Reimagine Teaching 2026: Enhancing your Teaching Toolkit .

A Hybrid in-person and online event!

Join colleagues from across campus for Reimagine Teaching 2026: Enhance Your Teaching Toolkit with AI, a hybrid event hosted by Academic and Instructional Innovation (A&II), designed to explore uses of AI in teaching, inspire innovation, and help you teach with confidence in an evolving educational landscape.

Whether you're new to AI or ready to take your skills further, participants will discover strategies, tools, and best practices that can be immediately applied in their courses. Leave with ideas, resources, and ready-to-use techniques you can immediately apply in your courses for the academic year ahead.

Sponsored by Academic and Instructional Innovation (A&II) and the Office of Academic Affairs

Recordings are available with Panopto Sign-In. Visit the links provided with the workshops below.

Program Agenda

8:30 – 9:00  Breakfast

9:00 – 9:20  

Welcome by Edgar Chabolla, Executive Director, Academic and Instructional Innovation

Opening Remarks Dr. Carl Garruba, Office of Academic Affairs

See the recording.

9:20 – 10:20 Presentation, Student Survey on Use of AI

Watch the recording.

Outcomes

1. Describe SMU students’ use and perceptions of GenAI tools
2. List factors that influence SMU students’ use and perceptions of GenAI tools
3. Identify insights and potential research questions based on survey data

Presenter:  Rhea Kimpo, PhD, Associate Professor, Basic Sciences

 10:10 — 10:20 Break (We’re 10 minutes ahead of schedule.)

10:20 — 10:50

Workshop 1: Start the Semester Right: Communicating with Students about AI

Watch the recording.

Explore the pressures that can lead to inappropriate AI use and develop strategies to reduce them through a clear course policy and an engaging early-class discussion. Participants will also learn how to model the transparent, ethical AI practices they expect from students.

Outcomes

• Identify ways to reduce common pressures that contribute to inappropriate AI use 
• Establish clear, shared expectations with students with a course policy and early class discussion activity.
• Model transparent and responsible AI practices.

Presenter:  Liz Winer

10:50 — 11:00 Break

11:00 – 11:45 Workshop #2: New  Copilot Apps to Support Teaching and Productivity

Watch the recording.

Discover how Copilot Notebooks can organize course resources, generate insights, and create engaging study materials grounded in your content. You’ll also explore Copilot Create to quickly develop polished presentations, documents, visuals, and other teaching resources.

Outcomes

1. Describe the benefits of using Copilot at SMU.
2. Use new Copilot Create App to develop learning materials
3. Use the new Copilot Notebooks app to create an AI workspace grounded in your course materials.

Presenter:  Karen Cao

See the resources. 

11:45 – 12:00 – IT Services and Media Services Update

Watch the recording.

12:00 – 12:45 Lunch

12:45 – 1:35 Workshop #3: Active Learning and Games with Gen AI

Watch the recording.

We know that thoughtfully created educational games can increase student engagement and knowledge retention. Learn how to create engaging educational games without paying for new Generative AI tools or learning how to code. 

Outcomes

1. Apply a rapid AI-assisted game design workflow to create an educational game activity without coding using free tools.
2. Generate active learning suggestions with AI.

Presenter: Lauren Oliveira

1:35 – 1:45 Break

1:45 – 2:45 Workshop #4: Redesigning Assignments in the Age of AI

Watch the recording.

Move beyond simple AI detection and learn how to redesign assignments that encourage authentic learning, help students demonstrate their own understanding, and align AI use with course goals. Explore practical strategies for creating meaningful, process-oriented assignments that support academic integrity.

Pre-workshop Assignment: Bring 1-2 assignments to work with during this hands-on workshop.

Outcomes

1. Identify AI-vulnerable elements in a current assignment using structured audit criteria.
2. Analyze alignment between learning goals, assignment design, and AI use, including where AI supports or undermines learning.
3. Revise at least one assignment component to showcase students’ own critical thinking through process-based design.
4. Articulate clear expectations for AI use that align with disciplinary practice and support learner judgment.

Presenters: Christine Broz 

2:50 – 3:20 Academic Technology Updates 

A preview of technology features coming this year, and new features you can take advantage of right now

Watch the recording.

3:20 – 3:30 Wrap Up, Event Survey, End of Event

Questions

For more information or questions about this event, please reach to A&II at: aii@samuelmerritt.edu