars

In Fall 2024, the College of Nursing integrated Generative AI (GenAI) into a graduate-level course to enhance learning and academic rigor‚ the initiative aimed to establish clear AI usage and citation standards while addressing diverse educational and professional backgrounds. GenAI supports understanding complex concepts and improving graduate-level work. Challenges arose as students needed help fact-checking AI outputs and applying critical thinking. The course used a "traffic light" framework to set AI-use boundaries, balancing innovation with academic integrity and promoting responsible AI engagement.

Speakers

Julie Gordon, DrPH, CPHQ

Assistant Professor, Fran & Earl Ziegler College of Nursing

Dr. Julie Gordon is an Assistant Professor at the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing at The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. With over twenty years of experience in nonprofit and government healthcare projects, she excels in quality improvement, program development... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 9:45am - 10:35am CST
Scholars Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

9:45am CST

Navigating Gen AI in Education: Challenges, Countermeasures, and Ethical Considerations

Friday January 10, 2025 9:45am - 10:35am CST

Associates

This presentation examines the questions and challenges of Generative AI
(GenAI) in education, focusing on its impact on learning tools vs. supplanting learning, the
beginning of the GenAI war with countermeasures and double agents, and the effects in the
classroom. It explores whether educators should embrace or regulate AI tools, addresses ethical
concerns, and highlights institutions' continued but evolving responsibility to address these
issues with haste. Participants will gain a practical insight into GenAI's impact on their
classrooms, research, and the academic ecosystem while considering ethical and pedagogical
alignments.

Speakers

Kelly Berry

Joshua Riesenberg

Competition Manager, OU Esports & Co-Curricular Innovation

Joshua Riesenberg came to OU from Houston, TX in 2013. Over the course of the next 11 years he has completed over 250 credit hours of course work and has decided to pursue a PhD to learn to produce high quality research. It is his hope that he can help create standardizations for... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 9:45am - 10:35am CST
Associates Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

10:35am CST

BREAK

Friday January 10, 2025 10:35am - 10:45am CST

Ballroom

Friday January 10, 2025 10:35am - 10:45am CST
Ballroom Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

Break

10:45am CST

Image Alt-text and the Need for Human Review

Friday January 10, 2025 10:45am - 11:35am CST

Regents

The objective of this presentation will be to promote adoption of digital accessibility workflows that include the element of human review wherever AI tools are used.

Intended outcomes include understanding of practical and legal frameworks for accessibility generally and alt-text specifically, of current AI alt-text generation abilities, of potential pitfalls related to AI use, and of possible mitigation strategies.

Additional consideration will be given to motivationally supportive presentation design, such as recognition of pressures that orient instructors toward time-saving measures and away from time-intensive remediation efforts, and of underlying institutional values promoted by accessibility.

Speakers

Donna Lewis

Assistant Director for Communication and Special Projects, OU, Division of Access and Opportunity

Donna Lewis is the Assistant Director for Communication and Special Projects at OU's Accessibility and Disability Resource Center. She has over a decade of experience in creating inclusive digital experiences. As a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC... Read More →

Jakob Gowell, M.A.T.

Graduate Assistant, Jeanine Rainbolt College of Education

Friday January 10, 2025 10:45am - 11:35am CST
Regents Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

10:45am CST

Leveraging GenAI to Improve Motivation and Retrieval in HE

Friday January 10, 2025 10:45am - 11:35am CST

Associates

Generative AI (GAI) presents novel opportunities to enhance motivation, curriculum structure and development, and learning and retrieval processes for both learners and instructors. This lecture presents methods to leverage GAI to facilitate educational outcomes. These include mechanisms to increase autonomy, decrease planning, and promote knowledge retrieval and retention while shifting instructor time commitments from development to validation. Responsible GAI application in educational settings will revolutionize learning practices, making education more accessible and tailored with positive motivational outcomes for both learners and instructors.

Speakers

Franklin Hays, PhD

Assistant Professor, College of Allied Health

Experienced and self-motivated scientist specializing in biochemical, computational, and team-based research on medically relevant systems including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular biology. A proven track-record of productivity in mentoring, service, teaching, and research funding... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 10:45am - 11:35am CST
Associates Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

10:45am CST

The Need for a New Digital Literacy

Friday January 10, 2025 10:45am - 11:35am CST

Scholars

This session examines the impact of AI-generated content and its ability to blur the lines between reality and fabrication. It highlights the need for an updated approach to digital literacy. Participants will explore strategies to identify AI-generated content and verify the credibility of digital sources. By the end of the session, educators will be equipped with practical skills to guide students in critically navigating an AI-driven media landscape.

Speakers

Jared Whaley

Professional Development Specialist, K20 Center

Jared Whaley is an Instructional Technology Specialist for the Oklahoma Educational Technology Trust. Jared leverages 15 years of classroom experience to create impactful professional development for educators. He has presented at local, state, and national conferences.

Friday January 10, 2025 10:45am - 11:35am CST
Scholars Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

11:35am CST

Lunch

Friday January 10, 2025 11:35am - 12:05pm CST

Ballroom

Lunch will be provided buffet style by OU Catering

Fajita Buffet Bar:
Beef and chicken fajita meat, grilled peppers and onions and tortillas, served with Mexican rice, refried beans, corn, black bean salad, guacamole, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced jalapeños, sour cream, salsa and tortilla chips

Friday January 10, 2025 11:35am - 12:05pm CST
Ballroom Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

12:05pm CST

Keynote Address by Dr. Laura Dumin

Friday January 10, 2025 12:05pm - 1:05pm CST

Ballroom

TBA

Speakers

Dr. Laura Dumin

AI Coordinator, Professor, University of Central Oklahoma

Dr. Laura Dumin obtained her PhD in English from Oklahoma State University in 2010. She is a professor in English and Technical Writing at the University of Central Oklahoma who has been exploring the impact of generative AI on writing classrooms. She also runs a Facebook learning... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 12:05pm - 1:05pm CST
Ballroom Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

1:05pm CST

Campus Partnership Resource Tables

Friday January 10, 2025 1:05pm - 1:30pm CST

Governors

TBA

Friday January 10, 2025 1:05pm - 1:30pm CST
Governors Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

1:30pm CST

AI for Culturally Inclusive Online Education

Friday January 10, 2025 1:30pm - 1:55pm CST

Scholars

As online education continues to grow, creating adaptive and culturally inclusive environments is crucial. This session reflects my experiences observing the limitations of many online platforms, which often rely on one-size-fits-all content that overlooks the rich diversity of students' backgrounds. It explores how AI can enhance these environments by effectively addressing cultural diversity, often insufficiently developed in existing platforms. It also examines how AI can support scenario-based learning, allowing students to engage with real-life situations connected to their personal and cultural experiences. It navigates challenges such as equity and ethical considerations by examining the strengths and gaps in current AI applications.

Speakers

Taoufik Amri

Ph.D Student, Graduate Assistant, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education

Taoufik Amri is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Learning Experience Design and Technology (LXDT) at the University of Oklahoma, where he also serves as a Graduate Assistant for the ETCS program at the Graduate College. In May 2023, he completed fulfilling his duties as a Fulbright... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 1:30pm - 1:55pm CST
Scholars Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

1:30pm CST

Applied AI in Construction

Friday January 10, 2025 1:30pm - 1:55pm CST

Associates

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for decades but is experiencing a golden run presently. With this new era of AI, lots of uncertainty about how it can be applied in construction exists. In the Fall 2024 offering of the Introduction to Construction Analytics and Innovation course, students were exposed to hands-on activities that helped them explore the applicability of AI to construction. First, students explored how computer vision and machine learning can be applied to safety management on construction jobsites. Second, students were introduced to a no-code tool for building their own chatbots. The latter exercise was aimed at helping students appreciate the pros and cons of generative AI in construction.

Speakers

Kofi Asare

Assistant Professor, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture

Dr. Kofi Asare is an Assistant Professor of Construction Science at the University of Oklahoma and the PI of the Construction Innovation and Analytics Lab (CInnaLAB). Dr. Asare’s research is centered on digitalized and data-driven built environments. His research activity brings... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 1:30pm - 1:55pm CST
Associates Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

1:30pm CST

Best Practices for Using Generative AI to Create Quiz Content for the Canvas LMS

Friday January 10, 2025 1:30pm - 1:55pm CST

Regents

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) can significantly streamline the process of generating quiz content for the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS). This capability is especially critical in the field of Engineering Education, where the demand for creating a large volume of accurate and contextually relevant assessment materials can be particularly challenging.

Engineering courses often require complex, multi-faceted questions that not only test factual knowledge but also assess problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and the application of engineering principles. Despite the availability of video guides to assist instructors in leveraging AI to generate quizzes, many encounter frustration due to the sensitivity of online tools to special characters and keywords that are significant in Extensible Markup Language (XML).

Speakers

John Hassell

Associate Profressor of Software Development & Integration, University of Oklahoma Polytechnic Institute

John Hassell, PhD, MBA, an Associate Professor of Software Development and Integration at the University of Oklahoma Polytechnic Institute, brings over three decades of industry experience, primarily in the Tulsa, Oklahoma region, to his teaching role. His expertise spans front and... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 1:30pm - 1:55pm CST
Regents Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

1:55pm CST

BREAK

Friday January 10, 2025 1:55pm - 2:05pm CST

Ballroom

Friday January 10, 2025 1:55pm - 2:05pm CST
Ballroom Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

Break

2:05pm CST

A Dual Perspective: Navigating AI as Both Student and Professor

Friday January 10, 2025 2:05pm - 2:30pm CST

Scholars

Bridging roles, PhD geoscience student at OU using AI and professor teaching geology fundamentals at Rose State College, provides unique insights for the integration of AI in higher education. From these perspectives, let's explore strategies to thoughtfully introduce AI and maintain academic integrity, building confidence through AI use, critical thinking, scientific creativity, and responsible use. Educators, whether AI-curious or AI-cautious, face common challenges‚ and incredible opportunities. Recognizing that under preparing students can lead to misuse or over-reliance on AI results, the focus remains on developing future-ready students who can effectively leverage AI while maintaining strong subject fundamentals and ethical practices.

Speakers

April Moreno-Ward

Ph.D Student @ OU, Geology Faculty @ Rose State College, Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy

April Moreno-Ward is a dedicated Professor of Geology at Rose State College, where she has served the geologic community for almost seven years. With a strong commitment to advancing geoscience education, she actively collaborates with industry and community partners to create meaningful... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 2:05pm - 2:30pm CST
Scholars Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

2:05pm CST

AI and Students Who Struggle with Literacy: Is There Academic Cheating in Our Classrooms?

Friday January 10, 2025 2:05pm - 2:30pm CST

Regents

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used as a tool to help all students read and write more efficiently. How is AI used with students who struggle with literacy tasks? How are students informed about using AI as a tool? Is there a limit to AI's use in the classroom? Students with diagnosed learning disabilities benefit from AI, but how do educators ensure students don't cheat? This presentation explores current research in AI related to students with diagnosed learning disabilities in grades K-12 and how cutting-edge research can help educator-practitioners in their classroom teaching practices.

Speakers

Marti B Limbocker

JRCE - College of Education

I am a doctoral candidate in the Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum department at the Janine Rainbolt College of Education. My research interests include elementary through middle-school-aged students who struggle with literacy tasks, their reading identities, and their... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 2:05pm - 2:30pm CST
Regents Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

2:05pm CST

Decoding AI's Role in Academic Writing

Friday January 10, 2025 2:05pm - 2:30pm CST

Associates

This study investigates the incorporation of generative AI in academic writing, analyzing AI usage statements from articles published in top-ranked, open-access Elsevier journals across 27 Scopus categories. By systematically collecting and examining these statements, the study explores authors' purposes for using AI, variations across disciplines, and patterns among international and non-native research teams. Employing content analysis, text mining, and quantitative methods, the research identifies common AI tasks, tools, and thematic elements. Results aim to inform academic policy on AI disclosure, highlighting ethical and practical implications in academic publishing.

Speakers

Ziyang Xu

Ph.D student Graduate Assistant, SLIS, Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences

Friday January 10, 2025 2:05pm - 2:30pm CST
Associates Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

2:30pm CST

BREAK

Friday January 10, 2025 2:30pm - 2:40pm CST

Ballroom

Friday January 10, 2025 2:30pm - 2:40pm CST
Ballroom Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

Break

2:50pm CST

Claude is My Co-pilot: 5 ways to utilize artificial intelligence in the classroom (and three reasons to exercise caution when doing so)

Friday January 10, 2025 2:50pm - 3:40pm CST

Regents

Educators in many fields have expressed concern about use of artificial intelligence tools in their teaching. While their hesitation is understandable, adopting new techniques need not be as fearsome as they might think. Drawing on some of the current literature on AI-assisted pedagogy, this session provides participants with resources for broadening students, experience in the classroom with generative AI. Discussion and activities in this session include using claude.ai and other tools as a coach, a tutor, a proofreader, a tone-detector, and sparker of creativity. There will also be information about the societal, environmental, and economic drawbacks that support arguments for careful and modest use of this technology.

Speakers

Rebecca Huskey

Associate Professor, Classics and Letters, Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences

Rebecca Huskey received her doctoral degree in religious studies from the University of Iowa with an emphasis on 19th and 20th-century European thought. Her publications include Ricoeur on Hope and journal articles with a focus on the intersection of philosophy, theology, and literature... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 2:50pm - 3:40pm CST
Regents Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

2:50pm CST

Integrating AI tools with Social Science Methods for Theory Testing and Model Refinement

Friday January 10, 2025 2:50pm - 3:40pm CST

Associates

Speakers

Christopher Garneau

Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences

My two main areas of research are political sociology and sociology of religion. Much of my publication record deals with political tolerance – which is the willingness to extend civil liberties to marginalized social groups. I have published three co-authored articles that examine... Read More →

Dr. Heather Bedle

MCEE

Dr. Heather Bedle is an Associate Professor, EK Gaylord Presidential Professor, and Lissa and Cy Wagner Professor of Geosciences in the School of Geosciences at the University of Oklahoma. As PI of the Attribute Assisted Seismic Processing & Imaging (AASPI) Consortium and Social... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 2:50pm - 3:40pm CST
Associates Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union

2:50pm CST

What is Jupyter.lib.ou.edu?

Friday January 10, 2025 2:50pm - 3:40pm CST

Scholars

A recurring theme from both instructors and researchers at the OU is the need for a common development environment for learning and performing data analysis and code development. This talk will demo the Nautilus framework that uses Kubernetes and JupyterHub over the NSF funded Nautilus cluster of CPUs and GPUs. The goal is to showcase the University Libraries Service for accessing this framework for instruction and research.

Common Issues addressed
* Researchers and students in varying hardware systems which are difficult to troubleshoot software installs.
* Negative impact on students that cannot access or afford computer hardware needed.
* Lost productivity setting up computer environments.
* Inconsistent environments

Speakers

Tyler Pearson

Director of Informatics, University Libraries / Digital Stratigies and Innovation

Mark Laufersweiler

Research Data Specialist, Head, University Libraries / Digital Strategies and Innovation

Dr. Mark Laufersweiler has always had a strong interest in computers, computing, data and data visualization and things weather. Starting at OU in 1999, Mark was the Computer Systems Coordinator for the School of Meteorology (SoM). He was responsible for managing the real time data... Read More →

Friday January 10, 2025 2:50pm - 3:40pm CST
Scholars Third Floor Oklahoma Memorial Union