Innovation Symposium 2023
2023 Innovation Symposium Recordings
Keynote Speaker: Ashley J. Jennings
Innovation Symposium 2023 Day 1
Watch on YouTube
Fireside Chat: Dr. Erin Baumgartner & Dr. Jan E. Odegard
Innovation Symposium 2023 Day 2
Watch on YouTube
Innovate the Future of Higher Education
2023 Agendas
| Time | Session | Presenter/Moderator | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00 - 2:15 pm | Welcome to the Research and Innovation Symposium | Kentrie LeDee | The Commons |
| 2:15 – 3:15 pm | Keynote Speaker: Ashley J. Jennings | Kentrie LeDee | The Commons |
| 3:30- 4:30 pm | Breakout Sessions | ||
|
|
Hands-on Experience: Multimedia Services / VR Labs |
E254 | |
|
Utilizing AI to Build College Curriculum |
Tim Mousel | E100 | |
| Panel: What is changing in the Workforce | Moderator: Van Piercy. Panel: Devonte Wall, Alejandra Solis, & Monique Wiltz | The Commons | |
| AI for Education: Empowering Teachers and Students | Kayla Almaguer | C210 | |
|
Changing the Approach to Summative Assessments in the Online Environment by Using Real-Time Data |
Dr. Bryn Benford | E256 | |
| 4:45 -5:00 pm | Closing Remarks | Kentrie LeDee | The Commons |
| Time | Session | Presenter/Moderator | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00 - 2:15 pm |
Welcome to the Research and Innovation Symposium |
Kentrie LeDee | The Commons |
| 2:15 – 3:15 pm | Fireside Chat : Dr. Erin Baumgartner & Dr. Jan E. Odegard | Kentrie LeDee | The Commons |
| 3:30- 4:30 pm | Breakout Sessions | ||
|
|
Beyond the Textbook: A Hands-On Approach to Learning with Virtual Reality | Clark Friesen & Marvin Lowery | E254 |
| Innovation and Technology is a Benefit to Higher Education – not a hindrance. | Melanie Steel | E205 | |
| Transforming Education with AI: ChatGPT Crash Course | Kayla Almaguer | C210 | |
| Using PackBack to Foster Online Student Engagement | Dr. Trey Medley, Lori Hughes, & Cassandra Khatri | E100 | |
| 4:45 -5:00 pm | Closing Remarks | Kentrie LeDee | The Commons |
Speakers and Bios
Keynote Speaker: Ashley J. Jennings, Managing Director - UT Austin Innovation Center
Speaker Bio: Ashley Jennings is an award-winning entrepreneur and skilled operator with 10+ years of experience in project management, investor relations, portfolio operations, media, fundraising, sales, event management, community engagement, strategic partnerships, and curriculum creation. She currently sits on the new venture and technology commercialization team at The University of Texas at Austin, where she manages day-to-day operations and supports strategic goals of the Texas Innovation Center, helping researchers navigate their commercialization journey; taking their discoveries from the lab and classroom into the market. She also co-owned a video production agency as Executive Producer, championing content for clients of all sizes, from local startups to Fortune 100 companies. Ashley’s greatest joy is helping unlock potential in entrepreneurial ecosystems, with a focus on serving historically underserved and underrepresented communities. Finalist for Austin Under 40 Awards in 2023.
Fireside Chat Speaker: Dr. Jan E. Odegard, Executive Director- The Ion Houston
Dr. Odegard is the Executive Director at the Ion. The Ion is the epicenter for Houston’s innovation ecosystem and currently anchors the 16-acre Ion District that is being developed by the Rice Management Company. The Ion serves as a hub focusing on quality collaborations between entrepreneurs, incubators, accelerators, corporations, academics, and the broader Houston community. The Ion’s mission is to create opportunities to advance and sustain economic growth in Houston and to foster innovation in energy, healthcare, space, transportation, manufacturing, and other industries.
Odegard has over 25 years of leadership experience supporting innovators and enabling research and life-long learning engagements in computing, data science, and information technology. Prior to joining Ion, Odegard served as the Executive Director of the Ken Kennedy Institute at Rice University, where he focused on building strategic partnerships to serve as catalysts for research, education, and external engagements in data and computing.
Fireside Chat Speaker: Dr. Erin Baumgartner Director, Kinder institute for Urban Research
Dr. Erin Baumgartner is the director of the Houston Education Research Consortium at Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, which bridges research, policy, and practice to solve critical problems facing the nation’s fifth-largest metropolitan area. In partnership with Houston-area school districts serving over 700,000 students, teams under her direction are pursuing a research agenda focused on equity, opportunity, and access for students. Topics include early childhood education, social and emotional learning, postsecondary readiness, school choice, teaching and staffing.
Baumgartner earned her doctorate from Pennsylvania State University’s dual-degree program in sociology and demography. She holds a master’s in sociology from the University of Chicago and a master’s in education with an emphasis in measurement, evaluation, statistics and assessment from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She earned a bachelor’s in sociology and marketing from the University of Notre Dame. She has been an instructor at Penn State and Rice University and serves on the Early Childhood Research Quarterly editorial board. Her primary research and teaching interests are in sociology of education and family, social stratification and demography, the educational role of the family, research methods, and quantitative methods.
Moderator: Kentrie LeDee, Director, Strategy and Innovation, Lone Star College-Tomball
Kentrie T. LeDee currently serves as the Director of Strategy and Innovation at Lone Star College – Tomball, where she has provided leadership to the Office of Strategy and Innovation since 2016. Kentrie has worked in the field of education for more than 13 years.While serving as a Director of Strategy and Innovation, LeDee became a Certified Clifton Strengths Coach to better assist employees with their talent development plans. It is her desire to facilitate opportunities for others to grow and learn through their career and personal development. LeDee's top five strengths are Learner, Intellection, Positivity, Realtor, and Communication. She uses all five of her talents in her many roles at Lone Star College and attributes her success to her ability to operate within her talents, both personally and professionally.
Hands-on Experience: Multimedia Services / VR Labs
Session Description: IMAC – You will review a presentation about MMS and get a tour of the areas within the IMAC Studio: sound booth, audio mixing and testing, instructional recording area, main recording set for interviews and testimonials and workstations/editing.
VR Lab- Experience the future of alternative learning environments by going through a 15-minute?training using an interactive tutorial of the Meta Quest 2 headsets.
Presenter Bios: Monte Darland, Manager of Multimedia Services
Monte Darland is the Manager of Multimedia Services for seven years. He has Master of Arts in Digital Media Production, Sam Houston State University. In addition, he also is an Adjunct Professor at Lone Star College- University Park and has over 35 years of experience in media production.
Julissa Guajardo, Video Production and Virtual Reality Technician.
Julissa is a Lone Star College Alumni - They have an Associates of Arts & Associates of Applied Science in Video and Post-Production. in addition, 8 years of experience in Video Production and 1 year of experience in Virtual Reality. Learning new technologies is one their favorite hobbies at it helps stay relevant to the ever-changing world of media.
Utilizing AI to Build College Curriculum
Session Description: This session will explore the benefits and challenges of using AI in higher education and provide practical strategies for integrating AI into college coursework and curriculum. Attendees will learn about various AI-powered tools and technologies that can enhance teaching and learning and will have the opportunity to discuss best practices for leveraging the power of AI to enhance their classes.
Presenter Bio: Tim Mousel is a Professor at Lone Star College-Online with over 30 years of teaching experience. He holds a Master of Science in Sports Science - Fitness Management degree from the United States Sports Academy and a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education/Coaching from the University of Northern Iowa. Tim's work has earned awards and has spoken at national conferences. He has developed educational software with AI integration, which is widely utilized in colleges throughout the nation. His latest software invention employs AI to augment the classroom experience for both students and faculty members.
Panel Discussion: What is changing in the Workforce, featuring: Monique Wiltz, Alejandra Solis and Devonta Hall
Bios: Monique Wiltz is the Lead Program Director for First Year students at the University of Houston, Main Campus. She has worked in the education sector for over 15 years in teaching, advising, retention and student success. In her free time, Monique serves on the ACC Advisory Board and owns a wellness company, LiveMoFit, which focuses on the education of food, nutrition, and health.
Alejandra Solis has more than 20 years of experience in the non-profit, higher education management field. Currently, she is the Lone Star College – Tomball Campus Continuing Education and Alternative Teacher Certificate Program Director. She has successfully managed programs in the areas of adult education (ESL, Citizenship, GED and Digital Literacy), youth development (College Access and Teen Pregnancy Prevention), family services (Family Literacy, Childcare services and HIV/AIDS prevention), fast-track certificates (health occupations), and alternative teacher certification.
Devonta Hall is a Business Consultant with workforce solutions- Employer Division Services. With a background in operations and recruiting, Devonta has been able to build and maintain relationships with employers and community partners to drive economic growth and workforce opportunities across the Guld Coast Region through meaningful employment. He is passionate about equity, equality and inclusion within the workforce, and works to bridge the gap by educating and empowering employers.
AI for Education: Empowering Teachers and Students- Day 1
Session Description: Join us for a fun and informative workshop where we'll explore the exciting world of AI and its potential to revolutionize education. Gain exposure to two powerful, free AI tools that can help both students and teachers in the classroom. Learn how these tools can help students with personalized learning, feedback, and assessment, and how they can make teachers' lives easier by automating routine tasks and providing valuable insights into student performance. Whether you're an AI newbie or a seasoned pro, this workshop is for you! Come learn, connect, and discover new ways to support student success in the digital age.
Session Title: Transforming Education with AI: ChatGPT Crash Course - Day 2
Session Description: Welcome to the ultimate crash course on ChatGPT! Come learn more about the exciting world of the most popular AI-powered natural language processing. The session includes how ChatGPT works, how it can be used to generate human-like text, answer questions, and much more. Best of all, attendees will receive free resources to continue exploring the immense capabilities of ChatGPT. So whether you're a curious beginner or a seasoned pro, join us for a fun, informative, and interactive session on the amazing potential of ChatGPT!
Presenter Bio: As an educator and lifelong learner, Kayla Almaguer is committed to staying at the forefront of innovation and new developments in education. With her extensive experience teaching in both public-school and higher education, her academic background in composition and rhetoric, and continued studies at as a PhD student at Texas Woman's University, she seeks to encourage conversation around innovation and learning. Throughout her career, she has experimented with new classroom practices and incorporated emerging technologies to support student success. Now, she is excited to share her insights with fellow educators and explore how we can leverage technology to better serve our students.
Changing the Approach to Summative Assessments in the Online Environment by Using Real-Time Data
Session Description: It can be challenging to maintain academic integrity for summative assessments in online courses. For this reason, the way we assess learning in an online class may need to be different from a face-to-face class. One way to overcome this is to have students work at the apply level of Bloom's taxonomy by using real-time data in the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) online platform. Lone Star has licenses for GIS online, so anyone can use it, and the types of data out there cover all the disciplines. Data such as voting districts, median incomes, county health rankings, neighborhood crime rankings, or Civil War battle sites are all accessible via maps online. As an example, Environmental Geology students choose a city from anywhere in the world. Then rather than taking exams, they apply what they have learned to their city by looking at different datasets pertaining to their city in a series of City Assessments throughout the semester.
Presenter Bio: Dr. Bryn Benford is a Geology Professor at Lone Star – University Park. In her classes, she wants students to develop the skills for how to do geology rather than focusing on the "what" of geology. She wants her students to improve their critical-thinking skills and to understand how to apply what they are learning to their lives and their surroundings.
Beyond the Textbook: A Hands-On Approach to Learning with Virtual Reality
Session Description: Increase student engagement by strategically enhancing your course with immersive technology. Join the growing number of faculty who can offer a "tri-brid" course: face-to-face, online, and immersive technology. Session participants will be able to try virtual reality, learn about the breadth of applications across the curriculum, and discover ways to create content of their own
Speaker Bios: Clark Friesen is Professor of Communication Studies. He has presented at local, state, and national conferences on the uses of immersive technology in education since 2016.
Brandon Lowery is a Professor of Biology and Environmental Science at Lonestar College - Tomball. Professor Lowery is advisor to the Eco Club and works closely with other faculty and student groups to restore native landscapes on campus. He began to experiment with immersive technology in 2019 and now incorporates AR and VR in all his courses. He currently serves on two committees that explore immersive technology and its potential in higher education and experiential learning.
Innovation and Technology is a Benefit to Higher Education – not a hindrance
Session Description: We were all thrown into 100% virtual learning during the pandemic and we were forced to learn a lot about teaching with technology. Now, post-COVID, I think it is our responsibility to work to integrate some of those things we learned – as opposed to going straight back to the “normal” ways of teaching. This includes Zoom, WebEx, and live streaming classes – even our absence policies.
Presenter Bio: Professor Melanie Steel has been a full-time faculty member in the Speech Department at Lone Star College - CyFair since January 2013. Along with teaching a full course load, Professor Steel previously worked on several campus initiatives including the Center for Civic Engagement, the Mental Health Task Force, and Deliberative Dialogues in the Classroom. In one joint initiative, Professor Steel and her colleagues trained student moderators and held timely dialogues in STEM classrooms centered around relevant course topics. Additionally, Professor Steel teaches an Honors Public Speaking course focused on Civic Engagement and Public Advocacy.
Using Packback to Foster Online Student Engagement
Session Description: In this session we will introduce faculty to a new and innovative way to engage students online using Packback. We will show a sample of how we use it in our courses along with student feedback.
Presenter Bio: Lori Hughes teaches English Composition and Rhetoric and Technical Communication courses at Lone Star College-Montgomery. She also serves as Lead Faculty for Professional Development. Her research interests are learning communities, online teaching methods, student engagement strategies, and incorporating wellness and composition.
Dr. Cassandra Khatri is a professor of Political Science at Lone Star College- University Park. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from Seton Hall University, where she studied Diplomacy and International Relations, and earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Houston. Her areas of research are the American Presidency and National Security Policymaking. In her spare time, she volunteers for a nonprofit focused on helping to develop and implement policies in line with issues that affect the South Asian community, ASANA Voices and she has worked on political campaigns for candidates running for office at various levels since 2018.