CoTL 2025

15th Annual South Alabama Conference on Teaching and Learning

May 12 - 14, 2025

The Covid-19 pandemic amplified the higher education conversation around virtual learning experiences and the potential for multiple ways to engage synchronously and asynchronously in the learning process. Terms like “hyflex” and “hybrid” emerged more frequently in course registration conversations, reflecting the growing demand for flexible, adaptive learning environments. This shift, as well as the introduction of generative AI in education, has inspired ongoing innovations in how institutions and educators support learners, both in-person and virtually. 

This year’s theme, Preparing for a Hybrid Future, invites participants to explore ways and take intentional steps towards the future of student engagement and success in higher education. We envision the word Hybrid to represent both learning experiences which meld online and in person activities, and the impact on many tasks where human intelligence could be augmented by use of machine intelligence. We’ll consider:

• What does a hybrid future look like for higher education?
  • How do you envision a hybrid future in terms of student success, career readiness, or accessibility?
• What does hybrid student engagement look like and how does it lead to student success? What is the student experience in a hybrid classroom setting?
  • How has the creative use of technology advanced your teaching, offered flexible student engagement, and made your classroom more accessible?
• How are we incorporating generative AI into the learning process and our instructional practices?
  • How has generative AI changed your instructional practices, research, or student support initiatives? 

The South Alabama Conference on Teaching and Learning celebrates a strong partnership between USA, Spring Hill College, University of Mobile, Bishop State, Coastal Alabama, Columbia Southern, Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the United States Sports Academy. CoTL’s theme of Preparing for a Hybrid Future allows us to examine innovative tech-infused instructional practices that elevate student success and faculty engagement both within and beyond the classroom. 

Through a variety of presentation formats including workshops, panels, roundtables, research talks and a poster session, we invite you to share your scholarly work in a welcoming and peer-reviewed conference tailored to the needs of instructors along the Gulf Coast.

Keynote Speakers

C. Edward Watson, Ph.D.
Vice President for Digital Innovation | AAC&U

Dr. Watson is the Vice President for Digital Innovation at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). He is also the founding director of AAC&U’s Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum. Prior to joining AAC&U, Dr. Watson was the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Georgia (UGA) where he led university efforts associated with faculty development, TA development, learning technologies, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. He continues to serve as a Fellow in the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at UGA and recently stepped down after more than a decade as the Executive Editor of the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. His most recent book is Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024). Dr. Watson been quoted in the New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, Campus Technology, EdSurge, EdTech, Consumer Reports, UK Financial Times, and University Business Magazine and by the AP, CNN and NPR regarding current teaching and learning issues and trends in higher education.

Maribeth Gandy Coleman, Ph.D.
Assistant Vice Provost for Research Faculty | Georgia Tech

Dr. Coleman is a Regent's Researcher and Director of Research for the Institute of People and Technology at Georgia Tech. She received a B.S. in Computer Engineering as well as a M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech. In her 20+ years as a research faculty member her work has been focused on the intersection of technology for mobile/wearable computing, augmented reality, human computer interaction, assistive technology, and gaming. She is a computer scientist focused on developing novel and scientifically validated systems at the “human technology frontier” designed for purposes such as training, rehabilitation, and cognitive training, utilizing cutting-edge technology such as augmented and virtual reality. For example, she lead an initiative (funded by National Science Foundation, Dept of Education, and ACT Inc.) to research the design of games for cognitive training and assessment for older adults, persons with disabilities, and K-12 students. She also previously led a project funded by Georgia Tech’s Health Systems Institute to develop home-based computer games for stroke rehabilitation. In her AR research, she is interested in advancing AR as a new medium by focusing on authoring, evaluation, and deployment. She was the lead architect on a large open source software project called the Designer’s Augmented Reality Toolkit (DART), which had thousands of users and was used to create a variety of large-scale AR systems. She was also co-PI on an NSF grant focused on the development of presence metrics for measuring engagement in AR environments using qualitative and quantitative data. She has also applied AR technologies to a STEM education project for teens, explored how AR interfaces can enhance user abilities during maintenance and repair tasks, and is currently studying the use AR and mobile technologies to make Internet of Things environments more approachable and useful to communities. In her Director role she is responsible for organizational leadership & strategic planning, fundraising, convening & managing diverse teams, industry/academic partnerships, and translational work including commercialization of intellectual property.

Presentation Types

Interactive Workshops | Panels | Research Talks | Roundtables | Posters

Points of Contact

Dr. S. Raj Chaudhury, Innovation in Learning Center, schaudhury@southalabama.edu
Dr. Lisa LaCross, Innovation in Learning Center, lacross@southalabama.edu

2025 Conference Partners