IDDC - Upcoming Trainings and Webinars

Upcoming Trainings

Making Accessibility Actionable: Using Ally in Blackboard

Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Register now!

The Geography of Your AI Pedagogy

Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Location: Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor, 151 W Wood Street
Link to Interest Survey
AI tools are reshaping higher education, yet many faculty feel caught between pressure to adopt them and uncertainty about where to begin. This hands-on workshop moves beyond the typical overview session to give participants something they can immediately apply: a concrete, discipline-specific plan for integrating AI into a course they are currently teaching.

Led by a geographer and two instructional designers, the session opens with brief examples drawn from classroom experience: using AI-generated datasets for student analysis, testing research arguments through AI-simulated expert dialogue, and having students evaluate AI output only after first building meaningful subject-matter knowledge. These illustrate a core principle: AI is most useful when students already have the foundational knowledge to judge its strengths and weaknesses critically. Attendees will be prompted to identify their own “AI user ethos.”

Workshop participants then rotate through three facilitated task stations: (1) (Dawna Cerney) mapping their own comfort level with AI to identify personal boundaries, non-negotiables, and low-risk entry points for adoption; (2) (Rachel Faerber-Ovaska) applying free AI tools such as Smartie.dev and NotebookLM to facilitate creation of learning outcomes and course materials; and (3) (Joe Alberti) leveraging Blackboard’s built-in AI features to design learning activities and build assessment rubrics. YSU Campus Mentors for AI will also be on hand as peer guides.

Faculty should bring a laptop and arrive with one course and one assignment or activity in mind. Every participant will leave with a completed worksheet outlining a specific, implementable AI integration plan for their own classroom.

Intro to Padlet...an Easy, Powerful Teaching Tool

In this session aimed at new users, you'll create an interactive multimedia Padlet and learn how to embed it in your Blackboard course. You'll learn how to add images, documents, video and audio, and take a look at Padlet's new AI features. When we're done, you'll also have access to templates and use case ideas you can adapt to your specific instructional needs.

Date: Friday, April 17, 2026

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Location: WebEx