Thrive Symposium 2025: Exploring Critical Thinking Together

Time

Building/Room

Session Name

Presenter/s

12:00 - 1:00 pm

Shepherd Union (SU) Ballroom A

PROVOST KEYNOTE LUNCH ADDRESS

Join us for lunch and a keynote address from Provost Leslie Durham.

Leslie Durham

PLENARY SESSION: What Does Critical Thinking Look like in Today’s University Environments?

A thoughtful discussion of critical thinking - its meaning, value, and impact for today’s students and tomorrow’s leaders. Included in this presentation will be a consideration of what it means to teach at a time such as this (social and political unrest, national division, economic turmoil, and international strife).

Adrienne Gillespie Andrews

2:00 - 2:50 pm

Engaging the Reticent – Three Practical Exercises to Get Every Student to Talk

Do you have quiet students in your class? Come to this session and find out how you can avoid monopolized discussions and structure your class so that every student feels welcome to think critically, engage with the topic, and speak up. You will learn three techniques for classroom- wide engagement that can be adapted to any topic, difficulty level, and classroom size. Each of the three exercises—symposium, snowball, and interview—will include a brief presentation, a hands-on component with active participation from the audience, and suggestions for adapting the exercise to different classroom sizes and subjects.

From Tide to Toolkit: Designing AI-Powered Tasks that Surface Student Reasoning

Turn AI from a shortcut into a catalyst for student thinking. In this hands-on session, you will learn three small, discipline-agnostic tasks: the Trust Report, Source Sandwich, and Draft-Delta Reflection, that make students verify claims, cite sources, and explain choices. You will leave with ready-to-use prompts, a micro-rubric that speeds grading while raising rigor, and a syllabus blurb for ethical AI use. We will model one routine, practice another in small groups, and plan how to drop one into your course next week. Save prep time, make reasoning visible, and reclaim feedback for what matters: evidence, attribution, and learning. No AI expertise required; bring a laptop.

Researching Racial Covenants in Introductory US Economic History (20 min sessions)
 

We will present an ongoing project carried out in WSU introductory US Economic History courses that engages students in uncovering and understanding the legacy of racial discrimination in their local housing market. We focus on the value of this project as an accessible entry point into understanding institutional racism without requiring engagement in more contentious discourses around racial identity and white privilege.

Jennifer Gnagey

DOUBLE SESSION: Guided Chat GPT Use in Short Online Composition Assignments & Khanmigo Tips (20 min sessions)

• Guided Chat GPT Use in Short Online Composition Assignments - A discussion of a practical, structured composition assignment that shifts from banning to integrating ChatGPT. The model requires students to produce a raw sample, utilize AI for correction and error identification, and then complete a reflection. The session will highlight positive results in student writing improvement and offer a framework for colleagues interested in guided AI use for language pedagogy.
   
• Khanmigo Tips

Aubrey Jones

The WSU Online Team

Say It Plainly: Engage Your Students with Clear Language

Using clear, straightforward language helps readers understand what you want them to know. But writers often employ wordy, complex language out of habit—and because it fills space and seems to sound more “professional.” In this presentation, you’ll identify writing habits that make it harder for readers to care about and understand your message. Then you’ll practice concrete tactics that make writing more accessible and precise so students and colleagues get more value from your materials.

Kinship and Kindness with Technology: Foregrounding Critical-Ethical Practices in Scholarship and Pedagogy

A thoughtful discussion of critical thinking - its meaning, value, and impact for today’s students and tomorrow’s leaders. Included in this presentation will be a consideration of what it means to teach at a time such as this (social and political unrest, national division, economic turmoil, and international strife).

DOUBLE SESSION: Beyond the Content & The Problem-Solving Mindset (20 min sessions)

• Beyond the Content: How Learning Environments Shape Engagement -Classrooms shape how we teach and how students learn. This session showcases learning spaces across our campus and facilitates conversation about how to make the most of them. We will explore practical strategies for transforming any classroom, regardless of its layout, into a space that fosters engagement and deeper learning.
   
• The Problem-Solving Mindset: A Design Conceptor Approach to Fostering Active Learning - This presentation aligns with the conference theme, “Exploring Critical Thinking Together,” by shifting from simply teaching content to fostering a problem-solving mindset. The researcher will argue that critical thinking goes beyond just answering questions; it involves developing solutions systematically. Aimed at educators and those interested in innovative teaching methods, the session will demonstrate how to create an active learning process using the Design Conceptor Model. The session includes a 10-minute overview of the framework and a 5-minute discussion of test results and case studies.

Clay Rasmussen, Sheryl Rushton, and DeeDee Mower

Albert Choi

DOUBLE SESSION: Barriers, Budgets, and Buses & Khanmigo Tips

• Barriers, Budgets, and Buses: Teaching Critical Thinking Through Lived Experience - This session highlights the “A Day in the Life” experiential learning activity, designed for WSU Physician Assistant students to better understand the challenges faced by socioeconomically disadvantaged patients. Students navigate public transportation, access social services, and budget for five days of meals for a family of four. This process allows students to directly encounter barriers related to Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). The activity promotes engagement, empathy, and critical thinking through active, problem-based learning and required self-reflection. We will share the structure, discuss planned expansions, and facilitate a brainstorming discussion on adapting this replicable, high-impact model for other WSU disciplines.
   
• Khanmigo Tips

Nicholas Dean & Leslie Howerton

The WSU Online Team

DOUBLE SESSION: Dr. GPT? & Giving Feedback in Active Learning Environment

• Dr. GPT? Perspectives on trialing critiques of AI-generated cardiovascular cases to cultivate critical thinking in physician assistant medicine education - Will AI be replacing your physician? Probably not anytime soon, but its attempt at modeling one could help foster critical thinking for our students. Join us and consider crossover applications in your field as we describe an innovative exercise in which ChatGPT-4 was asked to assume the role of a physician to generate cardiovascular cases and treatment recommendations, which were then presented to physician assistant students for analysis and critique. Students’ ability to recognize and articulate areas in which the AI model’s recommendations aligned or misaligned with current clinical practices and how this exercise cultivated critical thinking will be discussed.
   
• Giving Feedback in the Active Learning Environment - Explore the AAA feedback model (Add, Assure, Alert), developed through extensive qualitative research in an active learning environment. This session details the structure of the model and provides insight into what students prioritize and attend to during active learning. The presenter will use real student data and experiences to bring the model to life, sharing how it has significantly impacted teaching practice. This is a must-attend for instructors teaching in or designing active learning classrooms.

J.D. Speth, Nicholas Dean, & Austin Okelberry

Lisa Wiltbank

DOUBLE SESSION: Elegant Markdown Presentations & Pumps, Valves, and Kidneys

• Elegant Markdown Presentations using SlideKraft - Slidekraft is a browser-based, Markdown-driven presentation platform that shifts attention from slide design to the substance of ideas. With plain text, instructors can generate elegant, branded slides enriched with LaTeX equations, Mermaid diagrams, code demonstrations, and embedded media. Presentations are stored locally in the browser, ensuring full ownership while remaining easy to export to files, print, or embed in LMS platforms such as Canvas. With presenter and audience slideshow modes, annotation tools, interactive visualizations, questions, and polls, Slidekraft promotes active participation over passive viewing—supporting accessible, engaging, and collaborative teaching and learning.
   
• Pumps, Valves, and Kidneys: Building Critical Thinking Across Disciplines - How can collaboration across disciplines strengthen critical thinking? In this session, faculty from Health Sciences and Mechanical Engineering share how they partnered to create a mechanical kidney model that demonstrates fluid dynamics. More than a teaching tool, this project illustrates how joining expertise across fields can open new pathways for student learning, encourage innovative problem-solving, and model the kind of critical thinking we hope to inspire in our students. Attendees will gain practical ideas for fostering cross-campus collaborations that enrich both teaching and research.

Abdulmalek Al-Gahmi

Travis Price & Randy Hurd

Time

Building/Room

Session Name

Presenter/s

10:30 am- 12:00 pm

Lampros Hall 201

PLENARY: Teaching Critical Thinking in Synchronous and Asynchronous Environments

In a rapidly evolving digital world, we must ask:

• How do we know our students are thinking?
• Are our teaching strategies truly supporting critical thinking in this era?
• And most importantly—how are we assessing what students are actually thinking?

This workshop explores strategies to highlight student thinking and to push them beyond reliance on AI in synchronous and asynchronous environments.

The CETL Team & The WSU Online Team

Appetizer Break & Poster Sessions
 

Handling Chaos in the Classroom: When Classrooms Erupt - Teaching and Learning Techniques for Educators and Their Students

Classroom chaos scenarios will be shared in small groups and then explored with the larger body. Tips will be provided to participants to control the chaos in the classroom space and direct teaching and learning in meaningful ways.

SU Room 312

Teaching Approaches to Enigmatic Art and Literature via Ekphrasis

This presentation shares the structure and outcomes of a new Honors course designed to address student recalcitrance toward challenging or avant-garde artworks. The course employed ekphrastic approaches—the poetic description of art—to provide students with critical and creative tools for engaging with both visual and literary works. The presenters will detail successful lessons, assignments, and artistic assessments given to students, sharing examples of student production and evaluating the results. Options include a summary overview or an engaging, interactive session where attendees can experience key course activities firsthand.

SU  Room 316

DOUBLE SESSION: From Zzzs to Aha’s & Gemini Overview (20 min sessions)

• From Zzzs to Aha’s: Waking Up Learning - "From Zzzs to Aha’s: Waking Up Learning" explores innovative strategies to enhance student engagement in the classroom. In this presentation, we will share our experiences transforming traditional classroom teaching into interactive, high-energy learning opportunities. We’ll highlight creative activities such as OB Bingo, Electrolyte Clue, ABG Poker, Shock Escape Room, and more, designed to make complex concepts approachable and memorable. Attendees will gain practical ideas and resources for incorporating active learning games into their own courses, fostering participation, critical thinking, and excitement. Join us to discover how simple shifts in teaching can wake up learning and inspire student success.
   
• Gemini Overview

Heather Clark, Tiffany Hood, & Caitie Campbell

Kyle Peterson & Jocelin Gibson

DOUBLE SESSION: Building Critical Thinking and Other Process Skills & Engaging Students Through Whiteboarding (20 min sessions)

• Building Critical Thinking and Other Process Skills Through Collaborative Teamwork and Reflection - In order to cultivate an engaging learning environment, we need to implement strategies and build routines in our classrooms that give students the opportunity to consistently practice key process skills like critical thinking, communication, and management.  Collaborative teamwork is an ideal environment for developing process skills especially when students are given specific roles that encourage effective team dynamics and success. Participants will carry out a brief task in a team where they will strategize about how to improve engagement in their classrooms and reflect on the development of process skills through reflection.
   
• Engaging Students Through Whiteboarding: Active Learning for Immediate Feedback and Collaboration - Looking for a simple, low-cost way to boost student engagement and critical thinking? This session explores the power of whiteboarding as an active learning technique. With individual mini-whiteboards, students can respond to prompts, solve problems, and share ideas in real time, making learning visible and interactive. The approach encourages every student to participate, provides immediate feedback, and sparks discussion through peer collaboration. Attendees will experience whiteboarding firsthand and leave with practical strategies to apply in their own classrooms. Come ready to pick up an active learning tool that is both fun and effective.

Tim Herzog

Sherri Vassas

Critically Criticizing AI Creations

A risk of using AI to guide decisions is the tendency of AI to hallucinate, or to miss important details.  As students enter an AI-augmented world, they will need to recognize, with a critical eye, that any advice that comes from a machine needs to be critically reviewed.  This presentation will demonstrate how the inherent flaws of AI systems can be used to challenge students to evaluate case studies for flaws and suggest improvements to uniquely generated AI case studies.

Build AI-Resistant Assignments Using Adobe Tools

Are you suspicious that you are grading work that seems like it has been completed by AI? Sometimes it's difficult to tell with our usual assignments such as the traditional paper or discussion posts if our students are using AI. Perhaps you need a few fresh ideas on how to make your students' thinking visible so that you can focus more on what your students are learning and less on unauthorized AI use. This workshop helps you remix assignments to spark creativity, engage students and make them more difficult for AI to complete. Bring your laptops and an assignment you want to upgrade.

DOUBLE SESSION: Notebook LM and Khanmigo Tips (20 min sessions)

• Notebook LM Overview
  
   
• Khanmigo Tips

Kyle Peterson & Jocelin Gibson

The WSU Online Team

DOUBLE SESSION: Strength of Weak Ties & Reclaiming the Narrative (25 min sessions)

• Strength of Weak Ties: Fostering Civic Responsibility in the Everyday Classroom- Regardless of our disciplines or the courses that we teach, we can all employ basic classroom strategies that will imbue our students with a sense of civic responsibility and care toward each other. This EDTalk highlights how we might use our classroom opportunities to weave connectivity among students for the sake of democratic ideals.
   
• Reclaiming the Narrative: Using AI as a Strategic Partner in Your Research- Join us as we explore practical and ethical approaches for integrating AI text-generating tools into the process of faculty research from a librarian perspective. This presentation offers concrete strategies and tools to help faculty move beyond simple use of text-generating AI. We will demonstrate how faculty/researchers can use AI tools for tasks like brainstorming, outlining, and drafting scholarly work while simultaneously critically evaluating AI-generated content and rigorously verifying against scholarly sources. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use strategies for their own research and professional practice, helping them to become more digitally literate, ethically responsible, and judicious in their information use choices.

Leah Murray

Angela Beatie & Diana Meiser