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Portland and Biddeford, Maine

CETL well represented at two national higher ed conferences

CETL's Karl Carrigan and Marc Ebenfield pose in front of a slideshow presentation at a conference
Karl Carrigan, left, and Marc Ebenfield, Ph.D., of UNE's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, recently attended the 48th annual POD Network conference in Pittsburgh.

The University of New England’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) was prominently featured at two distinct conferences in November, in each case presenting on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically large language models (LLM), on higher education. 

CETL Director Marc Ebenfield, Ph.D., was invited to speak at the Student Success U.S. conference, held in Los Angeles from Nov. 7 to 9. The conference featured administrators, educators, and student support specialists from around the world.

Ebenfield participated in a panel discussion titled “AI writing tools: Develop flexible academic policies and guidance.” The panel addressed the challenges and opportunities these tools present to faculty members striving to maintain academic integrity and foster innovative teaching methods. Key discussion points included:

  • Strategies for equipping educators with the knowledge and resources to effectively integrate AI writing tools into their teaching practices
  • Techniques to ensure academic policies remain relevant and adaptable in the face of rapidly evolving AI technologies
  • Ethical and productive use of AI by students, including guidelines and best practices to encourage responsible and beneficial use of AI tools in student learning  

Ebenfield and Karl Carrigan, CETL coordinator and instructional technologist, also attended the 48th annual POD Network conference, a conference of faculty development professionals that envisioned what the future of educational development might look like amid rapid changes in our lives, institutions, and societies.

Ebenfield and Carrigan conducted an interactive workshop, “Forecasting How AI Could Change the Work of Teaching Centers.” The session, attended by 40 faculty developers from around the globe, introduced a process used in strategic foresight called “drivers and signals.”

Workshop participants used the process to create short scenarios of potential futures in order to come to a better understanding of how to help institutions and centers navigate a future with AI. The workshop received positive reviews and was featured in the blog Agile Learning.

CETL Director Marc Ebenfield stands in front of a presentation screen at the Student Success USA conference in Los Angeles

Ebenfield at the Student Success U.S. conference

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.