Human Centered-Education

Fostering Connections and Critical Thinking in the Age of Technology

This year's conference was held on Friday, February 6th. The theme invited us to consider the ways in which technology can support learning (e.g. podcasts, clickers, etc.) but can also be detrimental to learning (e.g. agentic AI, etc.).

Teaching & Learning Conference 2026 Playlist (LIM College login required)

AGENDA

1:10-1:40pm It’s All About Community: Teaching on Instagram to Build Connections for Life (or Until They Forget Their Password), Daniella Platt, Fashion Merchandising and Management

Fashion can’t exist without people and shared experiences. Think back to college: do you remember every assignment, or do you remember the friends, conversations, and moments along the way?

Fashion depends on the three C’s: community, connection, and creativity. This session explores how Instagram can be used as a human-centered tool to bring people together for shared experiences, online, and community for life.

Key Topics:

• Why I used Instagram Reels to build community with my students

• What worked: engagement, replies, and student feedback

• How to grow connection during the course and long after it ends

• Simple, practical tips I’ve used and tested to increase engagement

• Why this matters in a global learning community

1:40-2:10pm From Classroom to Workplace: Building Interpersonal Skills In-Person, Theresa Fortunato, Business Department

In this session, Theresa Fortunato shares how she intentionally designs an in-person management classroom to reflect the realities of today’s workplace, where success depends as much on communication, collaboration, and relationships as it does on knowledge. Drawing on her HR and leadership background across the fashion industry, she highlights hands-on methods such as role-playing, peer feedback, flip-chart collaboration, paper-and-pen activities, and real-time coaching to actively engage students. By creating a psychologically safe space for students to share, practice, and engage, the focus is on building confidence, interpersonal skills, and workplace readiness through human-centered learning in an increasingly virtual, technology-driven world.

2:15-2:45pm Playful Participation: Online and Offline Tools to Encourage Authentic Engagement, Michelle Nance, Graduate Studies

Getting students to participate in class is not a new concern, and technology hasn't made it any easier. This session will examine new and old tools that help students feel more comfortable participating in class. From using technological resources, like Lucid, as a way to meet students where they are, to hands-on activities that remind us all that education should also be playful.

2:45-3:15pm GenAI vs. the Librarian: Thinking Critically in the Age of Chatbots, Nicole LaMoreaux, Hailey Byrd and Grace Kirchhofer (AGM Library)

The presentation will start with a literature review regarding AI in higher education, continuing with live examples of how the AGM Library utilizes and teaches alongside AI. This will include a deeper explanation of how Adrian, our chat bot was created, and the statistics of how many patrons engage with him vs. librarians and student workers via live chat. We will also discuss how we used AI in previous library sessions alongside databases and how to encourage students to critically think about the differences and similarities between the information provided. We’ll end the session with the importance of using our APA citation guide and citing the use of AI properly.

3:15-4:15pm GenAI Forum: What can we do differently?

As generative AI tools become more prominent in our day-to-day. Do we flip our classes? Do we meet more frequently in-person? Do we revise all assignments to address generative and agentic AI? This is an opportunity for everyone to pitch ideas and collaborate on new strategies.