Tech Tailgate
The Technology Tailgate is a mini-conference exploring innovations in teaching, learning, and institutional advancement at ECU. The Fall 2025 Tech Tailgate theme was Empowering Learning Through Technology Innovation and was held on November 14 this year in Joyner Library.
Missed the Fall 2025 Tech Tailgate? Watch the Keynote Address from Dr. John Spencer!
Session Schedule
| Time | Session Title | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 - 9:00 | Registration | Joyner Entrance and Faulkner Gallery | |
| 9:00 – 9:15 | Welcome | Faulkner Gallery | |
| 9:30 – 10:00 | Concurrent Session 1 | ||
| Making Space for Mentorship: How AI Frees Advisors for Deeper Connection Academic advisors often deal with large caseloads and complex student needs, which can lead to burnout. To help, we've created a library of copy-and-paste AI prompts designed to streamline daily tasks. This tool can assist with things like writing empathetic emails and creating workshop materials, freeing up your time. By automating these administrative duties, you can focus on building meaningful relationships and providing a higher standard of care for your students. This helps you move beyond transactional interactions and deliver deeply personalized support that makes students feel seen and valued. Presenter: Brandon Jones | Faulkner Gallery | ||
| Developing engaging course materials and assignments with PowerPoint Cameo Cameo is a free tool built into Microsoft PowerPoint that allows presenters to embed a live video of themselves inside their slide presentations. Because of its simplicity and the familiarly of the standard PowerPoint interface, Cameo is useful for faculty and students alike. This presentation will provide attendees with a brief overview of Cameo followed by examples of how it has been used to create more engaging course materials and assignments. Student feedback indicates that they enjoy learning a new skill in the process of completing their coursework and in less than half an hour, session attendees will also be well on their way to incorporating PowerPoint Cameo into their own courses. Presenter: Tim Madden | Joyner 2301 | ||
| Enhancing Counselor Education with AI: Preliminary Findings from ADRE 6310 The use of AI has shown promise in bridging skill transfer gaps, preparing students more effectively for practicum and internships. In our innovative project, we integrated AI avatars into the ADRE 6310 pre-practicum course to enhance the foundational skills of future mental health counselors. This approach supplements traditional peer-to-peer practice with realistic simulations, providing personalized feedback and fostering deeper learning. Preliminary findings will be discussed. Presenter: Dominiquie Clemmons-James | Joyner 1618 | ||
| Offloading the 'Finding' to Focus on the 'Learning': Building Custom AI Assistants with Copilot This session demonstrates how to build custom Copilot assistants using ECU's tools and specific content/sources to create learning-centered GenAI assistants. Participants will explore how custom assistants can reduce cognitive load, improve information retrieval, and support students in focusing on higher-order thinking. I'll discuss the pedagogical rationale behind this approach and demonstrate course- and program-specific assistants. This session bridges AI/digital literacy with instructional design to support student learning and success. Presenter: Michelle Eble | Joyner 1008 | ||
| 10:00 - 10:15 | Break | ||
| 10:15 - 10:45 | Concurrent Session 2 | ||
| Building Bridges Through the Screen: Video Feedback as Community-Building in Online Courses In this session, participants will explore how video feedback within Canvas can be used to build community, rapport, and meaningful student-teacher connections in online courses. Drawing from experiences in a rural teacher residency program, the presentation highlights how personalized video responses foster engagement and support candidate growth. Attendees will learn the how, meaning, and purpose behind implementing video feedback as a relational and instructional tool. Practical examples and participant reflections will be shared to illustrate its impact on connection and confidence in virtual learning environments. Presenter: Danielle Dietz | Faulkner Gallery | ||
| Using AI Agents in Education An AI agent is an automated workflow that interacts with an AI model. At its simplest, it saves you from having to enter a prompt in the AI model chat window. At its most complex, it is a series of multi-step processes that involve decision-making within a specific context. MindStudio offers a drag-and-drop environment for the construction of AI agents. This presentation will showcase simple and complex AI agents in action. Presenter: R. Martin Reardon | Joyner 2301 | ||
| Rolling into Inquiry: Sphero STEM Review Game on the Gridiron Get ready to bring STEM learning to life tailgate style! In this hands-on session, participants will use programmable Sphero robots to navigate a football-themed playing field, answering inquiry-based review questions along the way. Each correct response earns a yardage gain, while coding challenges and strategic thinking drive the game forward. This interactive experience blends robotics, critical thinking, and team collaboration to create a dynamic review game that’s perfect for engaging students in STEM concepts with movement, excitement, and tech-infused fun. Presenters: Ann McClung, Kelly Williamson, Saline Kuras, and Ashley Williford | Joyner 1618 | ||
| Feedback that Moves the Needle: Driving Student Motivation and Performance with ECU CONNECT This session will examine the role faculty feedback plays in grade performance and student motivation. Research in feedback literacy will be explored, and session presenters will provide a comprehensive overview of how ECU CONNECT can be used by instructors to deliver timely, targeted feedback that supports student success. Emphasis will be placed on the benefits of providing feedback in concise, incremental messages that are both manageable for instructors and impactful for students. Participants will gain practical strategies for incorporating ECU CONNECT into their instructional practices, with a focus on fostering communication, enhancing student engagement, and streamlining the feedback process. Presenters: Dylan Moore and Elizabeth Coghill | Joyner 1008 | ||
| 11:00-11:30 | CIO Town Hall | Join ECU's Chief Information Officer, Zach Loch, for insights into the future of IT Services at ECU and ask your questions about the technologies available to ECU Faculty and Staff. | Faulkner Gallery |
| 11:45- 12:15 | Concurrent Session 3 | ||
| Learning Together Apart: an instructor and learning assistant's attempt to build community for asynchronous learners This presentation explores strategies developed by a senior teaching instructor and undergraduate learning assistant for fostering meaningful engagement in an asynchronous elementary Latin course. The professor will share insights into course design that promotes interaction and sustained motivation, and the learning assistant will reflect on her role in supporting peers and cultivating community. Together, they will highlight their blog initiative, which extends learning beyond the classroom, encourages broader participation, and creates a broader sense of community. Presenters: Lisa Ellison and Raney Sweet | Joyner 2301 | ||
| Metacognitive Moves: AI Approaches to Help Students Decode and Execute Assignments Many ECU students struggle with interpreting what assignments truly require. This session introduces practical AI strategies to help students clarify expectations, organize their approach, and track progress with confidence. Participants will explore classroom-ready tools (The Assignment Decoder, Study Style Diagnostic, Reverse-Engineer the A, Rubric Translator, and Pitfall Predictor) designed to break down complex tasks, plan steps, uncover hidden criteria, and anticipate common missteps. Faculty will leave with research-informed methods to make assignment interpretation a teachable skill, reducing confusion and improving performance. Presenter: Todd Finley | Joyner 1618 | ||
| Teaching Tough Talks: Coding an AI Chatbot to Model Conflict Resolution This project showcases an AI-powered HR simulation chatbot developed to enhance graduate students’ conflict resolution and communication skills in a realistic, high-stakes employment context. Built using Python and OpenAI’s API, the chatbot enables students to role-play termination conversations with emotionally reactive employees, reinforcing legal compliance, professionalism, and emotional intelligence. After each simulation, the bot delivers personalized feedback highlighting strengths, areas for improvement, and actionable next steps. This tool bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and applied managerial practice, offering a scalable, accessible, and engaging learning experience. The project exemplifies how AI can be leveraged to deepen experiential learning and prepare students for complex real-world HR challenges. Presenter: Cody Chullen | Joyner 1008 | ||
| 12:30 - 1:30 | Keynote and Closing | Dr. John Spencer is a former middle school teacher and current college professor who is passionate about seeing students reach their creative potential. He is the author of the bestselling books Launch, Empower, Vintage Innovation, and The A.I. Roadmap. In 2013, he spoke at the White House, sharing a vision for how to empower students to be future-ready through creativity and design thinking. | Faulkner Gallery or View a livestream of Dr. Spencer's Remarks (Teams Webinar) |
Past Tailgates
For any inquiries or questions, please email learningtechnologies@ecu.edu.