2026 North Carolina PKAL Regional Network Meeting
Schedule-at-a-Glance
The 2026 North Carolina Regional Network Meeting will be held virtually. All times listed below are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Sessions will not be recorded.
VIEW ABSTRACTS
| FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2026 | |
| 8:45 - 9:00 AM, EDT | OPEN ZOOM ROOM |
| 9:00 – 9:10 AM | WELCOME Kelly Mack, Vice President for Undergraduate STEM Education and Executive Director of Project Kaleidoscope, AACU |
| 9:10 - 10:00 AM | PANEL SESSION Classroom Strategies implemented across the NC PKAL Regional Network NC PKAL Regional Network Schools Gail Hollowell, NC Central University, Moderator Kory Bennett, NC A&T State University Minna Ng, Duke University Aaron Trocki, Elon University Evan Wantland, UNC - Charlotte |
| 10:00 - 11:00 AM | LIGHTNING TALKS Track 1: Classroom Practices that Foster Engagement and Agency Session moderator - Aaron Trocki, Elon College Supporting Learning Through Course Design: Evidence from Structured Notes and Mastery-Based Retakes Clara Voorhees, D'Youville University Enhancing Student Engagement and Active Learning in Chemistry through End-of-Class Engagement Quizzes Kumudu Peiris, Wake Technical Community College Boosting Engagement in Statistics via Excel and MyOpenMath Omar Babun Codorniu, Lynn University Using the Curriculum to Introduce Leadership Competencies to Undergraduate STEM Students Lance Barton, UNC Charlotte; John Richardson, Ryan Felix and Samuel Kroger, Austin College Enhancing STEM Education Through Peer-Led Active Learning: The STEM Guide Program Selma Poturovic, DePauw University |
| 11:00 - 11:15 AM | Break |
| 11:15 - 12:00 PM | LIGHTNING TALKS Track 2: Department and Institutional Pathways to STEM Achievement Session moderator - Kory Bennett, NC A&T State University PURE Science: Tracking of place- based undergraduate research experiences at an HBCU Verleen McSween-Missole, University of the Virgin Islands Engaging Students in Statistical Consulting: A Pathway to Research and Workforce Careers Andre Waschka, Elon University Mentorship for Persistence: A Low-Cost, Scalable Intervention to Improve Retention and Success in Undergraduate Computer Science Ericka Mochan, Carlow University |
| 12:00 – 1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 - 1:55 PM | KEYNOTE PRESENTATION The Right Thing or The Symbolic Thing Introduction of Speaker - Gail Hollowell, NC Central University Catherine L. Quinlan, Ed.D., Brenda B. Brodie Endowed Chair, School of Education, North Carolina Central University |
| 1:55 - 2:00 PM | Break |
| 2:00 - 3:15 PM | LIGHTNING TALKS Track 3: Technology, Innovation, and Emerging Tools in STEM Pathways Session moderator - Evan Wantland, UNC - Charlotte AI Prompt Development to Create Personal Learning Thomas Harnden, Georgia Highlands College Innovation Without Replacement: Leveraging Existing Technologies to Strengthen STEM Learning Pathways Carla van de Sande, Arizona State University Personalizing Learning via AI: NotebookLM as a Study Buddy, Tutor, and Course Assistant Oscar Fernandez, Wellesley College Track 4: Identifying and Addressing Barriers to STEM Success A Cross-Sectional Exploration of STEM Persistence in College and throughout Career Srebrenka Robic, Bonnie Perdue and Destiny Tisdale, Agnes Scott College |
| 3:15 - 3:30 PM | FINAL THOUGHTS AND CLOSING REMARKS Jackie Swanik, Wake Technical Community College, NC PKAL |