Events

For many research programs at TU, students are the research engine - putting in long hours, coming up with great ideas, and generating robust data. One challenge lies in converting that hard work to publications in the primary literature. Join us for a panel discussion to explore different strategies faculty employ to get manuscripts with student authors across the finish line. Please join us and share your thoughts and experiences. Lunch will be provided to faculty. 

Panelists: Dr. Keith Reber (Professor, Organic Chemistry); Dr. Kimberly Corum (Associate Professor, Math Education); Dr. John LaPolla (Professor, Biology; Systematics)

Microsoft Copilot continues to evolve, and this session highlights what’s new and relevant for faculty. We’ll take a quick look at recent Copilot updates, including the Teach app for instructional support, the Create app for generating editable infographics and visual content, and enhancements to Copilot Chat. Faculty will leave with a clearer understanding of how these tools can support teaching workflows and improve day-to-day productivity. 

From chat-based conversations to virtual avatars, AI is expanding how students rehearse real-world interactions. In this workshop, faculty will explore how TU-supported tools, such as Copilot, ChatGPT, Blackboard AI Conversations, and VR, can be used to design role-play activities for their courses. In person event only, with an opportunity to try VR conversations with an AI avatar.🍴Lunch will be provided. You’re welcome to arrive at 11:45 a.m. to gather food and beverages before the session. 

This will be a hands-on time learning some advanced Qualtrics techniques. We will work on topics such as building a consent form the right way, creating anonymized raffle, and screen-out management using the Embedded Data technique. In partnership with Cook Library.

Lunch will be provided. Laptops encouraged.

Preparation & What to Bring: No advance preparation is required. Participants are encouraged to bring a syllabus (or a course in mind) and be ready to reflect on their learning objectives and teaching values. 

Generative AI can feel overwhelming, ethically fraught, or simply like one more thing to learn - especially for faculty already stretched thin. This hands-on, beginner-friendly workshop is designed for instructors with little or no experience using AI who are curious, skeptical, or unsure where (or whether) it fits into their professional lives. Rather than focusing on student use or academic integrity debates, the session reframes AI as a low-risk productivity assistant that can support everyday academic work. Participants will explore what Microsoft Copilot can (and cannot) do within Microsoft 365 and practice using it for practical, time-saving tasks such as summarizing emails and meetings, drafting rubrics or quiz questions, creating slides from notes, and streamlining feedback and professional communication. Through guided practice, real-time experimentation, and structured reflection, faculty will build confidence with effective prompting, identify tasks where AI feels helpful versus risky, and consider how AI might support their own workflows, without changing their teaching or values. Participants will leave with concrete takeaways, including prompt templates and a quick-start guide, to continue experimenting at their own pace. 

Intended Audience & Skill Level: This workshop is designed for Towson University faculty with little to no prior experience using generative AI tools. It is especially well suited for instructors who feel skeptical, uncertain, or overwhelmed by AI, as well as those curious about whether AI has any practical relevance to their daily academic work. No prior knowledge of AI, prompt writing, or Microsoft Copilot is expected. 

Preparation & What to Bring: Participants should bring a laptop or tablet with access to their Towson University Microsoft 365 account. No advance preparation is required. Faculty are welcome (but not required) to bring a teaching or workflow artifact such as an assignment description, rubric, lecture notes, email, or meeting notes if they would like to experiment with applying Copilot to their own materials during the session.

In this interactive session, faculty will explore how AI can support an accessibility-first mindset in course design and content creation. After a brief demo of select tools, participants will share successes, challenges, and open questions around using AI to remediate materials and reduce barriers for learners and build more inclusive learning experiences. Register to join the conversation and share your AI remediation workflow! 

Join fellow TSEM instructors as they share how the pedagogical choices we make in our seminars like active learning, iterative feedback, and sustained faculty-student interaction align with what educational researchers call "high-impact practices" (HIPs). These evidence-based approaches have been shown to boost student engagement and success. This session offers a chance to approach TSEM teaching through a new lens and discover how intentional instructional design choices can amplify the impact of the first-year seminar experience as a HIP. 

Join the High Impact Practice Community of Practice for lunch and a focused workshop marking the midpoint of Towson University’s 2020–2030 strategic vision. This session will provide a concise update on the current High-Impact Practices (HIPs) landscape at TU, highlighting strengths, gaps, and participation trends that impact student learning and degree completion. The workshop will also launch Degree Boost, a new platform to encourage student engagement in HIPs-based programming in both curricular and co-curricular areas, highlighting career readiness competencies. Through guided discussion, participants will explore opportunities within their own units and identify next steps for advancing high-impact learning at TU.