2026 National Conference Posters

AI as an Equity Enabler: Developing Student-Centered, Data-Driven Approaches to Inclusive Excellence Under Evolving Policy Landscapes 

Presenter:

Dr. Adam Foley, Director, Diversity Education, Assessment, and Outreach, University of Delaware 

A.I. and “DEI” have emerged as prominent disruptors in higher education and they cannot be ignored as we strive to reach students and prepare them for a swiftly tilting global landscape. This proposal presents a framework for leveraging artificial intelligence to advance equity and inclusion in higher education through student-centered applications that prioritize academic excellence and measurable outcomes. The initiative encompasses three core components: AI-powered student success analytics for early intervention and personalized learning pathways; inclusive pedagogy enhancement and bias-detection tools for curriculum materials; and evidence-based institutional change using transparent processes for resource allocation. By reframing equity work as "student success innovation," this approach emphasizes individualized support systems that ensure students receive the support they need relative to their individual lived experiences. The proposal addresses anticipated critiques including algorithmic bias, privacy concerns, and faculty resistance, while acknowledging fundamental limitations in AI's capacity to address complex social dynamics.

The ASSSETS Program at UTEP: Encouraging, Engaging, and Retaining Transfer and Third-Year Science Students in Undergraduate Research 

Presenters:

Dr. Angelica Monarrez, Program Evaluator, University of Texas at El Paso

Karina Chantal Canaba, Director, University of Texas at El Paso

This presentation describes an undergraduate research program, named ASSETS (Accelerating STEM Success through Experiences for Transfer/Third-year Students), at a large Hispanic-Serving Research University on the U.S.-Mexico border. Program activities are shared, as well as how program directors recruit and maintain transfer and third-year students, who often deal with structural barriers and time constraints to participation in undergraduate research in comparison to their first-time, full-time freshman counterparts. Session participants will learn about program activities and structure to demonstrate how activities are implemented in ways that allow for community building and mentoring, while giving program participants flexibility to partake in activities without compromising their external responsibilities (i.e., work, familial obligations, etc). Lessons learned and student successes are discussed, as well as evaluation and longitudinal data that inform future program activities or modifications.

Bringing Faculty, Students, and Data Together to Effect Positive Change

Presenters:

Katerina V. Thompson, Assistant Dean, University of Maryland, College Park
Gili Marbach-Ad, Research Professor and Director, University of Maryland, College Park
Marco Molinaro, Executive Director for Educational Effectiveness, University of Maryland, College Park
Shiloh Ortiz, Academic Advisor, University of Maryland, College Park

The Inclusive Excellence Initiative aims to work within existing departmental structures and cultures at the University of Maryland to enhance STEM student success and sense of belonging. This strongly collaborative effort engages College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences faculty, administrators, student affairs professionals, and students, as well as the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center’s executive director of educational effectiveness and analytics. Our multi-faceted approach involves individual meetings with chairs and their key personnel to assess each department’s interest and readiness for change, visiting department meetings for data-driven discussions of student sense of belonging, creating cross-disciplinary and disciplinary faculty teaching communities to explore institutional data on student success, and convening a student advisory group to provide feedback to faculty. We will describe our efforts to tailor our activities to departmental cultures, systematically scale our efforts for broad impact, and use institutional data to motivate change.

Carolina Experience: Initiating a Campus-Wide Focus and Transition Past the Collegiate First Year 

Presenters:

Dr. Amber Fallucca, Director, Carolina Experience and Affiliate Faculty, College of Education, University of South Carolina

Dr. Silvia Patricia Rios Husain, Associate Vice President for Student Success, University of South Carolina

Carolina Experience is a recently created initiative addressing transfer, sophomore, junior and senior student needs and experiences at the University of South Carolina (USC) with a focus on career readiness and student success outcomes. This session will focus on the early stages of implementation through stakeholder perspectives and leadership support, collected evidence, and key takeaways through the first 1+ year of implementation. Furthermore, insight will be provided for how institutions can expand their focus on the student experience past the collegiate first year in both student-facing and faculty and staff-facing methods.

Creating a Campus-Wide Coordinated Care Network of Student Support

Presenter:

Dr. Ann Marie VanDerZanden, Associate Provost for Academic Programs, Iowa State University

Iowa State University recently completed a three-year initiative focused on student success. Key outcomes of the work were broadening our institutional definition of student success to include life design, workforce and career readiness, and the traditional lenses of persistence and completion. The Student Success and Retention Working Group, a cross-campus working group, was created. They identified eight initiatives that would leverage existing campus resources and collectively create a ‘coordinated care network’ to provide personalized student support. The initiatives included: a new online onboarding class, cyclone support specialists to assist with retention and non-emergency student support needs, expanding capacity of the academic success center and college-based help rooms, and creating a comprehensive website and online training for faculty and staff focused on student support resources. Data on initiative outcomes and lessons learned will be presented in the poster.

Creating Curricular Ecosystems: How Texas State is Aligning Analytics, Micro-Credentials, and Student Transitions 

Presenters:

Dr. Jorge Francisco Figueroa Flores, Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, Texas State University

Dr. Pranesh Aswath, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Texas State University

Dr. Andrew Hamilton, Vice Provost for Academic Success, Texas State University

Dr. Jeff M. Housman, Associate Vice Provost for Curriculum and Academic Programs, Texas State University

Texas State University is designing a “curricular ecosystem” that intentionally connects degree programs, stackable micro-credentials, and guided student transitions from matriculation to graduation and beyond. This planning-stage initiative integrates curricular analytics to identify optimal points for embedding micro-credentials, ensuring they align with both academic learning outcomes, workforce needs, and marketable skills. The ecosystem will link general education, disciplinary study, and co-curricular learning, creating coherent, skills-focused pathways that culminate in portable, verifiable credentials. The proposed session will present our emerging framework, technology infrastructure plans—including Comprehensive Learner Records (CLRs) and Learning and Employment Records (LERs)—and strategies for cross-campus collaboration. While our work is in early development, we will share design principles, anticipated challenges, and the role of analytics in informing credential placement. Attendees will gain practical insights into building credential ecosystems from the ground up, particularly in contexts seeking to combine equity, employability, and curricular coherence.

Data, Advisors, and Culture, Oh My! Strategically and Intentionally Shifting Data Culture for Advising and Student Success

Presenters:

Dr. Quentin Alexander, Associate Vice Provost, Advising, James Madison University

Danielle Maxham, Graduate Programs Coordinator, Learning Technology and Leadership Education, James Madison University

Dr. Marquis McGee, Director of University Advising, James Madison University

Dr. Rudy Molina, Jr., Vice Provost, Student Academic Success, James Madison University

Dr. Paul E. Mabrey, III, Director, Student Success Analytics and Associate Professor, Communication Studies, James Madison University 

Changing culture is difficult; shifting data-use culture across varied advising and student success models is even more challenging. This case study examines how James Madison University (JMU), a Carnegie R2 public liberal arts institution in Virginia, implemented an enterprise-wide Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to foster a shared data culture for holistic student success. Central to this effort was the identification of “early indicators” to support holistic advising, rooted in alignment between institutional leadership’s vision and stakeholder needs. Guided by literature on institutional readiness, JMU leaders leveraged authentic leadership and grassroots engagement to build capacity for sustainable change. Over several years, they coordinated across units to integrate data-informed decision-making into student success initiatives. Presenters will share successes and lessons learned in cultivating a shared data culture, focusing on institutional culture and readiness, strategic vision and leadership, stakeholder engagement, and technical preparedness in the change management process.

Developing, Implementing, and Improving Data-Informed Student Success Campaigns 

Presenters:

Regina Wine-Nash, Student Success Systems Coordinator, James Madison University

Dr. Paul E. Mabrey III, Director, Student Success Analytics and Associate Professor, Communication Studies, James Madison University

Using their experiences of developing and implementing data-informed student success campaigns, members of the Office of Student Success Analytics at James Madison University will discuss how they created and facilitated a system of proactive, data-informed student success campaigns. With a focus on identifying and closing success-based retention gaps and improving overall retention rates, this presentation will discuss the value of integrating data-informed campaigns, explain the process for designing, implementing, and assessing campaigns, and help higher education professionals identify and design a student success campaign for their institution.

Elevating Teaching Excellence in an R1 Context: The TEACH@Pitt Initiative 

Presenters:

Dr. Lindsay Onufer, Senior Program Manager, University of Pittsburgh

Jennifer Cooper, Instructional Designer, Academic Success Initiatives, University of Pittsburgh

While R1 universities are often defined by their research output, prioritizing high-quality teaching is essential to the broader mission of academic excellence at the University of Pittsburgh. This presentation explores the design and pilot data for Foundations of Teaching, the first module of TEACH@Pitt initiative, designed to provide a comprehensive foundation for new faculty while also elevating the effectiveness of teaching across the institution. Foundations is the first of a suite of badged, asynchronous online modules which will target key teaching topics. Drawing on evidence-based teaching research and using videos featuring students, faculty, and institutional leaders, the module introduces instructors (including graduate teaching assistants) to several foundational areas of teaching effectiveness like designing courses using backward design, assessing student learning, designing effective classroom learning experiences, building an inclusive and supportive classroom environment, and reflecting on and documenting teaching effectiveness. As a result of this initiative, the university aims to embed teaching excellence into its institutional culture. We will share our process for proposing this project, advancing it through shared governance approvals, and constructing content, as well as presenting engagement and outcomes data. Attendees will gain insight into scalable practices for aligning teaching quality with institutional goals, particularly at large, research universities. This session is relevant for administrators, faculty leaders, and faculty developers striving to reshape teaching priorities within research-driven environments.

Explorations in Biomedical Engineering: Design of Textile-Based Wearable Healthcare Devices Proposed

Presenters:

Jorge Paricio Garcia, Associate Professor in Residence, University of Connecticut

Patrick Kumavor, Assistant Professor in Residence, University of Connecticut

This course at the University of Connecticut successfully integrates arts-based pedagogies into engineering education to enhance undergraduate research. Having completed its second iteration, Explorations in Biomedical Engineering: Design of Textile-Based Wearable Healthcare Devices Proposed engages students in designing wearable technologies that monitor physiological signals. Co-taught by faculty in Biomedical Engineering and in Industrial Design, it promotes hands-on learning through iterative prototyping, sensor integration, and textile manipulation. Students work in interdisciplinary teams to define user needs, conduct competitive analyses, and create functional, aesthetically refined prototypes. Artistic skills —such as sewing, pattern design, concept drawing and 3D printing with soft materials —are taught throughout, encouraging creative exploration and embracing failure as a learning tool. Preliminary outcomes show an increase in student confidence, technical proficiency, and entrepreneurial thinking. This panel will share course structure, student work, and early findings, offering a replicable model for high-impact undergraduate education at research institutions.

HUB CC 299: WIN in Your Career

Presenters:

Lynn O'Brien Hallstein, Assistant Provost for General Education, Boston University

Amie Grills, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs, Boston University

Recently, the BU HUB, Boston University's general education program, designed and launched a new Hub cocurricular: HUB CC 299: WIN in Your Career. The cocurricular experience brings together juniors and seniors who have nearly completed their general education requirements to enable students to be prepared to talk to others – including potential employers or in graduate school applications – about what they have learned in their general education program and how it has prepared them for the future career. Completing one Writing Intensive (WIN) requirement, students do so via reflective writing focused on 1) what they have learned and how that learning is integrated and complemented by their major and/or minor, 2) how their knowledge and skills can be applied to their career aspirations, and 3) how interdisciplinary forms of knowledge are important to career readiness. This presentation overviews the development process and early launch of this cocurricular.

Listening to Learn: Pedagogical Strategies to Strengthen Classroom Community While Nurturing Leadership Development

Presenters:

Renee Hawkins Blanchard, Faculty, Texas Woman's University

Liberty Bowman, Research Scholar, Texas Woman's University

Maggie Wilhite, Research Scholar, Texas Woman's University

In the undergraduate classroom, faculty are faced with daunting tasks for transforming students' experiential wisdom: classroom management within today's socio-political divides, building classroom cohesion and community, nurturing student scholarship and leadership. This Panel offers faculty and student perceptions of a group-teaching and learning model that creates needed infrastructure for meeting today's instructional demands in undergraduate education.

Promoting Inclusive STEM Teaching and Learning through Exchange of Ideas between Faculty Members and Undergraduate Students 

Presenters:

Gili Marbach-Ad, Research Professor and Director, University of Maryland, College Park

Marco Molinaro, Executive Director for Educational Effectiveness, University of Maryland, College Park

Shiloh Ortiz, Academic Advisor, University of Maryland, College Park

Katerina V. Thompson, Assistant Dean, University of Maryland, College Park

University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) is engaging faculty and undergraduate students in an effort to promote student success in STEM courses. We created a faculty learning community of 25 faculty representing three biological sciences departments. In parallel, we created the Inclusive Excellence Student Advisory Group (IESAG), which included 18 students from diverse backgrounds and majors within CMNS. Over an academic year, we fostered dialogue between students and faculty to (1) help students understand how faculty make decisions about course content and pedagogy and (2) help faculty understand how students experience these learning environments. IESAG students then identified five specific challenges to student success and sense of belonging in STEM. In the upcoming year, they will now fine tune these messages and develop strategic approaches to communicating the information to a broad range of UMD faculty to inspire collaborative efforts to improve undergraduate STEM education.

Re-envisioning Undergraduate STEM Education through Broadening Participation Research

Presenters:

Manisha Maurya, Graduate Research Assistant, Morehouse College

Adrian Neely, Associate Director at STEM US Center, Morehouse College

This proposal presents an ongoing study—funded by the National Science Foundation—examining undergraduate student experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through broadening participation research. Broadening participation research is an approach used to increase the participation of individuals, institutions, and communities that are normally marginalized in STEM (Jaeger et al., 2021). Although marginalized STEM undergraduate students at HBCUs experience higher graduation rates as compared to other institutions (Shuler et al., 2022), only 22% of marginalized groups receive their undergraduate degree in STEM (Stockard et al., 2021). Therefore, this study employs a mentoring model—based on broadening participation research—to determine the impact of mentoring on STEM undergraduate students at HBCUs. Participants include 24 mentors and 6 undergraduate mentees. Results from this study will contribute to the research on broadening participation and increasing undergraduate STEM retention rates among HBCU students.

Responding to the Public’s Declining Confidence in Higher Education: A Career-Outcome-Based Curriculum Review and the Strategies that Resulted 

Presenter:

Tamara Brown, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of Texas at Arlington

Andrew Hippisley, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, University of Texas at Arlington

Ashley Purgason, Vice Provost for Student Success, University of Texas at Arlington

Brandon Wright, Assistant Vice President for Student Success and Transitions, University of Texas at Arlington

Students and their families are increasingly doubtful that a degree is a good bet for meeting their career goals. At the federal and state level higher education is being held to account on delivering the promise to prepare students for meaningful employment. This means we need a clear understanding of the metrics that will be used so that strategies can be devised and actions taken. Now more than ever the value proposition embedded in the academic portfolio must make explicit and concrete the career outcomes it promises, such that the value proposition is assessable and assessed. UT Arlington recently conducted a thorough career outcomes-based review of all degree programs finding a significant number fell short of the threshold. The exercise has brought about a shift in focus to career readiness and a wealth of faculty-led ideas that have been turned into concrete actions and strategies, shareable across the university.

Student Success, Seats, and Strategy: Lessons from Integrating Analytics into Course Enrollment Planning

Presenters:

Zhen Zhang, Data Scientist, James Madison University

Dr. Paul E. Mabrey III, Director, Student Success Analytics and Associate Professor, Communication Studies, James Madison University

Many universities face course capacity issues. Predictive analytic techniques including Markov Chains and random forest predictions can be applied to this course seat problem to give university leaders an unprecedented peek into the future but are insufficient in isolation for decision making without contextual and supporting information. At James Madison University, some courses have near 100% seat utilization every semester, particularly large format gateway and/or general education courses. Projection and predictive models have spurred conversation and accelerated development of more comprehensive datasets and dashboards to address the multi-faceted needs of the V. Provost led Enrollment Group. This presentation will discuss successes and lessons learned of the Student Success Analytics unit in supporting the Enrollment Group with particular focus on the technical implementation of the predictive models, communication about them, and iterative development of more comprehensive datasets and dashboards that display both predictions and model inputs to address specific needs.

Summer Initiatives from a Small Summer Office Delivering Big Impact

Presenter:

Anne Van Arsdall, Director, CSU Summer, Colorado State University

This poster highlights a suite of thoughtfully designed initiatives to foster campus-wide collaboration, deliver support, and elevate summer programming. Key features include: (1) the Summer Enrichment Map, an interactive tool guiding students to opportunities to stay on track, build skills, and gain experience every summer—complete with a QR code linking to detailed resources and student videos; (2) an Advisor Tip Sheet providing comprehensive, up-to-date summer policies, practices, and resources for student guidance; (3) a K-12 Summer Programs Portal searchable website and K–12 Summer Programs Guide offering a framework for campus coordinators to design, deliver, and assess youth programs—including concrete examples and key contacts; and (4) customizable Marketing and Social Media Assets to help faculty promote their courses and empower students to share their experiences. Together, these practical and scalable tools, within a centralized/decentralized summer office model, increase visibility, streamline communication, and support student success across departments.

Understanding Student Values through their Thanks

Presenter:

Ruth Poproski, Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning, University of Georgia

We will share results from an analysis of 500+ thank-you notes, written by students to their instructors. Results highlight the impact students experience when instructors take time to demonstrate that they care for the well-being and success of their students, and provide insight into levers of motivation for students in the teaching and learning context. Through this centering of student perspectives and voices, our goal is to prompt discussion and reflection on several of UERU’s suggested question – including (a) How can we (re)envision existing and new structures, processes, practices, and identities to enable our institutions to achieve holistic student success?, (b) How do we re-engage and re-imagine the possibilities for equitable teaching and learning in our research universities for career development and world readiness? (c) How do we effectively support faculty by providing the necessary tools and resources to ensure both their success and the success of their students?

UT San Antonio’s Generative AI in Teaching and Learning: Empowering Faculty Innovation and Student Engagement 

Presenters:

Dr. Tammy Wyatt, Senior Vice Provost for Student Success, University of Texas at San Antonio

Dr. Melissa Vito, Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, University of Texas at San Antonio

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio), a Carnegie R1, urban-serving, Hispanic-Serving Institution, presents its latest initiative: Generative AI in Teaching and Learning, a strategic effort to integrate artificial intelligence into pedagogical practices to enhance student engagement, faculty innovation, and enhanced learning outcomes. This initiative builds on UT San Antonio’s commitment to data-informed decision-making and collaborative academic support, and includes professional development programs, AI-enhanced course design, student-centered learning tools, and experiential learning opportunities. Through pilot programs, faculty fellowships, and cross-divisional collaboration, UT San Antonio is exploring how generative AI can personalize learning, streamline instructional design, and support all student populations. This poster will showcase UT San Antonio’s approach, outcomes, and lessons learned from implementing generative AI in the classroom.