Events Archive
Spring 2026 AI Sessions
This session features WMU faculty member Dr. Hyunjiin Jinna Kim, SPELS, discussing her article about implementing an "AI Attribution Checklist" in graduate courses. Participants are invited to read the article and then join the session.
Join the Teaching, Learning, and Development team for an open conversation about online testing, lockdown browsers, assessment design, and AI tools to support your midterm planning.
Join WMU faculty, Dr. Rodrigo Aranda, Dr. Jessica Caltado, and Dr. Robyn Edwards to hear about their experiences and lessons learned from implementing AI innovations in courses.
Join WMU faculty Dustin Altschul, Dr. Scott Cowley, and Dr. Angela Groves to hear about their experiences and lessons learned from implementing AI innovations in courses.
Featured
New Graduate Teaching Assistant Training
The new GTA Training (hosted by the Office of Faculty Development) will help new GTAs plan initial interactions in their classrooms or other learning spaces, engage effectively with their lead faculty instructors, and connect with experienced teachers and graduate students on campus. This year will utilize an activity-based framework, wherein participants will have the opportunity to not only consider a variety of learning-objective-based teaching strategies and resources but also practice some of these during the orientation session, leaving with knowledge and skills that they can apply immediately and build upon in future OFD events. We know that your time is valuable, especially in the days leading up to the start of the semester, and the new GTA training will provide a distinctive kind of teaching support, helping you to hit the ground running with a toolbox of techniques and resources. This new GTA training is part of the WMU Graduate College's required orientation for graduate assistants.
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While faculty workloads can make student mentoring, relationship building, and retention efforts feel daunting, there are steps we can implement in four important spaces (our classrooms, our offices, our departments, and our communities) which develop expanding systems of support around students. Learning about our students while also facilitating their connections to scaffolding available from faculty colleagues, our institution as a whole, and even our communities, increases the strength of the bonds that sustain academic and personal growth. Implementing small changes in current practices can go a long way toward helping students feel supported, understood, and able to thrive.
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This session focuses on using two helpful checklists to support you in preparing for a new semester. We review the Functional Course Design Checklist, which helps you evaluate your course from a learner's perspective to improve navigation, access, and interaction, as well as the Semester Start Checklist which provides an organized approach to common preparation tasks and resources.
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In this mini-session, we take you on a tour of the accessible, ready-to-customize WMU syllabus template and also help you think about developing a course plan that results in a reasonable workload for you and your students.
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This session will focuses on the act of “meeting students where they are.” Their tools, interests, and culture deeply affect engagement and retention within the classroom, which means that instructors should be willing to adapt and engage with students in new and innovative ways. We discuss the use of pop culture to expand engagement and retention and have dialogue surrounding students’ use of AI both within the classroom and outside of it.
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Creating an Interactive & Engaging Classroom Landing Doc
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In this session, presenters share the current framework and strategic plan for being a health-promoting campus and advancing the well-being of people, places, and the planet at WMU. This model calls to action the whole campus community, including faculty and instructors. We will explore ways you can contribute to advancing well-being in your courses. Members of the Well-Being Collective lead the session - Dr. Lillian Upton Smith, Dean of the College of Health & Human Services, and Cari Robertson, Director, Health Promotion and Education.
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Incorporating Wellness Resources into your Course Landing Doc
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In this session, Dr Evan Heiser, Senior Director Career and Experiential Education, provides an instructor-oriented overview of the many resources and services available to you and your students through WMU's Career and Student Employment Services.
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In this session, we discuss some design considerations for courses in the age of AI. This session explores how instructors can address AI in their classrooms. We begin by examining both faculty and student perspectives on generative AI tools, look at sample syllabus AI policies, and then discuss practical approaches for developing clear course policies that distinguish between appropriate AI use and academic dishonesty. Rather than focusing solely on detection or restriction, we explore how to redesign assignments through strategies such as incorporating reflections, peer-review activities and scaffolded assignments.
Session Materials