Faculty Technology Day

Discernment is a fundamental and distinguishing element of Jesuit education, rooted in the Spiritual Exercises and integral to Ignatian Pedagogy. It is a holistic, ongoing process of spiritual and intellectual reflection that guides individuals and institutions like Fordham in making choices that contribute to the well-being of the human community, and helps us form “men and women for others.” The process involves not only intellectual analysis but also engaging the heart, carefully reflecting on motives and values, and considering the impact of decisions.

With that in mind, as we find ourselves in the age of AI, what happens if we confront the concerns and the opportunities of AI with that Ignatian tradition of discernment?

Through this perspective, we are called neither to uncritically embrace nor reflexively reject AI, but to thoughtfully evaluate – with heart and mind – how these tools might serve our commitment to human dignity and the common good. Ignatian discernment invites us to consider: 

• How can AI enhance rather than replace the transformative human relationships at the heart of education?
• How might these technologies help us better fulfill our mission of cura personalis – caring for the whole person – while remaining vigilant against their potential to reduce human complexity to algorithms?

The Jesuit tradition of finding meaning in all aspects of our experience challenges us to discern value even in these new technologies while maintaining critical awareness of how they shape our communities and institutions.

Faculty Technology Day 2025 invites our community to explore these questions together through engaging discussions with a diverse array of thought leaders and educators. We hope you’ll join us in this important conversation.

Associate Vice President of Educational Technologies and Research Computing Fleurin Eshghi

Dr. Fleurin Eshghi, Associate Vice President for Educational Technologies and Research Computing, opened the day by emphasizing the importance of embracing artificial intelligence as a means to enhance creativity and pedagogy in higher education. She encouraged faculty to view AI not as a threat, but as a tool to reimagine teaching and learning, aligning with Fordham's mission to foster ethical and inclusive education. Dr. Eshghi highlighted the university's commitment to supporting faculty in navigating the evolving educational landscape shaped by AI.

Vice President and CIO Anand Padmanabhan

Anand Padmanabhan, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, shared remarks highlighting the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in higher education. He emphasized the importance of embracing AI to enhance teaching and learning, aligning with Fordham's mission to foster ethical and inclusive education. Padmanabhan underscored the university's commitment to supporting faculty as they navigate the evolving educational landscape shaped by AI.

University President Tania Tetlow

In her remarks at Faculty Technology Day 2025, President Tania Tetlow commended Fordham faculty for their proactive engagement with the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence in education. She emphasized the importance of embracing this pivotal moment in humanity's history, highlighting the university community's commitment to thoughtful inquiry and innovation. President Tetlow's message underscored the significance of faculty collaboration in navigating the evolving educational landscape shaped by AI.

University Provost Dennis Jacobs

Provost Dennis C. Jacobs highlights the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in higher education. He encourages faculty to embrace AI as a tool to enrich teaching and learning, aligning with Fordham’s Jesuit mission to promote ethical and inclusive education. His remarks underscore the importance of adapting to technological change to prepare students for an evolving academic and professional world.

Dr. Robert Parmach, Director of Ignatian Missian Initiatives

To open Faculty Technology Day 2025, Rob Parmach, Director of Ignatian Mission Initiatives, sets the tone by exploring the Jesuit concept of discernment—a timely and essential theme as we navigate the promise and complexity of artificial intelligence in education. In this thought-provoking session, Rob invites us to consider how reflective decision-making, rooted in our values, can guide how we approach emerging technologies in teaching and learning. His insights provide a meaningful foundation for a day centered on curiosity, ethics, and innovation.

This year’s keynote is Visions of a Revolution: Futures for Academia and AI presented by Bryan Alexander, Ph.D..  Dr. Alexander is an award–winning, internationally known futurist, researcher, writer, speaker, consultant, and Georgetown educator, working in the field of higher education’s future. Author of Universities on Fire (2023) and Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education (2022), as well as the creator of The Future of Higher Education Observatory. (Full bio) 

In this keynote address, Dr. Alexander asks:  What is AI doing to higher education, and how are academics responding?

This session offers several possible futures for academic AI, grounded in the present. We begin by noting the differences between generative AI and other technologies in the education space, then set the stage by exploring several macro-level trends and possibilities: the fragility of AI; the open source world; impacts on the labor market; the geopolitical dimension. Next, we survey leading trends in college and university engagement, from operational use to teaching and research. We conclude by offering several scenarios for higher education in the medium-term future, based on how AI develops and what actions we take.

Eugeniu Grigorescu
Assistant Director of Online Learning, Graduate School of Education

Robert Parmach, Ph.D.
Director of Ignatian Mission, Fordham University

Veronica Szczygiel, Ph.D
Director of Online Learning, Graduate School of Education

This session leverages Blackboard’s AI Conversation bot as a pedagogical tool to foster deep learning and student engagement through the Ignatian paradigm. We demonstrate how faculty can integrate this bot to facilitate Socratic dialogue, encourage critical thinking, and provide personalized feedback. Grounded in the Jesuit principles of magis and cura personalis, this holistic approach supports both rigorous intellectual inquiry and individualized student engagement. The bot asks thought-provoking questions, challenges students’ assumptions, and guides them toward deeper understanding. We then exhibit our Ignatian pedagogy module, providing faculty with ready-to-use resources that can be seamlessly integrated into their courses.

Slides

Kristen Treglia
Senior Instructional Technologist for Educational Technologies, Fordham University
Author of The EdTech Bible

Explore the evolving landscape of the digital age and what it means for higher education. This session examines the intersection of access, equity, and empowerment through the lens of digital fluency, citizenship, and identity. We’ll reflect on generational shifts, the changing structure of knowledge, and strategies for supporting learners in a tech-driven world. Walk away with tools to assess digital readiness, foster responsible tech use, and guide students in curating their professional online presence—all essential for navigating today’s cognitive age.

Resources

Su-Je Cho, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of the Division of Curriculum & Teaching, Graduate School of Education, Fordham University

Artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies are reshaping how educators across disciplines engage with students, track learning progress, and manage classroom dynamics. This session explores AI-powered tools and data-driven platforms that support educators in analyzing and responding to student behavior and engagement. Using a course on Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) as an example, we will examine the practical applications of AI in teaching, research, and student support. Ethical considerations will also be discussed, including AI bias and responsible implementation. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to integrate AI into their disciplines.

Jude Jones, Ph.D. 
Associate Professor of Philosophy at Fordham University and Special Advisor to the Provost For Teaching and Learning, Fordham University

This presentation will argue that the ethical issues we as faculty see in our students' encounter with AI can only be addressed at a level much more fundamental than the functional questions of how to prevent cheating and how to protect students' cognitive skills from erosion. How to use AI with creativity and integrity is secondary to the question of how to be a thinker with creative and authentic objectives at all. Ignatian Discernment unfolds a pedagogy of self-awareness that is alert to the energies inside each of us that move us to cheat or create, and this talk will explore what this needs to mean to the academic culture at Fordham from the first day students set foot on campus, and on all days of our lives as faculty.

This session was recorded and is currently under review. The video will be posted here as soon as it’s ready. Thank you for your patience!

Skylar Brown
New York Pianist, Professor, & Doctoral Student, Liberty University
www.soarwithsky.com

What are your attitudes on generative (G) artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education? AI shall be defined in this session as the application of machine learning in digital client-host communications to replicate human intelligence, while GAI shall be defined in this session as the application of large language models (LLMs) – learning models trained on a wide array of data – in AI to replicate human speech patterns and logic processes. This session's presentation will include Fordham student and faculty attitudes toward and familiarity on generative AI tools in higher education, in addition to solutions to encourage critical thinking among students.

Dr. Lisa Clark
Associate Vice President of Academic Transformation, Anthology

This session will focus on how Blackboard's AI Design Assistant can streamline faculty workload, enabling instructors to focus more on the aspects of teaching that matter most. We'll explore practical applications that save time and discuss the thoughtful integration of AI in teaching environments, including ethical considerations. The presenters will also share insights into Anthology's ongoing user experience improvements and how faculty feedback helps shape future developments in Blackboard to better support teaching and learning outcomes.

Marc Herzog
IT Security Engineer, Fordham University

In the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, email remains a critical communication tool for university faculty, yet it's also a prime target for increasingly sophisticated threats. This session, "Email Security in the Age of AI: Cultivating Discernment," will equip faculty with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complex world of email security in an era influenced by AI. We will explore how AI is being leveraged by both attackers and defenders, from AI-powered phishing campaigns to AI-driven security tools. This presentation aims to empower faculty to discern malicious emails, understand the evolving threat landscape, and adopt best practices to protect themselves, their research, and the university's sensitive information. By fostering a culture of vigilance and informed decision-making, we can collectively strengthen our defenses against email-borne threats in this age of intelligent automation.

Kenneth N. Rashbaum, Esq
Adjunct Professor at Fordham’s School of Law, Fordham University

Private (contractual) governance forms the foundation of a successful strategic partnership between AI provider and healthcare customer, in the absence of settled regulatory, statutory or case law. This session will explore how private governance can lead to a sustainable relationship between AI provider and customer through provider-customer conversations about the intended use of the model in the customer’s business environment before the agreement is drafted, and  preparation and negotiation of an agreement tailored to the uses of the model in the customer’s environment.

This session was not recorded.  The presenter has shared these resources:  slides and article

Mike Magilligan
Business Reference Librarian at Quinn Library, Fordham University

Grace Noone (Philips)
Science and Technology Librarian at Walsh Library, Fordham University

Educational materials can enhance student learning, but often faculty refrain from assigning content that may be prohibitively expensive. Open educational resources (OERs) are educational materials that can be freely available to the public to reuse, revise, remix, retain, and redistribute in the classroom. There are many OERs available--which one is right for you? Fordham University librarians, Grace Noone and Mike Magilligan, will share insights on how to find OERs, how to evaluate OERs, and how OERs may be adapted for use with your students.

Fleurin Eshghi
Associate Vice President for Educational Technology & Research Computing, Fordham University

Discover key insights from the AI Faculty Interest Group, a collaboration between faculty and the Educational Technologies team. This session will highlight results from our recent survey on AI applications in education, explore emerging trends, and share how faculty across disciplines are using generative AI in teaching, learning, and research. Join us to learn about current practices, common concerns, and opportunities for experimentation, dialogue, and innovation with AI at Fordham.

Faculty AI Survey Report (login with your Fordham credentials to view)

Jordan Burkland
Instructional Designer for Gabelli Learn, Fordham University

Kristen Treglia
Senior Instructional Technologist for Educational Technology, Fordham University

Chris Vicari
​​Educational Technologist for Communication & Media Studies, Fordham University

Take your teaching to the next level with gamification! This hands-on session is a follow-up to our April workshop on gamified learning. We'll give a brief recap, but watching the recording in advance is helpful. Explore game elements like rewards, challenges, and competition to boost student engagement and motivation. You’ll work with digital tools and design activities that foster collaboration, participation, and fun. Walk away with practical strategies to gamify your course and create a more immersive learning experience.

This session was not recorded. The presenters have shared:

• slidedeck
• resources
• cards used during session
• recording of previous workshop on Gamification:
  

Shawn Hill
Instructional Technologist for Educational Technologies, Fordham University

Perusall is a social annotation tool that Fordham faculty can use to center student engagement in your course content. In Perusall, students can annotate course readings, images, videos, podcasts, and more. Instructors can see student progress, add comments, questions, or corrections, and know who has done the reading before class starts - all within our Blackboard environment. In addition, Perusall also offers a number of AI-resistant features that encourage students to write authentic comments and employ their own critical thinking skills.

Learn more about Perusall and how this social annotation can enhance your student’s engagement while discouraging the use of AI.

Kristen Treglia
Senior Instructional Technologist for Educational Technology, Fordham University

Marcos Carrasco
Technical Analyst and Manager, Fordham University

Join us for a fast-paced, high-energy session where faculty compete and collaborate through tech-themed games and AI-powered conversations. Play your way through the Wheel of EdTech Fortune and One Word Only: Password – EdTech Edition, then shift gears for Swipe, Match, Learn: Faculty AI Speed Dating. You'll engage in quick-fire chats to share tools and ideas, explore innovative uses of AI, and spark new connections. Expect laughs, learning, and a fresh take on educational technology through hands-on play and discussion.

This session was not recorded. The presenters have shared these resources.