Fall 2026 Convocation

AI & Tech Day

From Chaos to Clarity: Self-Compassion, Mindfulness, & Living with Authenticity

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM in Charleston B130

Presenter, Lester Tanaka

In this time of chaos and uncertainty educators must be our best selves to instill hope and possibility in our students. This hands-on workshop introduces the role and practice of self-compassion, mindfulness, and  authenticity in addressing chaos, fear, and frustrations.

Break Your Own Assignments: Stress Testing Your Course Against AI Misuse

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM on MS Teams

Presenters, Mary Ann Hughes Butts & Ayla Koch

The best way to fix your assignments is to break them first. Participants will use AI and other student-accessible tools to stress test their own assessments, revealing which assignments measure learning and which measure prompt-writing skills. Faculty leave understanding their course vulnerabilities and AI's real capabilities.

Artificial Intelligence Meets Emotional Intelligence

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM in Charleston B104

Presenter, Christopher McGunnigle

This seminar explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and emotional intelligence, using AI as a tool and a metaphor for examining human empathy, communication, and decision-making. Student interactions with AI reveal not only how machines simulate emotional responses but also how students display their own emotional intelligence. At the same time, faculty bring their own emotions toward AI, ranging from skepticism to curiosity to animosity, which influence how they teach, adapt, and engage with changes in human-technology interfaces.

Beyond the Book: Using AI to Complete Your OER Course

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM on MS Teams

Presenters, Paula Michniewicz & Mary Ann Hughes Butts

Faculty explore how AI tools can lighten the workload of adopting OER by helping create the course materials that OER often lacks. See how AI can quickly generate quizzes, activities, scenarios, summaries, and other supports -- so you spend less time building from scratch and more time teaching.

Designing Assessments for Authentic Learning in the Age of AI

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM on MS Teams

Presenters, Vartouhi Asherian & Theresa Wyckoff

As AI tools become more integrated into students’ academic work, traditional assessments are increasingly being completed with AI. Rather than focusing solely on detection, this session reframes the conversation toward designing assessments that emphasize learning as a process, critical thinking, and authentic application.

Participants will engage in activities to evaluate and redesign their own assignments using practical, research-informed strategies that promote student ownership of learning while allowing for transparent and ethical use of AI tools.

What's New with Canvas for Fall 2026

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM on MS Teams

Presenter, Nancy Webb

Want to know what is new with Canvas for Fall 2026? This workshop will present information on Discussion Summaries and New Quizzes. Attend this workshop to learn how Discussion Summaries can streamline discussion grading for faculty, how to migrate Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes, the differences between Classic and new Quizzes, and the new look and feel of New Quizzes.

Creative Assignment Formats to Promote Originality & Limit AI Misuse

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM in Charleston B104

Presenter, Megan Padilla

Whether you love AI or hate it (whether you permit it in your classroom or restrict it) when students wholly outsource their learning to AI, they are not reaping the many benefits higher education has to offer. 

This presentation is for teachers in writing-heavy disciplines who see an over-reliance on AI-generated text in student submissions, who already have the tools and experience to identify AI-generated content in student work, and who are interested in exploring new assignment modalities. 

While there is no surefire way to prevent students from turning in AI-generated text in lieu of original work, this workshop will present a variety of online assignment types that can be used to discourage students from simply copy/pasting AI-generated text and encourage creativity, personal reflection, and critical thinking.

On the Path to Tenure: A Guided Working Session

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM in Charleston B102

Presenters, Tara Busch & Anne DeClouette

This interactive session provides tenure-track faculty with a structured approach to planning and documenting progress toward tenure. We will briefly outline key expectations and strategies for aligning teaching, research, and service with institutional criteria, followed by concrete examples of effective materials (e.g., CVs, teaching statements, and portfolios). 

Participants will then engage in guided work time to begin or refine their own materials, with opportunities for individualized feedback and peer discussion. Attendees will leave with clearer direction, actionable strategies, and tangible progress on their tenure-related documents.

Encouraging Positive Interactions with Students

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM in N. Las Vegas H207

Presenters, Peter Legner & Claudia Bornholdt

This workshop will remind participants of the importance of creating positive interactions with students. Research shows that students building positive relationships with college faculty and/or college staff correlates highly with grade point average, retention, degree completion, persistence, and positive feelings about the college. This workshop will help participants practice interacting with each other in positive ways and will help participants to take those same practices into the classroom.

Enhancing Student Engagement with Project Related to the United Nations Sustainability Development Project (UN-SDG)

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM on MS Teams

Presenters, Flora Rudacille & Gracie McDonough

Participants will discover how the United Nations Sustainability Project can spark student engagement by guiding students in developing research projects that contribute to a shared Open Educational Resource LibreText.

Using Specs Grading to Restore Rigor & Reduce Stress

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM in N. Las Vegas H207 Presenter, Kristen Berkos

In this workshop, faculty will learn about Specs style grading to design courses that reduce student and faculty stress, while protecting academic rigor. Specs grading gives adult learners flexibility and choices in their education. All work is graded pass or fail, with rigorous standards (or specifications, A.K.A. “specs”) being met for work to pass. Thus, faculty do not need to distinguish between fair and good. Rather, students meet all specs to pass the assignment, resulting in excellent work. No partial credit, points, or percentages are earned. Assignments are grouped into modules and levels, depending on difficulty. Students may choose how many levels to pass, depending on the grade they want to earn in the course.

The New Faculty Evaluation Policy & Procedure

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM on MS Teams

Presenter, Jim Matovina

Come join us to learn the ins and outs of the new faculty evaluation policy and procedure.

Your Partner in Possibility: Research, Teaching & Engagement

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM in N. Las Vegas H207

Presenters, Carrieann Cahall, Torri Kellough, Ajax Delvecki, & Jack Sawyer

The CSN Libraries aim to meet your research needs, but did you know that we offer more than course reserves and database-searching demonstrations? In this interactive workshop, CSN Librarians will detail the wide range of resources and partnerships available to faculty and staff. From creating custom research guides to advancing a scholarly agenda to collaborating on student outreach events, librarians could be the campus partner you’re looking for. Participants will leave with ideas for instructional and co-curricular collaboration and consider how to engage their students with research and information in critical, dynamic ways through evidence-based practices.

Unlocking Access: Helping Students Overcome Financial Aid Barriers

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM on MS Teams

Presenter, Carmen Torres

This session offers a clear, student-centered overview of financial aid and scholarship processes, including recent important and impactful updates on financial aid, scholarship deadlines, and Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to recognize and address common barriers that may delay or prevent students from receiving aid. Additionally, they will explore how to use consistent messaging and available resources to better support students' questions and concerns, ultimately helping students succeed.

Supporting Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Students in the College Classroom

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM in N. Las Vegas H207

Presenters, Danny Martin-Vasquez & Jazmin Rios Oviedo

This session provides faculty with an overview of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) Services at the College of Southern Nevada and how communication access works in the college classroom. Participants will learn about the range of services used by DHH students, including American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting, speech-to-text services, and notetaking support. Presenters will discuss key aspects of Deaf culture, interpreter culture, and best practices for working effectively with communication access providers. Faculty will also learn practical strategies that help ensure Deaf and hard-of-hearing students can fully participate in classroom discussions and course activities. The session will conclude with a brief interactive segment introducing basic ASL vocabulary commonly used in classroom settings.

Student Retention & Completion: FYE Seminars & CSN Libraries’ Impact

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM on MS Teams

Presenters, Ted Chodock & Luis Ortega

Based on 35 student interviews for 2 dissertations in UNLV’s Higher Education program, Drs. Luis Ortega and Ted Chodock explore the impact of First Year Experiences and CSN Libraries on student success outcomes. Most study participants were first generation in college and underrepresented minority students. Dr. Ortega’s case study focused on how FYEs seminars can bridge the gap of retention, persistence, servingness and completion for Latinx students. Dr. Chodock’s case study, which focused on the experiences of students in CSN Libraries, found that, through providing places where they felt cared about, comfortable, and supported to complete their academic work, campus libraries served as a retention resource by fostering a sense of belonging.

New Faculty Orientation

8:30 AM – 12:00 PM in Charleston B102

Presenter, Shannon Gilliland

This Orientation is designed to introduce new faculty to the CSN mission, values, and goals, and familiarize them with programs and services that are valuable to faculty and their students in acclimating to the CSN community. This session is a required training for all employees.

Sabbatical Reporting

8:30 AM – 2:00 PM on MS Teams

Presenter, Kevin Mitchell

Faculty Senate Chair Elect will facilitate this session where academic faculty who have been on sabbatical will report on their experiences and share their findings. This is a required activity for all academic faculty returning from sabbatical: In the spirit of academic collaboration and "giving back" to CSN, sabbatical participants share the knowledge gained, research findings obtained, and artifacts produced while on CSN funded sabbatical.

Joyful Teaching: How to Fall in Love with Your Classroom Again

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM in Charleston B104

Presenter, Matt Howell

This workshop helps instructors reconnect with the joy and passion that drew them to teaching. Participants will explore common challenges that can drain energy and enthusiasm and discover practical ways to bring excitement back into their classrooms. Through reflection, conversation, and concrete examples, attendees will identify small, meaningful actions that make teaching more engaging and personally rewarding. The session offers strategies that work across disciplines and teaching formats, emphasizing curiosity, creativity, and genuine connection with students. By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with renewed inspiration, practical tools, and a sense of excitement about teaching again. They will be ready to create a classroom environment where both instructors and students feel energized, supported, and engaged.

ILO Data Collection: Process Review

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM on MS Teams

Presenters, Michael Denman, Michele Howser, & Judy Stewart

Feedback from the College is imperative to determine a systematic process in obtaining data related to institutional learning. This workshop allows for inclusion of employees to partake in determining if CSN's data collection process is collecting the intended data. The Spring Convocation will focus on data analysis. The committee feels that separating process feedback from data analysis is important in determining next steps to ensure students are gaining the knowledge we say they will gain while here at CSN. This is in support of: NWCCU Standard 1.C.6, Recommendation 3

Cultivating Presence: Meditation Practices that Restore & Inspire

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM in Charleston B104

Presenter, Deborah Frank

This session is an invitation to come back to yourself — because the best thing you can bring to those you serve is a person who feels whole. 

We'll explore three pathways into presence: mindfulness practice, where we anchor attention in the here and now and build calm that we carry with us; concentration meditation, where we tap into stillness and renewal; and playful, artistic meditation, where creativity becomes a doorway — using art, movement, and imagination to access peace in ways that feel expressive and joyful. 

Whether you're brand new to meditation or have an existing practice, there's something here for you. You'll leave with tools you can use daily.

The Faculty Center: Behind the Scenes to Launch!

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM in Charleston E127

Presenters, Torri Kellough, Anne DeClouette, & Rachel Yoho

Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the new Faculty Center: see the space, check out the resources, hear about programs, and meet the new Director! Snacks included. The Faculty Center has the goal of cultivating excellence in faculty teaching and learning through enriching professional growth and development opportunities that accelerate student success. Get more information about programs to be developed for all instructional faculty – part-timers, new and/or tenure-track as well as those who are mid- and late-career. There’s something for everyone! How will you use the Faculty Center?

Hands-On Syllabus Workshop: Finish Your Syllabus for Student & Instructor Success

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM on MS Teams

Presenter, Rachel Yoho

Join this virtual session to get your syllabus ready for classes! We will spend the first few minutes discussing key considerations for ways to support both learners and yourself - as well as to set the tone for success - through your syllabus.

The workshop is a hands-on session, so you are encouraged to bring the syllabus that you are working on, any questions that you have, and be ready to discuss syllabus strategies with colleagues. This is a virtual brown-bag, so please join and participate as you are able, enjoy your lunch and hang out to talk about teaching, and make connections with colleagues as we finish our syllabi together!

Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prevention

1:00 PM – 4:30 PM on MS Teams

Presenters, Ryan Evans & Leslie Miller

In accordance with Title IV. Chapter 8, Section 13(C) of the Nevada Board of Regents Handbook, "Each institution shall have on-going sexual harassment training program for employees." In this session we will discuss how sexual harassment harms the victim, the organization, and the harasser. Additionally, this course will explore discrimination and Title IX, its impact to the organization, and valuable information that you can use to be the front-line force to prevent its occurrence.

Professional Advancement at CSN: Navigating the Process for Success

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM on MS Teams

Presenters, Denise Sidney, Stephanie Villamor & Jerry Turner

Professional Advancement at CSN: Navigating the Process for Success is a training designed to guide faculty through the purpose, requirements, and key steps of the Professional Advancement process. Participants will learn how to submit complete and accurate applications, avoid common errors, and improve their chances of a successful advancement outcome.