2026 Capital PKAL Regional Network Meeting

Schedule-at-a-Glance

The 2026 Capital PKAL Regional Network Meeting takes place on Friday, April 24, 2026. All times listed below are in Eastern Daylight Time, which is the same as Atlantic Standard Time.

VIEW ABSTRACTS

8:55 - 9:00 AM, EDT	Login to Zoom
9:00 – 9:20 AM	Capital PKAL Opening & Welcome Remarks Lora Bailey, Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs, University of the Virgin Islands Kelly Mack, Vice President for Undergraduate STEM Education and Executive Director of Project Kaleidoscope, AACU
9:20 - 9:25 AM	Introduction of Plenary Speaker Verleen McSween, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, UVI 2026 Capital PKAL Network Meeting Director
9:25 - 10:05 AM	Keynote Presentation Teaching and Learning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities for Higher Education Talitha Washington, Professor, Department of Mathematics; Executive Director, Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics, Howard University
10:05 - 10:10 AM	Break
10:10 - 11:10 AM	Session I, Concurrent
	Track A 10:10 AM: AI and Online Assessment and Evaluation Best Practices Trevor Adams, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 10:30 AM: When Good Writing Isn’t Good Evidence: Rethinking Assessment in Online STEM William Ford, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 10:50 AM: Innovating Higher Education Through AI: Lessons from a Liberal Arts and STEM Integration Model (Lightning Talk) Karryll Phillips, Fayetteville State University 11:00 AM: Big Data from Quick Emails: Transforming Learner Experiences into Actionable Insights (Lightning Talk) Barbara Lom, Professor of Biology, Davidson College
	Track B 10:10 AM: From Experimentation to Practice: Faculty-Led GenAI Learning Experiences in STEM Classrooms Audeliz Matias and Mete Cetiner, Empire State University; Keion M. Clinton; and Cayla M. Gaworecki and David Wolf, SUNY Schenectady 10:30 AM: An AI Update: How to integrate AI guidelines into your class Erin Doughney, Wake Technical Community College 10:50 AM: Rethinking Learning in the Age of AI: A Neurocognitive Framework for Curiosity-Driven STEM Education Cynthia van Golen, Delaware State University
11:10 - 11:15 AM	Break
11:15 AM- 12:30 PM	Session II
	11:15 AM: A Weekly Cycle for AI Verification: Embedding Critical Evaluation in Undergraduate Engineering Reza Ebadi, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 11:35 AM: Teaching Professional Judgment, Not Just Tool Proficiency: A Cognitive Apprenticeship Model for AI Integration Across STEM Emily Monroe, Dartmouth College and Patrick Tebbe, Minnesota State University 11:55 AM: Is Culturally Focused Experiential Learning a ‘Solution’ to Support Critical Thinking in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence? Michele Guannel and Molly Perry, University of the Virgin Islands 12:15 PM: From AI Generation to Student Reflection: Designing AI-Integrated Assignments in Introductory Computing Courses Zakia Hmamou, Hudson County Community College
12:30 - 1:15 PM	Lunch Break
1:15 - 2:15 PM	Session III
	1:15 PM: Reimagining Open Education: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Create and Curate High-Quality STEM OER Vincent Granito, Lorain County Community College 1:35 PM: Thinking with AI: Using Artificial Intelligence as a Mindtool to Promote Critical Thinking Jacqueline Washington, Adjunct Professor of Biology and Mary Mawn, Professor of Biology, Empire State University 1:55 PM: Learning with AI and Learning about AI: A Framework for Quantitative Methods Pedagogy Teddy Svoronos, Harvard University John F Kennedy School of Government
2:15 - 2:20 PM	Break
2:20 - 3:20 PM	Session IV, Concurrent
	Workshop A "Can I use AI for that?”: Using Transparent Design and an AI Assessment Scale to Transform Assignment Design in STEM (and Beyond) Caroline Brinkert and Benjamin Keating, Boston University
	Workshop B Beyond Copy-and-Paste: Rethinking AI, Learning, and Assessment Through Scaffolded Assignment Design Racquel Bethea, Bennett College
3:20 - 3:30 PM	Reflections and Closing Remarks Verleen McSween, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, UVI 2026 Capital PKAL Network Meeting Director Lethia Jackson, Professor Capital PKAL Network Steering Committee