2027 Keynote Presenters

The Room Where It Happens:
AI-Smart Pedagogy for Learning You Can See

Ashley Evans
Valencia College

Lead With Learning: Rethinking AI in Higher Ed

Lew Ludwig
Denison University

Higher education is full of practices that persist simply because that's how they've always been done. Generative AI has forced many of those practices into question. This interactive session uses backward design to help faculty return to their own course goals and decide, not just whether AI belongs in an assignment, but how the assignment itself may need to change simply because AI now exists. Rather than offering rules or bans, the session gives faculty a way to test old assumptions against present goals. Each participant leaves with one concrete step to try in a real course this term.

What Great Teachers Do
When Everything Changes

Todd Zakrajsek
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Artificial intelligence has changed the way we teach, but it has not changed the way people learn. Great teachers have always inspired curiosity, challenged students to think deeply, built meaningful relationships, and created learning experiences that last. Those qualities matter more today than ever before. In this keynote, we'll explore why the science of learning remains the foundation of effective teaching and how faculty can more confidently embrace AI without losing sight of what matters most. You'll leave with renewed confidence that while technology is always changing (and has been for many years), great teaching and the impact great teachers have on students never goes out of style.