From artificial intelligence to strategic course design, USF Innovative Education demonstrated its expertise in digital learning and innovation in online education at the 2025 Intersections Conference in Orlando, FL. This year鈥檚 conference themes 鈥� innovation, AI in higher education, leadership, workforce development, and academic integrity in online education 鈥� align directly with InEd鈥檚 forward-thinking initiatives, reinforcing its role in shaping USF鈥檚 online education 鈥� and its history of serving as a model for other universities
Hosted annually by the University of 51在线, Intersections is a premier gathering of higher education professionals exploring emerging trends and common challenges in digital learning.
Fourteen USF team members delivered 11 thought-provoking presentations, sharing innovative strategies to enhance student success, learning design, and faculty engagement.
GENERATIVE AI AND ITS ROLE IN EDUCATION
AI鈥檚 transformative potential was a key theme throughout InEd鈥檚 contributions, and USF showcased how AI-powered tools and strategies are reshaping learning experiences. Presentations on the topics included:
- AI in Action: A Strategic Approach to Driving Student Success, Faculty Excellence, and Community Impact 鈥� Christine Brown explored how AI can be used to foster student-centered learning, encourage entrepreneurial thinking, and drive data-informed decisions. The presentation focused on InEd鈥檚 university-wide GenAi initiatives.
- Course Enhancement with Generative AI: A Fully Online, Self-Paced Training Solution for USF Faculty 鈥� Lindsey Mercer provided a comprehensive overview of USF's Course Enhancement with GenAI workshop where faculty participants gain hands-on experience prompting through a variety of GenAI platforms to ultimately create and apply plans for course preparation, assessments, content development and feedback.
- Upskilling and Engaging Through Strategic Course Design: Inside the USF GenAI MOOC 鈥� Christine Brown, Desiree Henderson, Christie Nicholas, and Jing Wan led an interactive panel discussion on the challenges, strategies, and successes behind USF鈥檚 new free online micro-course 鈥� GenAI in Action: Impact and Possibilities. Reaching over 5,000 participants worldwide and growing, the course provides hands-on practice and expert insights from AI leaders at USF and across the Tampa Bay area.
- Unlocking the Power of GenAI: Designing Assessments for Engagement and Motivation 鈥� Janine Diaz-Cotto and Michael Rodriguez Delgado showcased how they used GenAI-powered to enhance assessments, discussion boards, and immersive role-play assignments can enhance student engagement.
- The Sound of Innovation: GenAI-Powered Audio in Online Course Design 鈥� Zhaihuan Dai and Janine Diaz-Cotto demonstrated how GenAI can transform educational content creation through media such as podcasts, interactive presentations, and animated videos.
ASSISTIVE DEVICES IN DIGITAL LEARNING
Lindsey Mercer鈥檚 conference presentation illustrated real-world challenges by sharing a visually impaired student鈥檚 first-hand experience:
- Seeing Accessibility Through Their Eyes: Direct Insights from JAWS End-User Testing 鈥� Lindsey Mercer presented on USF鈥檚 project to evaluate the ability of screen reading devices (e.g., JAWS) and how visually impaired and/or blind students can use these assistive devices on Canvas, Microsoft Teams, and Honorlock.
STRATEGIC COURSE DESIGN FOR STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
Several presentations showcased how InEd鈥檚 course design strategies emphasize meaningful connections, interactive learning, and instructor presence to improve student engagement:
- The Power of Presence: Evidence-Based Methods that Work for Building Online Rapport 鈥� LaSaundria Glenn-Bass shared key strategies for fostering faculty-student engagement through meaningful communication, personalized feedback, and the use of interactive technologies.
- Certifying Success: A Decade of Online Instructor Certification 鈥� LaSaundria Glenn-Bass also discussed the evolution and impact of USF鈥檚 Online Instructor Certification program, which launched in 2013 and has certified more than 2,500 faculty.
- Breaking the Mold: Innovations in Media and Design for Online Learning 鈥� Christie Nicholas and Jared Brown highlighted InEd鈥檚 cutting-edge course and media innovations, including industry-leading virtual production techniques.
- Game Changer: Redesigning Your Digital Onboarding Playbook 鈥� Melissa Granholm and Alexandra Ward shared how USF transitioned from a physical to a digital onboarding approach using a project management system for streamlined and adaptive resource management.
RETHINKING ASSESSMENT AND LEARNING STRATEGIES
Traditional assessment models are evolving, and InEd is at the forefront of designing innovative, student-centered approaches to learning and evaluation.
- Beyond 鈥淩ight鈥� and 鈥淲rong鈥�: Using Mistakes to Enhance Learning in Online Courses 鈥� Todd Mendenhall and Laura Aguado explored strategies to incorporate error-based learning into course design to improve student engagement and learning outcomes.
- Transform Higher Education into Hire Education: Designing Assessments for the Modern Workforce 鈥� Angie Fairweather showcased how cutting-edge educational psychology research can be connected with practical online course design strategies and current trends in adaptive learning, growth mindsets, and formative assessment practices.
鈥淧resenting the projects, courses, and strategic initiatives that we're working on at USF is important,鈥� said Christine Brown, associate vice president for Innovative Education. 鈥淲e highlight our innovative, student-centric approach to digital learning and engage with others about challenges, opportunities and solutions we鈥檙e all facing."
The conference does more than just provide an opportunity for the team to present their work. It provides opportunities for meaningful connections.
"The discussions at Intersections don鈥檛 end at the conference," said Brown. "Our team fosters connections with peers that inspire new ideas for everyone, while always keeping student success at the forefront of everything we do.鈥�