PROGRAM

Intersections—hosted by the University of Florida—is an inspiring gathering for professionals across higher education to connect, learn, and share solutions to the field’s most pressing challenges. This conference unites leaders, instructors, instructional designers, advisors, and researchers, sparking creativity and advancing innovation in online education. Through engaging discussions and collaborative problem-solving, participants will explore fresh approaches to teaching, instructional design, faculty support, educational technology, and research.

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Themes for the 2025 Intersections conference:

  • Innovations in:
    • Pedagogical Practice
    • Instructional Design and Course Production
    • Course Delivery
    • Student Engagement and Support
    • Online Course Quality
    • Faculty Training and Support
    • Admissions and Enrollment Management
    • Educational Technology
    • Data Use and Management
    • High School Dual Enrollment

  • AI in Higher Education
    Exploring the transformative intersections of artificial intelligence within online learning environments.

  • Leadership, Staffing, and Change Management
    Strategies for leading and adapting to change within the evolving landscape of online education.

  • Workforce Development and Career-Connected Learning
    Bridging education with industry needs, focusing on preparing learners for workforce success.

  • Academic Integrity and Ethics in Online Education
    Addressing integrity and ethical considerations unique to the online educational environment.

Keynote Speakers

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Matthew Rascoff, MBA

Vice Provost for Digital Education, Stanford University

Matthew joined Stanford in April 2021, founding and overseeing the Digital Education team.
From 2017-21 he was the Associate Vice Provost for Digital Education and Innovation at Duke University, where he led the Duke Learning Innovation team. He was previously Vice President and founder of the Office of Learning Technology & Innovation for the University of North Carolina system, where he worked from 2014-17. Matthew launched JSTOR’s first international office in Berlin, where he was a Fellow of the Bertelsmann Foundation and a strategic advisor to the Robert Bosch Foundation. He led product management teams at Wireless Generation, an education technology company and built and launched their product development center in Durham, North Carolina. Earlier in his career Matthew helped launch the strategy group at ITHAKA, an incubator of higher education technology ventures (now Ithaka S+R). Matthew’s experience also includes Google, where he worked on the Book Search operations team. After undergraduate studies at Columbia University he did graduate work at Bogazici University in Istanbul on a Fulbright Scholarship. He also earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and represented the state of North Carolina as a German Marshall Memorial Fellow in 2013. He is married to Emily J. Levine, a historian, and has two children, Jasper and Florence.

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Tom Cavanagh, PhD

Vice Provost for Digital Learning, University of Central Florida

Thomas Cavanagh, Ph.D. is Vice Provost for Digital Learning at the University of Central Florida. In this role, he oversees the distance learning strategy, policies, and practices of one of the nation’s largest universities. A national leader in digital education and academic innovation, he has been recognized with numerous awards from organizations such as the Online Learning Consortium, the United States Distance Learning Association, 1EdTech, and the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technology. He is active in the higher education community and serves on several national boards. He is also an award-winning author of several mystery novels.

Sessions and Spaces

Conference sessions will take place in the Hilton Lake Buena Vista resort conference area, with concurrent sessions split among multiple breakout rooms. There will be designated spaces to connect with others and catch-up on work while you are away.

Agenda

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

3:00pm – 6:00pm Registration/Check-in
5:00pm – 6:30pm Welcome Reception
7:00pm Social Activities

Thursday, February 20, 2025

8:00am – 8:45am Breakfast and Opening Remarks
8:50am – 9:50am Keynote 1
Matthew Rascoff, MBA | Vice Provost for Digital Education, Stanford University
9:50am – 10:00am Coffee Break
10:00am – 10:40am Concurrent Session I

  • Salon I: Maximizing Tech for Innovative Experiential Learning: A 3E Framework Approach – Alyson Rodriguez, University of Florida (Skill Circle)
  • Salon II: Design Over Time: Iterative Course Design Can Increase Student Potential and Reduce Dropout Rates – Stefanie Gazda, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon III: The Sound of Innovation: GenAI-Powered Audio in Online Course Design – Zhaihuan Dai, Janine Diaz Cotto, University of South Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon IV: Charting a Course for AI in Higher Education: Insights from a Generative AI Committee – Olysha Magruder, Amir K. Saeed, Osmara Salas, Johns Hopkins University (Sharing Circle)
10:50am – 11:30am Concurrent Session II

  • Salon I: First Steps in Ximera – Bart Snapp, The Ohio State University (Skill Circle)
  • Salon II: Using AI to Enhance Efficiency, Productivity, and Creativity in Course Developments – Osmara Salas, Johns Hopkins University (Skill Circle)
  • Salon III: Designing Student Assessment in the Age of Generative AI – Brian Harfe, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon IV: Innovating Academic Advising for Online Learners: Strategies and Tools for Success – Glenn Kepic, Fallen Lee, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
11:40am – 12:10pm Concurrent Session III

  • Salon I: Unlocking the Power of GenAI: Designing Assessments for Engagement and Motivation – Janine Diaz Cotto, Michael Rogriguez-Delgado, University of South Florida (Skill Circle)
  • Salon II: The Development and Use of Chatbots to Increase Student Learning and Engagement in a Classroom: Are These Tools Effective? – Patrick Larkin, Iske Larkin, Danielle Collins, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon III: Developing AI Literacy through Learning Activity Design – Nico Rose, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon IV: Building a Faculty Community of Practice for Amplified Online Course Quality – Kathryn Rush, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
12:15pm – 1:15pm Lunch
1:20pm – 2:10pm Concurrent Session IV

  • Salon I: Shared Governance: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward – Amanda Phalin, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon II: Game Changer: Designing Your Digital Onboarding Playbook – Melissa Granholm, Alexandra Ward, University of South Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon III: Reconceptualizing Clinical Practice in an Online Teacher Prep Program – Lori Dassa, Katy Chapman, Lindsay Espinoza, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon IV: Certifying Success: A Decade of Online Instructor Certification – LaSaundria Bass, University of South Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon V: What Online Gaming Taught me about Teaching and Learning with the Online Generation – Caitlyn Deeter, Rollins College (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon VI: Innovation in Academic Bureaucracy – Bottom-Up Approaches to Establishing Successful Initiatives in Higher Education – Rolin Moe, University of California Office of the President (Sharing Circle)
2:20pm – 3:00pm Concurrent Session V

  • Salon I: Teaching Beyond the Traditional Course: Iterative Development in Professional Microcourse Learning – James Rigney, Ian Clontz, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon II: Using NLP to Gain Insight from Student Free Responses – Cheryl Resch, University of Florida (Skill Circle)
  • Salon III: Upskilling and Engaging Through Strategic Course Design: Inside the USF GenAI MOOC – Christine Brown, Christie Nicholas, Jing Wan, Desiree Henderson, University of South Florida (Conversation Circle)
  • Salon IV: Transforming Education through Narrative and Immersive Learning – John VandenBrooks, Lisa Flesher, Annie Hale, Arizona State University (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon V: Longitudinal Impacts Analysis of Course Designs on Future Course Success – Darryl Chamberlain Jr., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide (Sharing Circle)
3:00pm – 3:30pm Coffee Break
3:40pm – 4:10pm Concurrent Session VI

  • Salon I: Breaking the Mold: Innovations in Media and Design for Online Learning – Christie Nicholas, Jared Brown, University of South Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon II: ID Symposium: Building Connections – Rodney Gammons, University of Florida (Conversation Circle)
  • Salon III: Drive Exam Innovation and Integrity with AI – Paul Morales, Honorlock (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon IV: Who Benefits from Hands-On Research Engagement in an Online Research Methods Lab Course? – Marina Klimenko, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon V: Using Data to Foster a Culture of Continuous Improvement – Nikki Lyons, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
4:10pm – 5:30pm Poster Session

Friday, February 21, 2025

8:00am – 8:45am Breakfast
8:50am – 9:50am Keynote 2
Tom Cavanagh, PhD | Vice Provost for Digital Learning, University of Central Florida
9:50am – 10:00am Coffee Break
10:00am – 10:30am Panel Discussion
10:40am – 11:00am  Concurrent Session VII

  • Salon I: The Power of Presence: Evidence-Based Methods that Work for Building Online Rapport – LaSaundria Bass, University of South Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon II: Maximizing Teaching Time and Course Quality: Faculty Strategies with JoVE – Emma Brady, Jen Ostrosky, Stacey-Ann Benjamin, Stefanie Gazda, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon III: Don’t Spin Your Wheels in Place: Use AI to Accelerate Accessibility Tasks – Stephanie Richardson, Laura Jervis, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon IV: Teaching/Testing Online Math & CS Courses Involvin Proofs – Alper Ungor, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
11:00am – 11:40am  Concurrent Session VIII

  • Salon I: Crafting the Integrated Curriculum for Promoting Student Employability: The Educational Technology 4+1 – Applied Design and Innovation for Learning Program – Bojan Lazarevic, Earl Alvarez, Aaron G. Ganas, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon II: The Future of STEM Learning: Personalized Education Demonstrated by ASU’s Learning Platform and Logic Engine – Bethany Weigele, EdPlus at Arizona State University (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon III: Starting from Nothing. Make a Video in Under 45 Minutes! – Cooper Greenfield, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon IV: Recursive Advantage of Online Education Materials – Jason Nowell, University of Florida (Sharing Circle)
11:50am – 12:30pm  Concurrent Session IX

  • Salon I: AI in Action: A Strategic Approach to Driving Student Success, Faculty Excellence, and Community Impact – Christine Brown, University of South Florida (Sharing Circle)
  • Salon II: Paving the Way to Fully Online Degrees: A Decade of STEM Lab Innovations, Challenges, and Outcomes – Emma Brady, Stefanie Gazda, Melanie Veige, University of Florida (Conversation Circle)
  • Salon III: Driving Impact: Enhancing User Experiences Through Thoughtful Process Design – Selina Schottler, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Sharing Circle)