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Detailed Agenda

Better Together: California Convening on AI in Higher Education - February 6 | UC San Diego Park & Market

This event brings together educators, students, and industry partners from across California to explore the impact of artificial intelligence on teaching, learning, and student success. Sessions are designed to highlight practical innovation, ethical responsibility, and cross‑sector collaboration.

8:00 - 8:50 a.m.

Registration/Check-In (Forum)

9:00 - 9:15 a.m.

Welcome Remarks (Guggenheim Theatre)

  • Emcees:
    • Taiyo Inoue, Professor of Mathematics, Cal Poly Maritime Academy
    • Sarah Senk, Professor of Literature, Cal Poly Maritime Academy
  • Speaker: Lark Park, Director of the California Education Learning Lab

9:15 - 9:45 a.m.

Fireside Chat (Guggenheim Theatre)

Join representatives from the California Education Learning Lab and UC San Diego in a timely discussion of Artificial Intelligence’s impact on our region.

9:45 - 9:50 a.m.

Stretch break

9:50 - 11:00 a.m.

Plenary Panel (Guggenheim Theatre)

Ethics and Responsibility in AI

AI is poised to transform education and society, but at what cost? How do we prepare students, educators, and communities to engage with AI ethically and critically, not just efficiently? This panel explores tensions of the AI age as they intersect with higher education, including academic integrity, bias, privacy, intellectual ownership, environmental impact, and the widening digital divide. Speakers will bring perspectives from education, philosophy, law and policy, computer science, and student experience to explore how ethics and responsible practice should be embedded across disciplines as well as within AI tools themselves.

  • Moderator: Alison Gurganus, Innovation & Emerging Technology Faculty Specialist, San Diego Community College District 
  • Panelists:
    • Tricia Bertram Gallant, Director Academic Integrity & Triton Testing, UC San Diego
    • Ryan Jenkins, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
    • Julia Powles, Professor and Executive Director UCLA Institute for Technology, Law & Policy, UCLA
    • Shaolei Ren, Associate Professor Electrical & Computer Engineering, UC Riverside
    • Giselle Cortez-Tlaxcuapan, Undergraduate Student Researcher, CSU Fullerton

11:00 - 11:10 a.m.

Stretch and transition break

Concurrent Breakout sessions begin at 11:10 a.m. and are located in the Guggenheim Theatre, Room 213, and Room 214. 

Poster sessions are located in Room 211/212.

11:10 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.

Concurrent Session Presentations (Guggenheim Theatre)

How to Solve the Math Prerequisite Problem at Scale

Many students placed into entry‑level math arrive with limited mathematics knowledge and persistent misconceptions. Personalized tutoring could address these gaps but is infeasible at scale. UC San Diego and Vocareum have partnered to build, deploy, and iteratively refine an AI platform that supports efficient acquisition of prerequisite concepts. The platform combines mastery‑based learning driven by a domain model of concepts with a student model that tracks mastery over time. Recent deployments show higher AI‑tutor usage is associated with improved test performance.

  • Presenters: 
    • Sesh Murthy, Research Scientist, Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute
    • Frances Hammock, Assistant Teaching Professor, UC San Diego
    • Portia Restuccia, Product Manager, Vocareum

Bridging Educational Inequality Through AI: From Personal Experience to Institutional Empowerment

This presentation explores how AI can bridge educational opportunity gaps, transforming it from a perceived threat into a tool for equity. Co‑presented by an educator and a student researcher, the talk combines pedagogy with lived experience. The presenters examine integrity concerns while demonstrating how AI‑enabled tutoring and feedback can enhance authentic engagement, support neurodivergent and non‑traditional learners, and expand access to learning opportunities. Together, they propose AI as a powerful lever for a more inclusive future of education.

  • Presenters: 
    • Brandon Mills, Student/Researcher, San Diego City College & UC San Diego
    • Roberto Rubalcaba, Professor of Mathematics, San Diego City College

11:10 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.

Workshop (Room 213)

AI with Integrity: Empowering Students, Elevating Equity, and Transforming Learning

"AI with Integrity: Empowering Students, Elevating Equity, and Transforming Learning” explores how ethical and inclusive AI practices can strengthen teaching and learning across higher education. The presentation highlights practical strategies for responsible AI use, equitable syllabus design, and language‑sensitive support for multilingual and adult learners. Drawing from classroom research and interactive learning approaches, the session demonstrates how AI can rebuild critical thinking, spark curiosity, and enhance teacher and student interaction while promoting integrity, empathy, and equitable student success.

  • Presenter: Souzan Sahakian, Professor of ESL & AI Integration, North Orange Continuing Education | JD, LLM, Taxation

11:10 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.

Concurrent Session Presentations (Room 214)

Human + AI Ecosystem: Career Coaching, Course Design, and Student Support

This presentation explores CSU Channel Islands’ human-centered AI ecosystem: Mahi-Bot, Course Tuner, course templates, and Coach Mahi. It highlights how AI assistants support students through real-time proactive student support, reshape workflows, and serve as a career coach, mentor, and motivator. You’ll see how AI-assisted outcome writing, alignment checking, and modular course templates create consistent, engaging learning spaces while preserving academic freedom. With real use cases and early impact insights, this session shows how integrated tools can elevate equity-minded support for students, faculty, and institutional processes.

  • Presenters: 
    • Ana Peñaranda, Learning Designer, CSU Channel Islands
    • Jerilee Petralba, Digital Analyst, CSU Channel Islands
    • Jasmine Moreno, Extended University Specialist, CSU Channel Islands

Integrating AI at the Whole Program Level: The ACORN Toolkit

San Diego State University’s multidisciplinary effort to develop a scalable toolkit supporting AI‑literacy integration at the curricular level is presented. Designed for updating entire majors or programs holistically, the toolkit will help faculty embed AI competencies proactively and coherently, versus reactively or piecemeal. The toolkit’s application will foster faculty ownership of AI‑related curricular changes, enhancing program relevance for students while boosting workforce readiness and critical thinking. Key takeaways include an understanding of the toolkit’s contents, examples of the successful application of the tools, and discussion of the scaffolding work to be done prior to implementation to ensure success at scale.

  • Presenters: 
    • Norah P. Shultz, Professor & Chair, San Diego State University
    • Alvin Henry, Professor & Chair Asian American Studies, San Diego State University
    • Elizabeth Pollard, Professor & Chair History, San Diego State University
    • Consuelo Salas, Assistant Professor Rhetoric & Writing, San Diego State University
    • Elisa Sobo, Professor Anthropology, San Diego State University

11:10 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.

Poster Sessions (Room 211/212)

Empowering Semiconductor Education with AI: LLMs in Chip Design Training

This poster presents an AI-enhanced approach to semiconductor education through the integration of large language models (LLMs) into chip design training. Building on CSU Fullerton’s Titan Research Immersion Program, the project equips early-career and underrepresented students with hands-on experience using generative AI and open-access EDA tools. By embedding AI-assisted design, validation, and learning workflows into OER-based curricula, the initiative strengthens student retention, improves performance in key hybrid courses, and prepares a diverse engineering workforce for the rapidly evolving semiconductor industry. This work demonstrates how LLM-driven learning can democratize chip design education and accelerate student success.

  • Presenter: Rakesh Mahto, Professor, California State University Fullerton

Intersegmental AI-Powered Project-Based Learning Engineering Labs

This project pilots an AI‑powered Project‑Based Learning (AI‑PBL) framework that integrates artificial intelligence tools into engineering laboratories across three higher-education segments: California State University, Sacramento; Folsom Lake College; and UC Davis. Funded through the California Education Learning Lab AI FAST Challenge, the initiative reimagines traditional “cookbook” lab instruction as an adaptive, inquiry-driven experience that promotes equity, engagement, and authentic problem solving. The framework uses class bots trained on curated open educational resources to provide on-demand support and prompt higher-order inquiry. An ADE (AI‑Driven Education) bot analyzes student-generated questions and classifies them by Bloom’s taxonomy levels and modified AAC&U VALUE rubrics aligned with ABET outcomes, giving instructors structured insights into student cognition and growth over time.

  • Presenters: 
    • Milica Markovic, Professor & Chair, California State University Sacramento

Integrating Ethical Generative AI into Undergraduate Computer Science Education: Insights from the E-GAISE Project

Advancements in GenAI are outpacing universities’ ability to adapt curricula for an AI‑driven workforce, highlighting the urgent need to embed GenAI literacy and ethics in undergraduate education. The E‑GAISE project at San Francisco State University addresses this through a structured, data‑driven, 18‑month effort to: (1) integrate GenAI concepts, tools, techniques, and ethical considerations into computer science syllabi from sophomore to senior levels; (2) implement these integrations across multiple courses; and (3) evaluate their impact on student learning outcomes, problem-solving skills, and ethical understanding to ensure graduates are better prepared for rapidly evolving technological environments.

  • Presenters: 
    • Shahrukh Humayoun, Associate Professor, San Francisco State University
    • Hui Yang, Professor, San Francisco State University

LLM-enabled Animated Math and Physics

Engineering education faces challenges in explaining complex mathematical and physical concepts and building the bridge to students’ intuition. Many students struggle to grasp abstract ideas solely through traditional teaching methods. This poster explores how LLM-enabled workflows can support the creation of visualizations and demonstrations through video content, providing tangible representations of theoretical concepts and helping learners build intuition.

  • Presenters: 
    • Qi Wang, Assistant Professor, San Diego State University
    • Hongyi Ke, Graduate Student, San Diego State University

GπT: Using Generative AI Mock Interviews to Advance Equity, Deep Learning, and Career Readiness

The Generative Practice Interview Trainer (GπT) project explores how generative AI can support student success through course-integrated mock interview practice. GπT enables faculty to customize an AI-powered interviewer aligned with course content, while students tailor the experience to real or aspirational job postings. The result is a personalized interview simulation with feedback designed to strengthen communication skills and confidence. This poster shares the project’s motivation, iterative design process, and preliminary findings from a pilot involving nine faculty and forty-five students across disciplines at CSU Fullerton, connecting early insights to equity and student success.

  • Presenters: 
    • Sunny Le, Assistant Professor, California State University Fullerton
    • Francisco Zepeda, Lecturer of Mathematics, California State University  Fullerton

Design Based Implementation Research: Developing and Scaling a Generative AI Writing System

This poster shares lessons learned from developing, implementing, and scaling a generative AI system to support student writing and AI literacy across multiple institution types and developmental levels.

  • Presenters: 
    • Tamara Tate, Project Scientist, UC Irvine
    • Beth Harnick-Shapiro, Lecturer, CSU Fullerton & UC Irvine

12:10 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.

Lunch and Networking (Forum)

1:10 - 2:20 p.m.

Plenary Panel (Guggenheim Theatre)

Institutional Readiness for AI across the UCs, CSUs, CCCs

What does true institutional readiness for AI look like, and how close are we to achieving it? As AI moves to the mainstream of teaching and learning, campuses must decide how to build the shared infrastructure and policies that make innovation both secure and equitable. This panel brings together leaders shaping California’s AI future to share real-world lessons from cross-system collaborations that are lowering barriers, protecting privacy, and expanding opportunity. Expect a lively, candid conversation about meeting institutional needs through regional collaborations versus system-wide or state-wide efforts, trade-offs between speed and safety, centralization and innovation, industry partnerships and academic independence, and what it really takes to prepare higher education for AI at scale.

  • Moderator: Emily Magruder, Director of Innovative Teaching and Future Faculty Development, CSU Chancellor’s Office
  • Panelists:
    • Ilkay Altintas, Chief Data Scientist, San Diego Supercomputer Center & UC San Diego
    • Michelle Fischthal, Vice Chancellor for Institutional Innovation & Effectiveness, San Diego Community College District
    • Sean Hauze, Chief Operating Officer, San Diego State University 
    • Don Daves- Rougeaux, Senior Advisor to the California Community Colleges Chancellor on Workforce Development and Generative AI

2:20 - 2:30 p.m.

Stretch and transition break

Concurrent Breakout sessions begin at 2:30 p.m. and are located in the Guggenheim Theatre, Room 213, and Room 214. 

Poster sessions are located in Room 211/212

2:30 - 3:20 p.m.

Concurrent Session Presentations (Guggenheim Theatre)

Transforming Learning with Adaptive Equity-Oriented Pedagogy and AI (AEP-AI): Improving Equity and Student Success Across R1 University and Community College STEM Courses

This presentation shares findings from a multi‑year study combining cluster‑randomized trials and design‑based research to evaluate an equity‑oriented AI intervention. Grounded in learning sciences, the AEP‑AI model personalizes feedback, embeds culturally responsive examples, diagnoses misconceptions, and provides targeted support across R1 university and community college STEM courses. Results demonstrate significant gains in student achievement, engagement, and confidence.

  • Presenters: 
    • Andrew Estrada Phuong, Assistant Professor, UC San Diego
    • Fan Huang, Postdoctoral Scholar, UC San Diego
    • Carolyn Huie Hofstetter, Professor, UC San Diego
    • Stanley Lo, Teaching Professor, UC San Diego

PAIRR Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): Developing Communities of Practice to Support Critical AI Literacy and Writing Pedagogy

The Peer and AI Review + Reflection (PAIRR) project was developed as a curricular intervention at the University of California, Davis in 2023–24 to support critical and ethical engagement with AI. In summer and fall 2025, instructors and site leaders from eight campuses collaborated to co-develop assignments and examine patterns in student AI use across diverse institutional contexts. These discussions highlighted differences in access, expectations, student populations, and writing cultures. This presentation examines how PAIRR professional learning communities supported iterative instructional refinement and cross-institutional collaboration, and shares insights into using faculty learning communities to inform responsible, equity-oriented approaches to AI in writing instruction.

  • Presenters: 
    • Carl Whithaus, Professor, UC Davis

2:30 - 3:20 p.m.

Workshop (Room 213)

Hands-On with AI: Building Accessible and UDL-Aligned Learning Experiences

Discover practical ways to use AI to create accessible, UDL-aligned learning experiences that support all students. This hands-on session guides educators through real examples of using AI tools to streamline content remediation, enhance Canvas course design, and anticipate learner variability. Participants will use AI to remediate Canvas pages for ADA compliance, clarify instructions, build inclusive learning pathways, and strengthen accessible design. Walk away with ready-to-use strategies that save time, advance equity, and meet emerging ADA requirements.

  • Presenters: 
    • Elli Constantin, AI Advisor to Accessibility & Distance Education Director, 
      CCCO Digital Innovation Center/Cypress College
    • James Glapa-Grossklag, Dean, College of the Canyons

2:30 - 3:20 p.m.

Concurrent Session Presentations (Room 214)

AI‑Assisted Assessment to Award Credit for Prior Learning

This proof-of-concept project, a collaboration between the Los Angeles Community College District and the University of California San Diego, explores the development of an AI-driven assessment tool to support equitable Credit for Prior Learning (CPL). Led by UC San Diego’s Laboratory for Emerging Intelligence, the project evaluates feasibility in aligning prior knowledge to course outcomes, adapting to diverse learner backgrounds, and generating personalized feedback. The prototype is tested using a Fire Technology course at East Los Angeles College, selected for its clearly defined skills and relevance to individuals with firefighting experience. Faculty, administrators, and students contribute subject-matter expertise, testing, and validation.

  • Presenters:
    •  Armando M. Rivera-Figueroa, Associate Vice Chancellor, Workforce and Economic Development, Los Angeles Community College District
    • Jason Hosea, Professor & Fire Technology Program Coordinator, East Los Angeles College
    • Mark Simmons, PhD Student in Computational Linguistics, UC San Diego

Advancing Equity and Student Success through AI-Embedded Tutors in Science Education

Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a tool to support equity and student success in science education, where achievement gaps persist for historically underserved learners. This project explores the design and implementation of AI‑embedded tutors created using PlayLab and integrated into community college biology, anatomy, and pharmacology courses. Embedded within course materials and laboratory simulations, the tutors provide real‑time, personalized feedback and scaffolded instruction aligned with course outcomes. Preliminary findings indicate increased concept mastery, engagement, and student confidence, demonstrating how adaptive AI tools can support inclusive, flexible learning experiences in STEM.

  • Presenter: Par Mohammadian, Professor, Los Angeles Mission College

2:30 - 3:20 p.m.

Poster Sessions (Room 211/212)

Watch Your Language: Critically Examining How we Talk about AI in Higher Education

As higher education classrooms increasingly incorporate generative AI like ChatGPT, instructors often use language that frames AI as an “assistant” or “classmate.” This poster invites educators to examine how linguistic choices shape expectations and use of AI. Drawing on concepts such as the Eliza Effect and linguistic relativity, it shows how anthropomorphizing phrases like “AI thinks” or “knows” can distort what’s actually happening. The poster offers alternative language, practical classroom examples, and adaptable guidelines for framing AI as a useful—but non-human—tool.

  • Presenter: Amanda Simons, Adjunct Instructor, San Diego Community College District

Knowing Your AI Through Fun and Critical Engagement

This project promotes AI literacy through fun, structured activities that help students critically evaluate generative AI content. Through Canvas-based exercises, students analyze AI outputs, identify inaccuracies, compare human- and AI-generated writing, and reflect on the role of writing in learning. In a second phase, insights from these activities will be used to create an AI literacy guidebook and instructional video for broader faculty use, supporting responsible and informed AI use across academic settings.

  • Presenters: 
    • Bo Yeong Won, Assistant Professor, CSU Chico
    • Gaomong Lo, Graduate Student, CSU Chico

Empowering Experiential Learning through an AI-Driven Agentic Design Framework for Engineering Labs

This poster introduces a scalable, open-source Agentic Design Lab Framework to integrate AI concepts into engineering and computing curricula. The framework guides students beyond casual generative AI use, teaching them to design, orchestrate, and evaluate intelligent systems composed of autonomous agents. Students use orchestration tools (e.g., AutoGen, Crew.AI) to create modular lab components and apply responsible AI guidelines (such as the ETHICAL Principles AI Framework). Final modules will be shared via the CSU AI Commons and other repositories to promote collaboration and broad adoption.

  • Presenters: 
    • Jenny Wang, Lecturer, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
    • Sue Sue, Student, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Expanding Access to Speaking Practice: Neo English Chatbot for Adult ESL Beginners

Neo English is a mobile app linked to the ESL Video platform that helps adult ESL beginners practice English independently through a simple, supportive AI chatbot. This poster highlights how instructors at San Diego College of Continuing Education use Neo English to build confidence in essential real-life communication—such as making a doctor’s appointment—through bilingual scaffolds, pronunciation cues, and low-pressure practice. The project demonstrates how responsible AI use can expand equitable access to language learning for immigrant and refugee adults with limited digital literacy, without replacing human instruction.

  • Presenters: 
    • Ivonne Aguila Achard, ESL Instructor, San Diego College of Continuing Education
    • Isabel Cortes, ESL Instructor, San Diego College of Continuing Education

Leveraging Lessons learned from Data Science Collaboration for AI Curriculum

California has developed a coordinated, intersegmental approach to Data Science education across community colleges, CSUs, and research universities. This shared foundation—built through the California Alliance for Data Science Education and California Learning Lab partnerships—provides a roadmap for expanding into AI education. Key practices include co-created open curriculum aligned with transfer pathways, professional development networks that prepare instructors statewide, and shared cloud platforms that lower technical barriers. This poster highlights how extending these proven frameworks can scale equitable AI teaching and build a statewide ecosystem for inclusive AI literacy and workforce readiness.

  • Presenter: Eric Van Dusen, Lecturer/Tech & Outreach Lead, UC Berkeley

3:20 - 3:30 p.m.

Stretch and transition break

Please assemble in the Guggenheim Theatre.

3:30 - 4:40 p.m.

Plenary Panel (Guggenheim Theatre)

Industry Insights – AI Impact Across Sectors

AI is transforming the way California industries work, hire, and innovate. Is the future California workforce prepared? This panel brings together faculty with leaders from technology, defense, and the entertainment industry to reveal how AI is reshaping industry in real time in our state. Panelists will share real-world applications, ethical considerations, and opportunities for collaboration with higher education to prepare students for success in an AI-driven economy.

  • Moderator: Dave Meader, Clinical Scholar, San Diego State University
  • Panelists:
    • Vib Altekar, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer, Saronic
    • Ali Arsanjani, Senior Director of Applied AI Engineering & Head of AI Center of Excellence, Google
    • Danielle Van Lier, Founder Van Lier Entertainment and Technology Law, former negotiator for SAG-AFTRA
    • Alvin Henry, Chair & Professor of Asian American Studies, San Diego State University

4:40 - 4:50 p.m.

Emcee Closing Remarks (Guggenheim Theatre)

4:50 - 6:00 p.m.

Reception (Forum)

Reflect and network with your colleagues over small bites and a complimentary beverage (cash bar also available).

  • Remarks by:
    • Adela de la Torre, President, San Diego State University
    • Gregory Smith, Chancellor, San Diego Community College District