Plan, Prepare and Engage Workshop Series

9:00 - 9:50

From Curiosity to Classroom: Faculty Experiences with Coursera

Presenters: Stacy Creel, Chris Gleason, Sabrina Reed, Jae-Hwa Shin, Joanne Tran (moderator)

Discover how Coursera can be leveraged to enhance student learning and modernize your curriculum. In this panel discussion, USM faculty members will share their firsthand experiences, insights, and practical strategies for integrating Coursera’s massive open online courses (MOOCs) and professional certificates directly into their courses. 

10:00 - 10:50

Detecting & Preventing AI Use: An Uphill Battle

Presenter: Ragan Downey

This session will focus on AI detection methods, advances in AI detection "defeaters," and methods to deter AI use.

1:00 - 1:50

A Win-Win on Instruction: The Pedagogical Benefits of Using Open Educational Resources for Faculty and Students

Presenters: Josh Cromwell, Danny Beard, Emileigh McCardle, Michele Frasier-Robinson (virtual only)

This session will introduce attendees to the use of Open Educational Resources (OER), which are cost-free textbooks and other educational materials, in university courses. Attendees will learn from faculty colleagues who have utilized OER in their courses, and they will discover how OER can benefit both instructors and students alike. Finally, participants will be introduced to the Open Textbook Initiative, a campus program to incentivize faculty to adopt OER in a course that they teach.

2:00 - 2:50

Canvas Basics - Quizzes, Assignments, and Gradebook

Presenter: Susan Rayborn

Setting up a digital classroom effectively is key to a smooth semester. This foundational session introduces instructors to the essential tools within the Canvas learning management system. Attendees will learn the step-by-step process of creating quizzes and assignments, managing settings for student submissions, and navigating the Gradebook functionality to efficiently track, weight, and input student grades. 

9:00 - 9:50

From Classroom to Campus: Supporting Student Success                                                                 

Presenters: Ashley Burnside & Emily Holmes

The university has several support systems in place to help our students succeed. This session will share information about the Center for Student Success and the Ready for Life workshop series to ensure faculty feel confident in providing students resources designed to help them succeed.

10:00 - 10:50

AI Learning Bots: What Worked, What Failed, and What Surprised Us

Presenters: Melissa Ziegler, Danny Lee, Chris Smith

This presentation explores how faculty designed and implemented AI-supported learning bots to promote student engagement, practice, reflection, and skill development. Attendees will learn practical strategies for creating AI-supported learning experiences, lessons learned from implementation, and considerations for aligning AI tools with meaningful student learning and course objectives.

12:00 - 12:50

Empowered with Staff Council & AOP

Presenters: Heidi Moore, Aretas Squire

This session will provide staff with information regarding the Staff Council and Association of Office Professionals (AOP).

1:00 - 1:50

Rethinking Assignments in the Era of Generative AI

Presenters: Melissa Ziegler, Tyler Surber, Nancy Speed

As generative AI tools become more common in higher education, faculty are increasingly challenged to determine when to design AI-inclusive assignments and when to implement AI-resistant strategies. This panel discussion brings together faculty participants to share practical examples, lessons learned, and reflections on integrating AI into teaching and assessment.

3:00 - 3:50

From Ideas to Opportunities: Research Support at Southern Miss                                                         

Presenter: Alexandra Schneider 

As an R1 institution, Southern Miss is committed to advancing research, scholarship, and creative activity across all disciplines. This session introduces you to the Office of Research Support and Development and its units, providing an overview of the resources, services, and expertise available to help you pursue your research, scholarly, and creative goals.

10:00 - 10:50

Teaching Students the Art of Constructive Conversations                                                     

Presenter: Christy Kayser

"You can't solve a problem if you can't talk about it." Blame it on 24/7 news pundits, social media echo chambers, or the latest celebrity to be canceled, but our students (and we) could all use some practice in having productive dialogues with people with whom we disagree. This workshop will present simple methods to incorporate constructive dialogue opportunities into the classroom to enhance students’ communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. 

12:00 - 12:50

Teams Training

Presenter: Gayle Sollfrank

Did you know that Teams can help you organize your groups, schedule meetings, keep meeting notes, record meetings, assign tasks, and make announcements within a group? In this beginner-level session, learn how Teams can help you keep organized and manage your groups like a pro.

2:00 - 2:50

Canvas and Turnitin

Presenter: Susan Rayborn

Maintaining academic integrity while managing a heavy grading workload can be a balancing act. This practical session guides instructors through the integration of Turnitin within the Canvas learning management system. Attendees will learn how to set up Turnitin-enabled assignments, interpret similarity reports accurately, and use the feedback studio to streamline grading and provide meaningful commentary to students.