Convocation

Academic Affairs

Spring 2026 Convocation Schedule

To kickoff Spring semester 2026, four immersive in-person workshops will be offered from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7 and Thursday, Jan. 8. Select one workshop each day that best meets your needs and sign up before December 10.

What to Expect in an Applied Workshop

Bring artifacts, samples, and things to update. These could be syllabi, assignment drafts, data sets, lesson plans, or creative works, anything that can be shared, critiqued, or improved during the session.
Learn with and from the group. The workshop is designed for active participation, not passive listening. Expect to work in small groups, share your work, and receive peer feedback. Facilitators guide the process but the spotlight is on participants doing the work, discussing, revising, and problem-solving together. Examples from recent AI and teaching workshops show that group activities (e.g., analyzing prompts, applying rubrics, exploring ethical implications) foster deeper learning and practical skill-building.
Leave with actionable work started. The goal is for everyone to leave with something tangible: a revised artifact, a new plan, or a set of next steps. Workshops will include time for participants to begin updating their materials, with facilitators and peers available for support and troubleshooting. Follow-up resources, templates, and checklists are typically provided so participants can continue their work after the session.

Daily Schedules

Read a special note about the Huskies Food Pantry.

Tuesday, January 6

Time	Event
TBD	Provost and President's Address Ritsche Auditorium

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Wednesday, January 7

Time	Event
10 a.m to 3 p.m. (Lunch on your own from noon-1)	Option 1: Digital Accessibility Workshop Facilitators: Molly Tast, Dave Blanchard Audience: All Purpose: Provide foundational learning around digital accessibility and structured/supported time to update materials. This session offers a clear, hands-on support to understand requirements for digital materials accessibility and to create course materials aligned with upcoming digital accessibility expectations. Faculty will explore simple, high-impact changes to improve accessibility of documents, media, and Brightspace content. Make your course more inclusive while reducing future remediation workload. All skill levels are welcome, and participants will leave with immediately usable techniques. Bring your device and materials to update.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Lunch on your own from noon-1)	Option 2: Using Brightspace Course Templates as an inclusive teaching practice Facilitators: Jodi Laudenbach, Roseann Wolak, Kendra Self Audience: Instructional faculty Purpose: Provide open time for people to learn about how to use the template and build some course materials Did you know most students access D2L using mobile devices. Using D2L Brightspace templates improves student access to course content and reduces student's cognitive load for locating and using learning materials. Join the SCSU instructional design team for a guided exploration of the new D2L Brightspace course template, designed to streamline course setup, enhance accessibility, and support consistent student experience. Faculty participating in this session will receive targeted support to learn, experiment, and build alongside us.

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Thursday, January 8

Time	Event
10 a.m to 3 p.m. (Lunch on your own from noon-1)	Option 3: AI in education: From tools to campus implementation Audience: Faculty, staff leadership, administrative leadership Purpose: Increase participants' awareness and ease in using AI for teaching, learning, and other work contexts at SCSU. This interactive workshop combines live demonstrations across disciplines with hands-on practice using AI tools, while exploring equity considerations and strategies for implementation. Participants will view demonstrations across disciplines showing current and potential uses of AI in education and higher education contexts. They will gain hands-on experience using AI for creating rubrics, quizzes, image generation, summaries, alt text, document summaries, images, and course outlines. Finally, participants will design a short AI application plan for their work context. If you’ve been intending to experiment with using AI in your work, but can’t seem to find the time, this interactive workshop is for you!
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Lunch on your own from noon-1)	Option 4. AI Immersive Teaching Workshop Facilitators: Rosemary Williams & Mark Gill Audience: Faculty who have some experience with AI and are seeking to extend into student partnership models Purpose: To support faculty in creating a specific plan or proposal for integrating AI into a course. Participants in this immersive workshop will bring initial ideas for integrating AI into their classrooms and leave with a completed plan or proposal that they can implement during the coming semester. Session leaders will consult with faculty on two fronts: centering student collaboration and creativity and disciplinary values in classroom work with AI, and practical technology considerations.

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Friday, January 9

Time	Event
TBD	College/School, Department Meetings

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Additional Note

Last year, the Huskies Food Pantry had 9,719 student visits and distributed 111,220 lbs of food. As we prepare for the upcoming academic year, we want to ensure the pantry shelves are fully stocked and ready to support Huskies! Consider supporting the Huskies Food Pantry by bringing a donation of shelf-stable food and personal care items to the President's Address Tuesday. Donations will be collected before and after the event or be dropped off in the Dean of Students Office (AMC 110) during business hours or at the Huskies Food Pantry (Miller Center 135) during hours of operation.

Needed items:

Peanut Butter
Lentils
Canned Protein (tuna, chicken, salmon, etc.)
Canned Fruits & Veggies
Soups
Boxed Meal Kits
Pasta/Rice
Snacks (like fruit cups)
Personal Care Items (shampoo, soap, deodorant, etc.)