Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning

Tag: Laina Lockett

Workshop: Reflective Assessments for STEM Faculty and Students

Register Here Canceled | Facilitator: Laina Lockett

What are the essential actions to stay an innovative STEM Educator? This workshop will review strategies for continual growth as STEM educators to ensure that students are best prepared for a changing world. In this workshop we will discuss essential reflective actions for both you and your students as a way to grow.

Part of the Level 1 Foundational Practices in STEM Education Cluster.

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Dates of workshops in this Cluster:
Monday, September 14 10:00-11:00am or Tuesday, November 3 10:00-11:00am (attend first hour of workshop)
Wednesday, September 2 – 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday, October 7 – 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Workshop: Reading as Active Learning in STEM

Register Here | Facilitator: Laina Lockett 

How many times have you asked your class a question only to realize that only a few (or maybe none) of your students have done the assigned reading? Working with students who are not prepared for class is a common frustration among STEM faculty especially since there is often a large amount of material to cover in any given course. In this workshop, you will learn how to turn reading assignments into opportunities for active learning. We will discuss some of the research on how students learn from reading, how to teach your students to get more out of reading, as well as how to design more engaging reading prompts, guides and classroom activities. The small changes discussed in this workshop can have large and long-lasting impacts for your students, so be sure to join the session!

Part of the Level 1 Foundational Practices in STEM Education Cluster.

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Dates of workshops in this Cluster:
Monday, September 14 10:00-11:00am or Tuesday, November 3 10:00-11:00am (attend first hour of workshop)
Wednesday, September 16 – 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday, October 7 – 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Workshop: Artificial Intelligence Tools and…Inclusive Teaching?

Register here | Facilitator: Laina Lockett

Formerly called “ChatGPT, AI Text Generator Tools, and…Inclusive Teaching?”

Access to artificial intelligence (AI) text generators has upended education – and many other sectors – as much or more than past technology advancements and innovations. Join us in this workshop as we discuss how we continue teaching with impact and to support all students in this new reality. We explore instructional approaches, considerations, and methods to help us teach with less stress and more strategy. This workshop is part of the Teaching with AI credential Level 1 series.

*Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: AI Test Kitchen: Assessments and Customization

Register Here | Facilitator: Laina Lockett


Whether you’re new to AI tools like Microsoft CoPilot or have a lot of AI experience, join this session to explore prompts and discuss the role of generative AI in writing test questions. Based on the book Teaching with AI by Bowen and Watson. *Participation in past AI Test Kitchens is not required. This workshop is part of the Teaching with AI Credential.

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: To AI or not to AI?: Key Considerations for Your Classroom

Register Here | Facilitator: Laina Lockett

In this session, we will review the Stearns Center’s AI Quick Start Guide. Topics include discussing the most common questions asked by GMU faculty about AI, reviewing recommended resources including the GMU Guidelines for Faculty and Students, demonstrate some of the tools that are available to use, and consider ethical considerations for tool usage as instructors.

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Mini Course: Introduction to AI Inspired Pedagogies 

Register Here | Facilitator: Laina Lockett

This event is at capacity; registration is now closed. 

By now you’ve probably heard of ChatGPT or one of the other various new large language models (LLMs) that have taken the world by storm. But do you know how to deal with the ever-evolving artificial intelligence technology as it relates to your teaching? In this mini course, you will be exposed to the basics of redesigning your course as it relates to learning outcomes and instructional activities. We will also explore how to get feedback from students regarding the changes that you make. Bring your lunch and enjoy this five-session program (spread across four days). Successful completion will earn participants a Level 2 CPD credential. Registration will close at 40 participants.

Dates of Sessions:
August 3, 2026 11:00-1:30PM
August 4, 2026 11:00-1:30PM
August 5, 2026 11:00-1:30PM
August 6, 2026 11:00-1:30PM

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: AI Test Kitchen: Classroom Discussion

Register Here | Facilitator: Laina Lockett


Whether you’re new to AI tools like Microsoft CoPilot or have a lot of AI experience, join this session to explore prompts and discuss the role of AI as part of classroom discussions. Based on the book Teaching with AI by Bowen and Watson. *Participation in past AI Test Kitchens is not required. This workshop is part of the Teaching with AI credential Level 1 series. 

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Deadline: STEM Education Retreat: STEM for All: Applying UDL in Your Courses

Register Here | Facilitators: Carley Fisher-Maltese and Laina Lockett 

Registration for this event closed May 1. We will offer this event again in Spring 2027. 

Faculty are invited to participate in the second STEM Education Retreat, an in-person professional development workshop focused on Using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in STEM Courses. The workshop will be held on May 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and is open to any faculty who teach STEM courses across Mason’s colleges and schools. Participation is limited to the first 15 faculty who register. The Canvas course will open on May 6.

During the workshop, participants will explore how to apply UDL principles to the design and delivery of STEM courses, with an emphasis on creating inclusive learning environments that proactively address learner variability. Faculty will learn strategies for aligning student learning outcomes, instructional activities, and assessments using the UDL framework. The session will include hands-on activities, guided reflection on current course design, and collaborative discussion. Participants will leave with practical, actionable strategies to implement UDL in at least one STEM course, including applications in laboratory, quantitative, and problem-based learning contexts.

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

Workshop: To AI or not to AI?: Key Considerations for Your Classroom

Register Here | Facilitator: Laina Lockett 

In this session, we will review the Stearns Center’s AI Quick Start Guide. Topics include discussing the most common questions asked by GMU faculty about AI, reviewing recommended resources including the GMU Guidelines for Faculty and Students, demonstrate some of the tools that are available to use, and consider ethical considerations for tool usage as instructors. This workshop is part of the Teaching with AI credential Level 1 series. 

* Adding to your calendar will not register you for the event; please register using the link above.

 

AI Lunchtime Lab: Understand

Register Here| Facilitator: Laina Lockett

Registration for this event is now full. Please be on the lookout for another offering next year. 

Do you ask your students to comprehend informational details? Do you ask your students to explain, interpret summarize or translate in your course? Then apply to participate in the AI Lunchtime Lab: Understand. This program consists of an in-person session to design and get feedback on an AI infused assignment focused on helping students understand concepts in your course during the Fall 2026 semester. This paid opportunity requires participation in the in-person session as well as submission of the activity that you design and the student feedback about the assignment. This program is limited to the first 8 accepted applicants. It is open to any instructor of record in Fall 2026. Please submit this form by April 30th.