22nd Annual Faculty Conference on Teaching Excellence

Teaching and Learning in the Age of

Generative Artificial Intelligence

January 10 & 11, 2024  

Howard Gittis Student Center, Temple University

Temple University's Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) invites proposals for the 22nd Annual Faculty Conference on Teaching Excellence, a 2-day in-person event 

Our theme for this year’s faculty conference is Teaching and Learning in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence.

We invite you to submit proposals to share your ideas, insights, research, and strategies so that we can all learn together. Whether you have experience incorporating generative artificial intelligence into your teaching, or you're exploring its implications, your contributions will enrich the collective understanding of how GAI can shape the future of teaching and learning.

While we are thinking deeply about the use of generative tools in our classes, that will include a broad conversation on how we support student learning, motivate students, design relevant assignments and assessments, encourage academic integrity, and more. We welcome proposals on all teaching-related topics, whether or not they specifically address AI. 

Please consider submitting a proposal for a breakout session, poster session, or lightning talk. All proposals will be blind-reviewed. Remember to anonymize your proposal by removing institutional or personal identification information (i.e. XX University instead of Temple University). Please note that presenters must register for the conference. Your proposal should be grounded in the research on teaching and learning, be applicable to a variety of disciplines, and be non-commercial. 

Proposal submissions are due on October 2, 2023.

Breakout Sessions

Interactive 45-minute breakout sessions should present creative and effective ways to engage students, deepen learning, harness emotion in the classroom, teach with technology, and maximize the benefits of different modalities of teaching in higher education. Proposals should be grounded in the research on teaching and learning, and should clearly describe in which ways you will be actively engaging participants in activities that allow them to reflect, discuss and practice session concepts.  

Your proposal must include:

  • Title (10 words maximum)
  • Abstract (50 words maximum)
  • Brief description and outline of session, including plan for actively engaging participants in the session (500 words maximum)
  • Citations/references

Breakout Sessions Will be Reviewed Using the Following Criteria:

  • The proposal clearly explains the teaching project, strategy, or innovation
  • The topic of the proposal is of interest to a faculty (teaching) audience
  • There is a clear plan for facilitating an interactive session
  • The proposal is grounded in the research on teaching and learning

To submit your proposal, please click on the link below, fill in your information, and upload your proposal as a Word Document. Please remember to anonymize your proposal by removing institutional or personal identification information (i.e. XX University instead of Temple University). You will receive notification via email concerning the acceptance of your breakout session to the conference by early November.

Submit a breakout session proposal (DUE October 2)

Lightning Talks

Lightning Talks are 15-minute opportunities for faculty to learn about a teaching idea that you have implemented. The talk should be designed to provide a brief (no longer than 7 minutes) introduction and explanation of the idea followed by Q&A. The facilitator will give the same talk four times during the session, providing participants the opportunity to visit four different talks. Note that lightning talks take place in a small group presentation format at a round conference table. Presenters may bring a device if technology is needed.

 Your proposal must include:

  • Lightning Talk title (10 words maximum)
  • Abstract (25 words maximum)
  • Brief description of the lightning talk (100 words maximum)
  • Citations/references

Lightning Talks Will be Reviewed Using the Following Criteria:

  • The proposal clearly explains the teaching project, strategy, or innovation
  • The topic of the proposal is of interest to a faculty (teaching) audience
  • The teaching project, strategy, or innovation can be explained in 7 minutes

To submit your proposal, please click on the link below, fill in your information, and upload your proposal as a Word Document. You will receive notification via email concerning the acceptance of your lightning talk to the conference by early November.

Submit a lightning talk proposal (DUE October 2)

Poster Session

Posters should highlight creative and effective practices, projects, and/or scholarship related to teaching and learning within higher education. At least one of the authors of the poster must be present during the poster session at the conference to have discussions with participants about their work. If accepted, you will also provide us a pdf copy of the poster for upload to the conference website. 

Your proposal must include:

  • Title
  • Abstract (25 words maximum)
  • Description of your work to be highlighted by your poster (500 word maximum)
    • Proposals must be grounded in research, include scholarly references, and present evidence of the impact of the ideas presented
  • Citations/references 

Posters Will be Reviewed Using the Following Criteria:

  • The proposal clearly explains the teaching project, strategy, or innovation
  • The topic of the proposal is of interest to a faculty (teaching) audience
  • The proposal includes scholarship to ground the project and includes evidence to support implications and conclusions or to demonstrate impact on learning. It includes appropriate citations.

To submit your proposal, please click on the link below, fill in your information, and upload your proposal as a Word Document. Remember to anonymize your proposal by removing institutional or personal identification information (i.e. XX University instead of Temple University). You will receive notification via email concerning the acceptance of your poster to the conference by early November.

Submit a poster proposal (DUE October 2)

Keynote and Plenary Speaker Information

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton

Keynote Title: Academic Integrity in a Postplagiarism World: The Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.

Keynote Description:

Join us for a thought-provoking look at current and upcoming issues related to the use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools for teaching, learning, and assessment, focusing on Large Language Models (LLMs). We will look at ethical challenges and opportunities to help future-proof the integrity of higher education. We’ll also look at current trends and strategies used across the post-secondary sector to uphold academic integrity – what works, what doesn’t, and how to make evidence-informed decisions about assessment and academic integrity. By the end of this presentation, you’ll be inspired to think about yourself as an ethical educator with a purpose-driven commitment to preparing students for a future in which artificial intelligence is sure to play a role.

Speaker Bio: 

Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a multiple-award winning researcher, educator, and leader. Dr. Eaton is an associate professor at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada and holds a concurrent appointment as an Honorary Associate Professor, Deakin University, Australia. A humanist by training, Dr. Eaton has written and presented extensively on academic integrity and ethics in higher education. In her 2021 book, Plagiarism in Higher Education: Tackling Tough Topics in Higher Education Eaton introduced the concept of postplagiarism, or what academic integrity looks like in the age of artificial intelligence. She has held local and national-level research funding to study the impact of artificial intelligence on teaching and learning in higher education. She is regularly invited as a media guest to talk about academic misconduct, fraud, and corruption in higher education.

Plenary Speaker: Dr. Sharla Berry

Plenary Title: Teaching with Technology: Holistic Pedagogies in a Time of Change 

Plenary Description

Higher education has faced a range of changes in the last few years. Online learning, and now Artificial Intelligence have dramatically altered how we think about teaching and learning. This session will focus on the paradigm shifts that these innovations are pointing us toward, and how we might shift our mindsets toward a more holistic perspective on technology integration. In this talk we will explore the social, cultural, and technical implications of our evolving digital learning landscape. Using an equity-oriented lens, this session will explore the possibilities and limitations of emerging technologies, and consider how they can be ultimately leveraged to support our overarching goals of student engagement and academic excellence.  

Speaker Bio

Dr. Sharla Berry is an educator and an expert in the field of digital equity and online learning. Her research has been featured in many academic journals including Online Learning, the Journal of Computing in Higher Education, and the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. She is the author of a recently released book, Creating Inclusive Online Communities: Practices that Support and Engage Diverse Students. The book provides research and strategies for faculty and staff who are seeking a holistic, equity-minded approach to online teaching and learning. Dr. Berry received her doctorate in Urban Education Policy from the University of Southern California, and her Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Loyola Marymount University. She is currently the Associate Director of the Center for Evaluation and Educational Effectiveness at California State University, Long Beach.

We look forward to receiving your proposals! Thank you for your interest in the Center for the Advancement of Teaching’s Annual Faculty Conference for Teaching Excellence and for your contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning.  

For questions about the call for proposals, please contact .
For questions about the conference, please contact Sara Vann at