Breakout Sessions -聽1:45 p.m.
Introducing "Curated Pairs"
To provide diverse perspectives, select sessions are paired. These 60-minute blocks feature two 30-minute talks on complementary themes. Look for matching labels (e.g., [Pair A]) and please plan to stay for the full hour.
Room Assignments
Location details聽will be posted by聽May 12.
Track: Teaching, Learning & Student Formation
- Na'ama Y. Av-Shalom,聽Postdoctoral Scholar, Lynch School of Education and Human Development
- Leslie Bondaryk, Chief Technology Officer, The Concord Consortium
[Workshop/Demo]
Integrating AI into STEM classrooms requires tools that enhance teacher鈥搇earner interactions without revealing answers or over-directing inquiry. This session will introduce CLUE, a collaborative platform that uses AI to support learners鈥� reasoning rather than shortcut it. CLUE鈥檚 AI tools are designed to support students in open-ended inquiry and metacognitive reflection as they develop science, engineering, and computational thinking practices. We will demonstrate how we are using and developing CLUE and its associated AI tools in a 天美传媒app-led research project which integrates computational thinking and engineering into high school biology classes. Attendees will participate in a live classroom experience to see the integration of several different AI features. Presenters will invite attendees to consider possibilities for purposeful AI integration into other settings, such as undergraduate courses, and to discuss strategies for AI usage that promote richer inquiry.
- Jennifer Walker,聽Associate Director, Instructional MediaCenter for Digital Innovation in Learning
- Aaron Walters, Senior Instructional Media Producer, Center for Digital Innovation in Learning
[Workshop/Demo] [Laptops encouraged]
This workshop invites faculty to explore practical ways generative AI can support the creation of instructional media. Through examples and guided activities, participants will examine how AI-assisted visuals, audio, and other multimedia materials can be used in teaching, along with key considerations for review and revision.
Participants will create a small instructional media object, such as an AI-generated image, audio voiceover, or infographic, and apply clear criteria to assess accuracy, accessibility, and alignment with learning goals. The session helps faculty critically evaluate when and how AI-generated media can help support their teaching practice.
- Helen Healy,聽Associate Director of Learning Technology, CDIL
- Andrew Petracca, Consultant LMS administrator and PhD student
[Workshop/Demo]
Creating engaging, interactive learning objects shouldn鈥檛 take hours of manual labor. Enter H5P Smart Import鈥攁n AI-powered tool designed to transform your existing files, URLs, and videos into interactive H5P activities in seconds. In this session, we will explore how to automate the heavy lifting of content development without sacrificing pedagogical quality.
- Daniel Riehs,聽Associate Director, Information Systems & Design, Institutional Research & Planning
[Workshop/Demo]
How might we use creativity to transform AI anxiety into action? This interactive workshop invites participants to use speculative design to imagine and build future scenarios shaped by artificial intelligence. Working in groups, participants will prototype the future using simple hands-on materials and share their creations to spark conversations.
The workshop is meant to be a creative, collaborative way for participants to express concerns, hopes, and assumptions about AI. Sharing these imagined futures will trigger discussions and highlight patterns in how people are thinking about AI. The workshop offers a playful yet purposeful space for participants to reflect on uncertainty and start converting their anxiety into dialogue and action.
- Tim Lindgren,聽Assistant Director, Design InnovationCenter for Digital Innovation in Learning
- Kyle Fidalgo, Academic Technologist, Law School
[Workshop/Demo]
Join us for an interactive, beginner-friendly session to get a quick, hands-on experience building a customized AI tool. No experience necessary--just a willingness to experiment.
By the end of the session, you鈥檒l come away with a customized Gemini Gem guided by your instructions.
We invite you to bring your own computer to the session. If you don't have one, we will have a few laptops available or you can pair up with another attendee to experiment together.
- Scott Olivieri,聽Managing Director, Web Services, Office of University Communications &聽Instructor, Capstone Program, MCAS
[Workshop/Demo]
In the senior Capstone course, "The Balancing Act," students prepare for the complexities of post-graduate life by navigating core life domains: work, wellness, discernment, relationships, faith, and community.
I'll begin by discussing strategies I've used to boost student engagement through unplugged and community-building activities. Then I will demonstrate three mini-applications I developed (using Gemini and Claude) to enhance the learning experience.聽聽Each tool has a specific goal: helping students develop a budget, articulate their values,聽or reimagine their relationship with technology.
To keep this practical, we'll walk through a simple framework faculty can use for translating learning goals into a functional, engaging application.聽This session will include a live demo where we add a feature to one of the applications.聽This session is intended for faculty with no prior coding experience.
Track: Research
- Chris R Glass,聽Professor of the Practice, Educational Leadership and Higher Education
[Workshop/Demo]
This interactive session demonstrates how to use Claude Code (Anthropic's agentic coding platform) in scientific research workflows. The session showcases end-to-end workflows from structured knowledge extraction to map existing research literature, quantitative analysis of large datasets in Python and R, and independent verification of results, while leveraging connections to existing tools like Zotero. Drawing from active quantitative policy research, the session walks through a complete end-to-end workflow and approaches that align with FAIR principles for scientific data management and TOP Guidelines for transparency and openness. Attendees will also receive the Research Toolkit鈥攁 curated guide to AI tools organized by research stage, with evaluated recommendations, ethical guidelines, and hands-on exercises to get started.
Faciliated Discussions聽
Facilitated discussions are curiosity鈥慸riven, interactive sessions focused on exploration and open conversation鈥攏ot presentations or formal learning. Each session will begin with guiding questions to spark group discussion, fact鈥慺inding, and shared understanding around what participants are doing/thinking around AI and the key topic. Attendees will be invited to continue the conversation after the conference via an email list/collaboration tools.
Facilitation Team:
- Joseph Du Pont,聽Associate Vice President, Career Services & Integrated Learning, Student Affairs
- Caitlin Aubuchon, Associate Director, Organizational Effectiveness, Human Resources
- Paul Brohan, Senior Project Manager, Information Technology Services
Facilitation Team:
- 厂迟别蹿补苍辞听础苍锄别濒濒辞迟迟颈, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Chair,聽Research Computing Committee Boston College
- Kirsten K. Davison, Ph.D.聽Donahue and DiFelice Endowed Professor, Associate Dean for Research, Director,聽THRIVE lab, Boston College School of Social Work
- Leonard Faul, PhD, Research Statistician, Research Services, ITS
Facilitation Team:
- Lynn Berkley,聽Director, Facilities Planning & Information Systems, Facilities Management
- Cristin Richard,聽Director, IT Service Management & Computing Support, Information Technology Services
- Sarah Sletzinger,聽Senior IT Communications Specialist, Information Technology Services
