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1:00 - 1:50

Building Community in Online Courses

Presenter: Masha Krsmanovic

Online learning is most effective when students feel connected to their instructor, peers, and the course. This session explores practical strategies for creating a strong sense of community in online learning environments. Participants will examine how intentional course design, Canvas organization, instructor presence, and meaningful student interactions can be leveraged to support student engagement and belonging. 

2:00 - 2:50

Faculty Advising: Guiding Students Towards Success

Presenters: Lisa Rieger & Heather Broadhead

This session will explore best practices for faculty advising. Presenters will discuss strategies for effective communication, the role of mentorship, and other tips and tricks for successful advising. Bring your advising questions for Q&A.

10:00 - 10:50

Let's Be Fair: Copyright, Licensing, and Fair Use in Instruction

Presenters: Josh Cromwell & Grace Schmitt (virtual only)

This session will cover the basics of copyright and licenses as they pertain to using digital resources in the classroom and online. Attendees will learn how to interpret Copyright Law and license agreements to ensure that they are using digital resources, such as ebooks, articles, videos, and more, appropriately. They will also learn strategies for identifying and finding resources that can be freely used in their courses without additional conditions or permissions.

12:00 - 12:50

All About the Writing ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ                           

Presenter: Jason McCormick

This session will introduce faculty to the resources that the Writing ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ offers faculty and students across all disciplines. 

1:00 - 1:50

Simplifying Support: A Faculty Introduction to Accommodate

Presenter: Chase Robbins

Beginning in Fall 2026, Student Accessibility Services will transition to the Accommodate platform. This informational session will familiarize faculty with the new platform and provide guidance on changes to the look and feel of accommodation notification, exam scheduling, and exam proctoring.

2:00 - 2:50

Connection Before Content: Designing the First-Week Experience                                         

Presenter: Ashley Allen

Before students can deeply engage with course content, they need to feel connected to their peers and instructor. This workshop re-imagines the initial days of class as a launching pad for long-term psychological safety and collaboration. Discover how small shifts in your early-term pedagogy can reduce student anxiety, boost participation, and foster a lasting culture of belonging. 

10:00 - 10:50

What Are You Actually Assessing?

Presenter: Allison Downing

Examine your written tests as tools for teaching and learning. Attendees will learn how the construct of a written test is just as important as the content being tested. Practical ways to develop and format tests will be presented.

1:00 - 1:50

The Learning Assistant Program at ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ

Presenter: Gayle Sollfrank & Melissa Ziegler

The LA Program brings faculty, undergraduate students in gateway courses, and high impact practices into a powerful story around student success. Participants will have a behind the scenes look at the LA Program at ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ and how its structure contributes to retention, motivation, and community building in undergraduate courses.

2:00 - 2:50

Academic Integrity: A Q&A with Dr. Kendrick Buford 

Presenter: Kendrick Buford, Ashley Allen (moderator)

What happens when I file an academic integrity complaint? Are there things I can do to curve cheating in my course? Are there ‘best practices’ in terms of designing my course with academic integrity in mind? Join Drs. Ashley Allen and Kendrick Buford for a Q&A about ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ’s academic integrity policy and process. Bring your questions! 

9:00 - 5:00

Mental Health First Aid Certification

This full-day training provides participants with strategies and resources for supporting people who may be dealing with mental health challenges or who may be in crisis. Please note that this training requires a small amount of pre-work and space is limited. *Prior registration and full-day, in-person attendance are required. 

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, ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ 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 ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ 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.