51����

51����’s Spotlight on Learning (SoL) Conference took place on March 20, 2025. This annual conference is a project of the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committee and supported by the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA), the Office of Instructional Design, 51���� Libraries and the Office of Information Technology (OIT).

More than 120 faculty, staff and students gathered to share transformative teaching and learning innovations under the theme “Teaching to Empower This (and the Next) Generation of Thinkers.”

One of the conference highlights was the student plenary titled “In Their Own Words: Strategies for Supporting Student Learning,” where the importance of engagement was emphasized.

Mia Walsh, a student on the panel, stated, “When students feel seen and heard, their learning deepens,” participants noted, underscoring the transformative impact of responsive teaching.

Concurrent sessions included 15 presentations, providing evidence-based teaching strategies addressing four critical themes: Timestamped Tech, Engaging Students, Supporting Students, and Teaching Regionally.

Five faculty members gave a collective Keynote Presentation, providing concrete strategies for teaching with and about Generative AI. The faculty members were:

• Jared DeForest, College of Arts and Sciences
• Adonis Durado, Scripps College of Communication
• Jen Lisy, Patton College of Education
• Basil Masri Zada, Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts
• Marci Shepard, Patton College of Education

Candice Morris, executive director of the Office of Instructional Design, highlighted the importance of the topic: “AI is not going away. We will determine how to leverage AI, how we teach students to use it responsibly, and prepare them for their future.”

Festival of Learning

A new element in this year’s Spotlight on Learning was the Festival of Learning: a vibrant poster session featuring interactive teaching demonstrations, buzzing with creativity and innovation.

Professor Jennie Klein from the School of Art and Design encapsulated the inspirational atmosphere of the event: “The Festival of Learning shows some of the possibilities we didn’t even know existed.”

As judged by faculty peers, the festival winners were:

1 (tie): Nicole Byrd, College of Business: "Learn to Fly in Marketing/Business"

1(tie): Kevin Cordi, Patton College of Education: "Redefining Space for Learning: Using Story and Drama as Designing Spaces for Learning"

2: Chao-Yang Lee and Caitlyn Neill, College of Health Sciences and Professions: "These Tubes Can Talk? The Source-filter Theory of Speech Production"

3: Lisa Martin, Honors Tutorial College: "Mindfulness in the Wild: A Student-Driven Immersive Learning Experience"

Reflecting on the event, Dr. Jeremy Henkel, associate director for faculty programming at the CTLA, expressed, “The Spotlight on Learning Conference is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and learn from the excellent teaching that happens at OHIO. This year, CTLA faculty fellows shared strategies for teaching with and about Generative AI in ways that move from the transactional to the transformational, and more than 30 instructors and students shared dynamic and innovative teaching strategies for others to adopt and adapt.”

This conference exemplified 51����’s commitment to pedagogical innovation and instructional excellence, fostering a forward-thinking environment that is both high-tech and high-touch.

The CTLA advances teaching and learning excellence at OHIO by providing University-wide resources and championing scholarly teaching that is student-centered, evidence-based, innovative and inclusive. 

The mission of the Office of Instructional Design is to support colleges, faculty and instructional staff at every phase of program and course design.

The Spotlight on Learning Committee

• Jennie Klein, Professor, School of Art and Design, TLA Committee Co-chair
• Melinda Rhodes-DiSalvo, Executive Director, CTLA, Co-chair
• Wendy Adams, Associate Director for Assessment, CTLA
• Jessica Alexander, Faculty Learning Facilitator, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Corey Beck, Associate Professor of Instruction, Chemistry
• Joy Cobb, Technology Education Specialist, Campus Engagement OIT
• Mike Dombroski, Instructional Technologist III, OIT
• Chris Guder, Head of Learning Services, University Libraries
• Jeremy Henkel, Associate Director for Faculty Programming, CTLA
• Candice Morris, Executive Director, Office of Instructional Design
• Kalyn McDonald, Assistant Clinical Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders