Last week, I had the opportunity to attend and present a poster at the ITLC (Institute for Teaching and Learning Conference) Lilly Conference in San Diego. The focus of the conference was “Teaching for Active and Engaged Learning in the Age of AI.” This conference was an energizing and timely considering how AI is shaping the education landscape. Many topics throughout the event focused on teaching for active and engaged learning. There were numerous conversations and sessions centered around equity, learning science, and ethical AI integration. One main theme was that the idea that AI, when used intentionally, can support deeper learning and stronger student belonging.
The keynote sessions provided a framework for thinking about AI in higher education. Andrew Estrada Phuong’s opening keynote introduced Adaptive Equity-Oriented Pedagogy. He discussed how evidence-based practices, when adapted to address equity barriers, can significantly improve student achievement and belonging. His discussion of how AI can augment these practices helped me rethink AI not as a replacement for good teaching, but as a tool that can strengthen student-centered learning.
The second keynote speaker, Todd Zakrajsek, built on this foundation by connecting generative AI directly to the science of learning. His keynote emphasized how AI can scaffold complex thinking, promote reflection, and support mastery-oriented learning. AI can be used to help students engage more meaningfully with challenging material. This session clarified how AI can be used to slow learning down in productive ways and help students achieve depth over speed.
The closing keynote by our own Bonni Stachowiak offered a creative and reflective conclusion. Through metaphor and game play, she invited us to explore the ethical implications of AI in education and consider how our values shape the way we respond to emerging technologies. I appreciated the emphasis on curiosity, dialogue, and care, and left with practical tools for engaging students and colleagues in thoughtful conversations about AI.
The breakout sessions reinforced these ideas with highly practical strategies I can bring directly into my teaching. Sessions on prompt engineering and ethical AI integration offered concrete ways to use AI to support assessment, feedback, and instructional design. I liked how the sessions encouraged strategic use of AI while still preserving the human side of teaching. Other sessions focused on belonging, collaboration, and formative assessment. I especially liked how they showed that AI can support struggling learners, encourage growth mindset, and create more inclusive classroom experiences.
Overall, this conference was an incredibly valuable experience. I left feeling affirmed in my approach to teaching and better equipped to integrate AI in ways that are ethical, equitable, and grounded in learning science. I’m grateful for the opportunity to attend and look forward to applying these strategies to support student learning in meaningful ways.
