Distance Learning Conference 2026
Session 2 Descriptions and Links
11:30 AM EST - 12:30 PM EST
Option 1:
AI in Practice: Exploring Applications in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education
Presenters: Dr. Dell Clemons
Intended Audience: Higher Ed, IT, Instructional Designer/Specialist, Distance Ed Administration
This session explores how AI tools, including generative AI applications, are being applied in higher education teaching, learning, and institutional workflows. Drawing on real-world experiences as both a higher education faculty member and a business analyst, the presenter will share practical use cases across course design, assessment, student learning, and outside-of-the-classroom practices. Participants will examine responsible use frameworks, academic integrity considerations, and ethical educator practices. Interactive reflection prompts and scenario-based discussions will help attendees evaluate education AI use cases, identify risks, and benefits. They will leave the session with concrete strategies they can apply immediately in their roles.
Option 2:
Beyond Policing: Designing AI-Inclusive Writing Pedagogy for Online Learning
Presenter: Christopher Pericolosi
Intended Audience: Higher Ed, K-12
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in students’ writing practices, instructors—especially in asynchronous environments—face growing concerns about authorship, integrity, and assessment. Rather than framing AI as a threat to be policed, this session proposes a pedagogical shift: treating AI as a visible rhetorical tool that can help students better understand writing as a process of performance and decision-making. Drawing on theories of rhetorical agency and performativity, this presentation explores how AI can be ethically integrated into composition courses through structured, transparent assignments. Attendees will be introduced to adaptable classroom strategies, including AI-assisted drafting with reflective annotation, process narratives that foreground tool use, and comparative voice analysis activities. By repositioning AI from shortcut to scaffold, this approach not only addresses concerns about academic integrity but also enhances students’ metacognitive awareness and rhetorical flexibility. This session is particularly relevant for instructors teaching asynchronous courses, where making the writing process visible is both more challenging and more essential.
Option 3:
The Brain, Amplified: AI Tools That Work with Neurodivergent Brains
Presenter: Charity Davenport
Intended Audience: Higher Ed, K-12
Neurodivergent learners and employees often face barriers that AI tools are uniquely positioned to remove. This 60-minute session explores how AI can support executive functioning, memory, focus, and processing — from lecture and meeting capture tools that generate summaries, to NotebookLM for studying, live captioning for auditory processing, and AI brainstorming tools for organizing ideas. We'll define neurodivergence and executive functioning, explore practical tools with live demos, and share strategies attendees can implement immediately. Interactive discussion throughout — bring your tools, your questions, and your experiences.
Option 4:
Virtual Adventures in Pedagogy
Presenter: Dawn Mcgehee and Kate O'Meara
Intended Audience: Higher Ed, K-12
Dawn and Kate are both pedagogy specialists who, when it came to virtual instruction suddenly felt like newbies all over again. Together, they want to talk through the obstacles that can arise during virtual instruction, and offer some specific and immediately usable solutions, as well as an opportunity to brainstorm more solutions together. Using pedagogical tools and tricks of the trade, we can all make our virtual classrooms the kind of spaces that help students learn and thrive.
Option 5:
Honoring Identities: How Affinity Groups Can Help Educators Feel Seen, Respected and Valued
Presenter: Dr. Carolyn Gadsden Holliday and Dr. Challa Flemming
Intended Audience: Higher Ed, K-12 Administrators
This interactive workshop invites educators to explore the relevance and value of affinity spaces through shared dialogue and lived experience. Dr. Flemming and Dr. Holliday will draw on their work facilitating affinity groups within a graduate higher‑education setting, offering insights into how these spaces support connection, reflection, and professional growth. Participants will engage in “time in community” as the presenters co‑facilitate an affinity group experience, modeling structures that can be implemented in higher education or K -12 spaces. Through discussion and practice, attendees will deepen their understanding of how affinity spaces can strengthen educator well‑being and foster more inclusive learning environments.
Option 6:
AI in Teaching Practice (Foundation and Strategy) Mini-Sessions: (1) Navigating Artificial Intelligence Use in Higher Education: Implications for Classroom Learning, (2) Evaluating the Impact of AI in Teaching and Student Engagement, (3) AI as a Teaching Partner: Creative Strategies for Faculty Engagement with Roane State Community College
Presenters: (1) Leona Johnson, (2) Harison Smith and Anthony Smith, (3) Jessica Dalton-Carriger, Jennifer Stowe, and Stacie Bradshaw
Intended Audience: (1) Higher Ed, (2) Higher Ed, K-12 (3) Higher Ed
The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reshaped teaching and learning practices across higher education. Research shows that AI tools, including generative models, adaptive platforms, and intelligent tutoring systems, are increasingly used to personalize learning, support student writing, and streamline instructional tasks. This research will examine the challenges that the academy faces in navigating AI use in classroom settings relative to the execution of effective classroom learning. AI usage among college students may offer advantages and disadvantages for academic success. Studies highlight that AI can help students receive more immediate feedback, access individualized learning pathways, and engage with course materials in interactive ways. For instructors, AI has been shown to reduce time spent on administrative work and offer support for course design and formative assessment. These benefits have positioned AI as a potentially transformative force in advancing educational quality and accessibility. Despite these advantages, the literature also identifies substantial challenges linked to AI use in classroom settings. One of the most widely discussed concerns is academic integrity. Bias and ethical risks are also notable. This study contributes to the growing body of work by examining the opportunities and challenges the academy faces in navigating AI use within higher education classrooms. This presentation will help educators better understand the pros and cons of AI use in the classroom and how AI can successfully be used in the classroom.
This session explores how artificial intelligence is transforming teaching practices and student engagement. Participants will examine practical AI tools, analyze their impact on learning outcomes, and reflect on ethical considerations. Learning outcomes include identifying effective AI applications, evaluating their influence on engagement, and developing strategies for responsible integration. The session features brief case examples, guided discussion, and interactive polling. Attendees will also engage in small-group reflection to share experiences and brainstorm ways to incorporate AI into their own teaching contexts.
How do you move faculty from skepticism to experimentation with AI? This presentation shares Roane State’s hands-on approach to faculty engagement through ready-to-use teaching materials, collaborative classroom activities, and problem-based learning projects that model ethical AI use. Participants will see how AI can support brainstorming, lesson design, and student creativity without replacing disciplinary rigor. We will provide replicable strategies that help faculty confidently integrate AI as a structured learning tool rather than an academic integrity threat.
Mini Session 3