2024 University of Pittsburgh Assessment and Teaching Conference
All Pitt faculty, staff, and instructors are invited to participate in the 12th annual Assessment and Teaching Conference on Friday, Feb. 2, sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the University Center for Teaching and Learning. The conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. in Alumni Hall.
This year’s keynote speakers, panelists, and poster presentations will further our commitment to the Year of Discourse and Dialogue. We will showcase the work of Pitt community members whose teaching, learning, and assessment activities model the behaviors, skills, practices, and attitudes that foster civil discourse and free expression.
The conference agenda, keynote speaker details, and poster presenter information is below.
Questions about the conference can be addressed to Jennifer Cooper at jlc321@pitt.edu in the Office of the Provost.
8:30 – 9 a.m. |
Breakfast |
Connolly Ballroom |
9 – 10:30 a.m. |
Introduction of Keynote Speaker:
Amanda Godley, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies Keynote Address: Dr. Kristina Ruiz-Mesa Not able to attend in person? Join the keynote address via live stream on Zoom at 9 a.m. |
Connolly Ballroom |
Morning Break-Out Sessions |
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10:45 – 11:45 a.m. | Concurrent Session 1: Inclusive Teaching as Catalyst for Student Motivation
April Dukes, Faculty and Future Faculty Program Director, Engineering Education Research Center, Swanson School of Engineering Session Description: In the post-pandemic era, both anecdotal and research evidence indicates a decline in student motivation compared to pre-pandemic levels. This talk aims to explore the revitalization of inclusive strategies in the classroom, to support students in cultivating intrinsic motivation for their learning journey. |
Connolly Ballroom |
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. | Concurrent Session 2: A Modified Flipped Classroom Facilitates Group Interaction and Discussion in an Introduction to Psychology Classroom
Kristen Asplin, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Community for the Advancement of Teaching, University of Pittsburgh Greensburg Campus Session Description: This session will review the experiences in a flipped classroom that helped connect the course content, group work, and students. It will include factors that help acclimatize students to college life and create a cohort of support and respect among first-year psychology students. |
B26 Alumni Hall |
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. | Concurrent Session 3: Incorporating Student Voices in Curriculum Revision
Nathalie Chen, 3rd Year MD PhD student, School of Medicine; Diana-Mendoza-Cervantes, MS4 student, School of Medicine; Gregory Null, Director of Program Evaluation, CQI, and Accreditation, School of Medicine Office of Medical Education; Victoria Grieve, Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy Session Description: One of the most crucial goals of any curriculum revision project is to design curriculum that will be impactful and effectively prepare our students to succeed as professionals in our disciplines. Emphasizing the challenge and importance of identifying moments and methods for student involvement, the session will feature presenters from the School of Medicine and the School of Pharmacy, who will share their insights and successful strategies for centering student voices and perspectives in two curriculum revision projects. The session will give attendees the opportunity to consider and pose questions about how to collaborate with students to enhance curriculum design. |
121 Alumni Hall |
Noon – 1:30 p.m. |
Lunch |
Connolly Ballroom |
Lunchtime Session:
United in Compassion: Teaching to Build Community and Promote Civil Discourse Abdesalam Soudi, Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics, University of Pittsburgh, and Jennifer Murtazashvili, Professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh Session Description: During these challenging times, our commitment to building community and fostering compassionate learning environments has never been more crucial. The art of living peacefully with those who hold different values or worldviews is a critical skill for the preservation and advancement of democracy. Universities have a unique opportunity and responsibility to foster environments where constructive conversations can flourish. Such environments not only benefit the individual learner but also contribute to the health of the broader community and the democratic process. This session builds upon our “United in Compassion” framework, initiated in the fall of 2023, and will explore innovative teaching practices that not only establish robust academic communities but also promote civil discourse as a cornerstone of intellectual growth. We will underscore the pivotal role of compassion in shaping inclusive spaces for diverse voices to be heard. The questions we will address include: How can we ensure that students are not merely academically equipped but also culturally engaged to contribute to civil society? How can we foster a sense of community in the classroom? In what ways can we integrate compassion, empathy, and understanding into our teaching methodologies? How can we cultivate respectful dialogue in the face of differing views? Lastly, how do we promote compassion when confronted with tragedy and conflict? |
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Afternoon Break-Out Sessions |
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1:45 – 2:45 p.m. |
Concurrent Session 1: Ambition Beyond Completion: An Approach to Ungrading with Student-Driven Assessment and Student Success Assessment From 30,000 Feet: The View from an Institutional Research and Reporting Perspective
Moriah Kirdy, Associate Director, William S. Dietrich Institute for Writing Excellence; Teaching Associate Professor, Composition Program, Department of English Amanda Brodish, Associate Vice Provost for Data Analytics, Office of the Provost Session Description: This session provides two views of approaches to understanding student success: one zooming in to the classroom setting to explore a student-led assessment strategy, and another zooming out to the institutional perspective at the level of gross metrics. |
121 Alumni Hall |
1:45 – 2:45 p.m. | Concurrent Session 2: Student Perspectives on Generative AI in Higher Education: Innovations and Implications
Moderator: Annette Vee, Associate Professor of English and Composition Program Director Student Panelists: Stephany Andrade, Combined Accelerated Studies in Education (CASE) major; Quentin Romero, Computer Science major; Rafael Romero, English major; V.Z. White, Neuroscience major Session Description: The release of OpenAI’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, ChatGPT has catalyzed faculty discussions about the opportunities and implications of integrating AI into teaching and learning. Although these discussions have helped us begin to strategize our approaches to AI in our classrooms, they are often missing an important perspective: our students’. This panel, featuring undergraduate students of diverse disciplines, will address students’ experiences and views on the applications for and the ethical, practical, and educational implications of incorporating generative AI into learning experiences. In addition to a moderated Q&A, attendees will have the opportunity to pose questions to panelists at the end of the session. |
Connolly Ballroom |
1:45 – 2:45 p.m. |
Concurrent Session 3: A Pedagogical Approach to Leading Discussions on Sensitive Topics in the Classroom
Michael Goodhart, Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh Session Description: This session will focus on leading discussions about politically sensitive topics in large undergraduate classes and selecting readings that inspire respectful and complex conversation. |
B26 Alumni Hall |
NOTE: This session starts at 2 p.m. | Concurrent Session 4: Teaching Students to Manage Challenging Situations
Ann Marsico, Assistant Professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Pittsburgh Session Description: Stop, Talk, Roll is a framework used to teach students how to manage challenging situations in experiential learning. |
343 Alumni Hall |
3 – 4:15 p.m. |
Poster Session |
Connolly Ballroom |
Keynote Biography:
Dr. Kristina Ruiz-Mesa is a professor of Communication and for more than a decade served as the director of one of the largest oral communication programs in the nation at California State University, Los Angeles. Before joining the Cal State LA faculty, Dr. Ruiz-Mesa worked in diversity, equity, and inclusion research at Villanova University where she founded the St. Thomas of Villanova Scholars (STOVS) pre-college bridge program; a program she directed for 10 years.
Dr. Ruiz-Mesa earned a B.A. and M.A. in Communication from Villanova University, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she took coursework in Communication, Ethnic Studies, and Higher Education and studied the communication practices of chief diversity officers in U.S. colleges and universities.
Dr. Ruiz-Mesa loves teaching and designing new courses. She teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate-level courses on instructional communication, qualitative and critical research methods, organizational communication, equity, race, and feminism. Her research focuses on organizational and instructional communication practices to improve institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her work has been presented at conferences throughout the United States and Europe and has been published in the Journal of Communication Pedagogy, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, Management Communication Quarterly, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Communication Education, Basic Communication Course Annual, the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, and in book chapters on a variety of issues related to public speaking, diversity leadership, higher education, race, and feminism. She is the lead author of Inclusive Public Speaking, a national textbook designed to help individuals communicate effectively, reflect on their intersectional identities, and connect with diverse audiences.
Dr. Ruiz-Mesa is a sought-after consultant and speaker on organizational communication, inclusion, and equity, and she has advised organizational leaders throughout the United States and Canada. She actively contributes to various boards, including serving on the national board of advisors for the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), the Villanova University Alumni Association Board of Directors, and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Board.
Dr. Ruiz-Mesa was raised on the shores of southern New Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia, and is passionate about ocean conservation. For the last 12 years, she has volunteered each week at a marine mammal rehabilitation center where she works in animal care, tending to the medical needs of injured and sick seals and sea lions. Her love of the ocean and marine conservation has led to a courtesy appointment in the graduate program at Oregon State University in Environmental Science, where she mentors graduate students on effective communication of conservation messaging.
Whether teaching, conducting research, mentoring, or volunteering, Dr. Ruiz-Mesa believes in the power of communication to build community and create a more equitable and kind world.
Keynote Address:
Cultivating Inclusive Classrooms: Transformative Communication through Difficult Dialogues
Session Description: This keynote will address the need for dialogue in college classrooms to build community and foster learning. Dr. Ruiz-Mesa will share best practices for engaging in difficult dialogues to create inclusive learning environments, strengthen critical thinking, and hone interpersonal and oral communication skills.
Oshin Miranda
Leveraging Novel Deep Learning Models and Multiple Social Determinants of Health to Predict Alcohol and Substance Use Disorder Risk in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Patients
Graduate Student, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences
Daniel Wetzel
Help Me Help You: Mitigating Student-Identified Barriers to Engagement with Faculty Office Hours
Teaching Assistant Professor and Academic Advisor, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Biological Sciences
Colleen Mayowski
Time to Act: A Rubric-Based Approach for Institutionalizing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Assistant Professor, Director of Equity and Inclusion in the Curriculum, Institute for Clinical Research Education, School of Medicine
Jared Divido, Jess Oest, and Sally Russick
Leveraging Video Platforms for Clinical Skills Demonstrations in Hybrid and Online Courses
Instructional Designers, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Gunnel Bergstrom
Welcome to Hotel Stockholm!
Teaching Assistant Professor, Swedish Program Coordinator, Swedish Language Instructor and Advisor, Department of Linguistics
Jess Oest, Regan Harrell
Connecting with Colleagues: Integrating Reflective Practice and Active Learning in a Graduate-Level Physical Therapy Course
Instructional Designer, Assistant Professor, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Sara Baumann, Jessica Burke
Can Art Heal? Teaching a Public Health Course Harnessing Creative and Arts-based Methods
Assistant Professor, Professor and Vice Dean, Public Health, Department of Behavior and Community Health Sciences
Ryan Teeter
Student Choice: Matching Traditional and Hybrid Courses
Clinical Associate Professor, Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration
Rory Carrol, David Outomuro
Improving Sense of Belonging in Natural Sciences by Implementing Inclusive Active Learning Modules
Teaching Assistant Professor, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Biological Sciences
Mi-Hyun Kim, Hyunju Ha
Learner Autonomy and Second Language Pronunciation Learning for Meaningful Communication
Teaching Assistant Professor of Korean Language and Linguistics, Instructor of Korean Language, Department of East Asian Languages& Literatures
Gang Liu
Balance Between Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Curricula and Industrial Needs
Assistant Professor, Division of Physical and Computational Sciences, Bradford Campus
Gang Liu
Exploring the Multi-Strata Knowledge Structures in STEM Education
Assistant Professor, Division of Physical and Computational Sciences, Bradford Campus
Julie Dubis
Cardiopulmonary Patient Simulation: Putting Students’ Knowledge and Skills into Practice
Assistant Professor, Clinical Coordinator Department of Physician Assistant Studies, On-Campus Physician Assistant Program, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Sharon Welburn
H5P for Student Engagement: Making Epidemiology Practices Interactive and Accessible Online
Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology
Rebecca Morris
Let’s Circle Back: Strengthening Student Learning & Community in Asynchronous Discussions
Teaching Associate Professor, School of Computing and Information, Department of Information Culture and Data Stewardship
William Garrison
Open-Ended Projects and Collaborative Assessment Design in Upper-Level Computer Security Courses
Teaching Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, School of Computing and Information
Elizabeth Richey, Kimberly Rehak
Adaptations to Support Dialog Through Peer Review Across Instructional Contexts
Teaching Assistant Professor, Instructional Designer, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
Department of Psychology, College of General Studies
Grace Drnach-Bonaventura
The Use of Technology to Scale Up an Undergraduate, Multi-Section Foundations Courses
Chief of Staff, School of Public Health
Antoinette Wilson
Writing Equitable, Inclusive, and Effective Assessments: Multiple Choice Items
Assistant Professor, Department of Physician Assistant Studies
Abosede Onibon-oje
Enhancing Cultural Humility through a Longitudinal APPE Exchange Program
Pharmacy Student, School of Pharmacy
James Egan, Abimbola Fapohunda
Essentials of Health Equity: Exploring Social and Structural Determinants of Health
Assistant Professors, Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health
Stephanie Jimenez
Variations on the Group Discussion Component of Interteaching
Associate Professor, Psychology Department, Johnstown Campus
Sera Thornton
How Can We Prepare Nursing Students to Effectively Lead Conversations About Health Misinformation with Patients and Colleagues?
Instructional Designer, Health Sciences Library System