Welcome to the website for the August 2026 Academic Resources Conference!
Please register to recieve calendar invites or find links to join meetings directly in the Sessions section below.
| Time | Session Title | Presenter(s) | Meeting Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am |
Opening Plenary We will kick off the August ARC with Jacie Green, recent Blackboard Exemplary Course award winner, on the joys of updating courses to get them exactly where you want them. |
Jacie Green Carolyn Speer |
Join meeting: Opening Plenary
|
| 10:00 am |
What's New in Blackboard? While many of us are getting back into the swing of things, Blackboard has been busy all summer updating and improving our LMS. This session will cover new Blackboard updates including an overview of the updated Gradebook interface. Join this session to get a feel for how to navigate and best utilize the new updates for your Fall courses! |
Magi Hruza |
Join meeting: What's New in Blackboard? |
| 11:00 am |
Course Video in Blackboard Video is one of the most powerful tools in your Blackboard course, but you might not know everything it can do. This session covers Video Studio, Blackboard's built-in tool for recording and sharing course video, including where and how to use it. We'll also introduce video descriptions, a new accessibility requirement for course videos that instructors are now responsible for writing. |
Rachel Bastian |
|
| 12:00 am |
How are Technology Decisions Made at WSU? Ever wondered why a certain tool got adopted, retired, or never made it past the testing stage? Join this session to find out how technology decisions happen at WSU; the people, committees, and criteria involved, from initial request through accessibility and security review. |
Ryan Corcoran Ken Harmon John Jones Mark Rodee |
|
| 1:00 pm |
Academic and Classroom Accommodations Session description coming soon |
Isabel Medina Keiser |
|
| 2:00 pm |
Assessments in a World Without a Scarlet AI November 30, 2022 is a day changed the world. That is the day OpenAI announced the existence of the ChatGPT generative AI platform. Now, 4 years later, we are really feeling the impact of this technology at the course level. This session accepts that the world of assessment has changed forever and provides concrete ideas about how to build assessments (assignments and tests) and activities in a world with AI. |
Carolyn Speer |
|
| 2:00 pm |
Open Labs Join this come-and-go lab session to get help from the experts. Bring your questions about Blackboard, Honorlock accessibility, or other tools. If we don't know the answer, we will help you find someone who does! |
OIR Staff |
| Time | Session Title | Presenter(s) | Meeting Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am |
De-escalation Training for Faculty and Staff Session description coming Soon |
Morgan Davis Mia Schenck |
|
| 10:00 am |
What Discussion Board Submissions Tell us about AI Writing at WSU While generative AI is impacting the student experience and learning, it’s difficult to know the extent of the situation. That’s why Rachel Bastian and Carolyn Speer turned to Blackboard data to try to get a picture of AI’s influence on student writing at WSU. This session will explain how they used methods informed by Public Health to build a window into student submissions. Come and hear what they found. |
Carolyn Speer Rachel Bastian |
Join meeting: What Discussion Board Submissions Tell us about AI Writing at WSU |
| 11:00 am |
You Left the Feedback; Now Help Students Put it to Use! You worked hard on that feedback, but did your students find it? Do they know what you expected them to do with it? This session explores feedback literacy from the student side, helping learners understand where feedback lives, how to read it, and what instructors actually expect in response. |
Rachel Bastian |
Join meeting: You Left the Feedback; Now Help Students Put it to Use! |
| 12:00 pm |
Rethinking Discussion Boards: Student Perspectives This session shares preliminary findings from a study examining how students describe their experiences with different design choices in asynchronous discussion boards in online courses. The session will highlight what the survey data suggests based on students’ self-reported perceptions of what motivates them to participate. Early findings suggest that relatively small design changes may make a noticeable difference in how often and how meaningfully students say they engage. The goal is to offer practical ideas WSU instructors can use to rethink and redesign discussion boards to better support student engagement. |
Aaryn Ludens |
Join meeting: Rethinking Discussion Boards: Student Perspectives |
| 1:00 pm |
Exploring AI (and Other) Tools for Research This session takes a practical look at AI and traditional tools for organizing your research process, from discovering sources to making sense of what you've read. We'll explore how tools like Research Rabbit, NotebookLM, Zotero, and Obsidian can work together to help you find, organize, and synthesize research more efficiently and consider where other emerging tools might fit in your workflow. |
Rachel Bastian |
|
| 2:00 pm |
Using AI in Grading Workflows This session will walk instructors through how to use Copilot to assist with grading in Blackboard. We will also discuss other grading workflows that are not currently approved by the university so attendees will come away understanding what can and cannot be done. |
Carolyn Speer Susan Castro |
| Time | Session Title | Presenter(s) | Meeting Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am |
Intermediate Blackboard Explore beyond the basics of Blackboard in this session. Join Magi to learn about how you can mold and shape Blackboard and its tools to better fit you, your needs, and the students in your classroom. This session is great for those who feel comfortable using Blackboard's basic functions and are ready to level up their Blackboard courses. |
Magi Hruza |
|
| 10:00 am |
Using Microsoft Tools as Educational Technology Explore how Microsoft tools can enhance teaching, learning, and course design through seamless integration with Blackboard using the new Microsoft Education tool. This session demonstrates practical ways to leverage familiar Microsoft apps to improve collaboration, organization, and student engagement without adding complexity to your workflow. |
Rachel Bastian Magi Penner-Hiebert |
Join meeting: Using Microsoft Tools as Educational Technologies |
|
11:00 am |
Mandatory Accessibility Training AY2026-2027 This session, required for instructors once per year, covers everything from key expectations to service animals and the tools available to make accessible instruction possible. |
Krystal Iseminger John Jones |
|
| 12:00 pm |
Honorlock: Your Proctoring Solution Join this session to explore Honorlock, the proctoring tool adopted by our institution for online assessments. We’ll cover how to set up proctored exams, monitor student activity, and ensure academic integrity while maintaining student accessibility. The session will guide you through exam setup and clear communication with students. |
Rachel Bastian Magi Hruza |
|
| 1:00 pm |
The Shocker Teaching Community of Practice: Strategies for Bringing Belonging into the Student Classroom Experience Based on the Student Experience Project in partnership with the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, the Shocker Teaching Community of Practice was launched during the Fall 2024 semester as an opportunity for all who teach at WSU to engage in a community of practice to use evidence-based classroom practices that boost student belonging and other aspects of student experience tied to academic success. This session will introduce the four core components and strategies that all who teach can use to bring belonging into students’ classroom experiences. |
Brett Bruner Sara Mata |
|
| 2:00 pm |
Claude Workflows for Course Improvement If you are using Claude or are curious about Claude, this session is for you. We will spend a little time level-setting to make sure everyone is working with the same vocabulary and understanding, and then we will go through several real-world jobs that can benefit from assistance from Claude and Claude Cowork. |
Carolyn Speer |
| Time | Session Title | Presenter(s) | Meeting Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am |
Managing Difficult Student Behavior in the Academic Environment Session description coming soon |
Alicia Newell |
Join meeting: Managing Difficult Student Behavior in the Academic Environment |
| 10:00 am |
Panel: What I’ve Learned About Teaching at WSU Three exemplary educators from different colleges reflect on what they’ve learned about effective teaching at WSU, from challenging students through real-world learning and research to strategies for supporting struggling learners - all while navigating AI and changing class sizes. Expect practical, adaptable ideas grounded in real classroom experience. |
Debby Hinsdale, Moderator Erin O'Brian Laila Cure Montana Loibl |
|
|
11:00 am *In-person Session |
WSU Common Read Book Discussion for "The Shape of Ideas" Join librarians from University Libraries for a discussion about The Shape of Ideas: An Illustrated Exploration of Creativity by Grant Snider, the WSU Common Read for the 2026-2027 school year. Connect with fellow FYS instructors in the Digital Scholar Commons as themes and ideas for classroom engagement are shared and explored. Event will be in Ablah Library with light refreshments. Open to the WSU community. Registration is optional. All registered attendees will receive an email reminder. |
Angie Paul |
In-person session; Register (optional) |
| 12:00 pm |
What You Need to Know About the Current Generation of WSU Students Today’s students are arriving with noticeable gaps in academic preparedness while navigating unprecedented mental health, financial, and social pressures, directly impacting how they show up, engage, and succeed in your classroom and across campus. This session equips faculty and staff with critical insights and actionable strategies to adapt teaching, support, and engagement practices to better meet the needs of today’s students and strengthen student success outcomes. |
Alicia Newell |
Join meeting: What You Need to Know About the Current Generation of WSU Students |
| 1:00 pm |
Evaluating Instruction (for Chairs and other administrators) Department leaders are often asked to evaluate and improve teaching with limited tools and even less time. Led by the director of KU’s Center for Excellence and Psychology Professor Andrea Follmer Greenhoot, this session will cover practical, evidence-based resources and strategies leaders can use to meaningfully evaluate and improve instruction while supporting faculty and improving retention. |
Andrea (Dea) Follmer Greenhoot, University of Kansas |
|
| 2:00 pm |
Using AI to Create Full Program Reviews (for Chairs and other administrators) Program reviews are difficult, whether they are for an internal audience or an accreditor, but Claude Cowork can lift some of the burden. This session will walk participants through the process with a fictional program and show you how you can leverage this technology to get reviews done in a timely and high-quality way. |
Carolyn Speer |
| Time | Session Title | Presenter(s) | Meeting Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am - 12:00 pm |
Open Labs Join this come-and-go lab session to get help from the experts. Bring your questions about Blackboard, Honorlock accessibility, or other tools. If we don't know the answer, we will help you find someone who does! |
OIR Staff |
|
| 9:00 am |
Blackboard for Beginners This session introduces faculty and staff to the core features of Blackboard Ultra. Join Rachel to learn how to manage users, create and organize course content, communicate with students, and manage your course. Want an empty development shell to work with while Rachel shows you the ropes? Fill out a Development Shell Request. |
Rachel Bastian
|
|
| 10:00 am |
All That Stuff Someone Should Tell You Join Magi for a session focused on all the things someone should say to you as you begin the Fall semester. Magi's experience as a GTA turned Adjunct inspire much of her advice. Ranging from need-to-know WSU resources to new changes on campus this session is great for new and returning adjuncts, faculty, GTAs, and anyone who works with our WSU students. |
Magi Hruza |
|
| 11:00 am |
What Good Teaching Looks Like Many instructors come to the classroom through a process that ensures their content knowledge but that does not necessarily teach the craft of teaching itself. This session will provide guidance and concrete goals for that second part: how to turn your content knowledge into great classroom teaching. |
Carolyn Speer |
|
| 12:00 pm |
The Tools You Need Whether you are setting up your syllabus, managing your gradebook, or figuring out how to get sections merged, there are tools in Blackboard and Microsoft 365 that will make your life significantly easier. This session covers the tools you are most likely to need right away, including Video Studio, Teams meetings and recordings, AI-assisted test question generation, and a few WSU-specific resources you will be glad someone told you about. |
Rachel Bastian |
|
| 1:00 pm |
WSU Classrooms of the Future This session will explore upcoming short‑ and long‑term changes in classroom technology, followed by an interactive discussion where faculty directly shape the vision for future teaching and learning spaces. |
Ryan Corcoran |
|
| 2:00 pm |
What are You Going to Do About AI? AI is part of every classroom now, whether the instructor allows it or not. Students are awash in messaging about how these tools can ensure they “never have to write an essay again,” etc. So what are you doing to do in your own classes? This session will walk you through a new widget that will help you think through your course-level AI standards and to get appropriate and clear language in your syllabus so your students know exactly what they can and cannot do in your class. |
Carolyn Speer John Jones |