Active Learning, Authentic Assessment: Engaging Students Through Collaboration
In-Person
Abstract
Collaborative learning strategies offer dynamic ways to engage students in critical thinking, analysis, and application of knowledge. This interactive session will explore innovative assessment methods that enhance student participation and deepen understanding. Participants will learn strategies for designing field-based simulations, station rotations, Socratic seminars, reading circles for textbook-based learning, and novel-based case study discussions. This session is ideal for instructors seeking to integrate active learning and authentic assessment into their teaching. Participants will leave with concrete strategies to foster deeper student engagement, collaboration, and meaningful learning assessment.
Presenters
Summer Gunn
Prof Practice Asst Professor
Summer is a Professional Practice Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling at Utah State University. She is primarily responsible for supervising and instructing pre-service teachers seeking a license in early childhood special education. She has extensive experience in course design and community-engaged learning activities.
Stephen Kwiatek
Assistant Professor
Stephen's primary research goal is to prepare students with disabilities for more equitable post-school lives. To address this aim, Stephen's research encompasses three interrelated, albeit distinct, strands: (a) general education involvement in college and career readiness efforts, (b) identification and implementation of evidence-based practices and predictors of postschool success, and (c) interagency collaboration.
Julianne Hunter
Graduate Research Assistant
Julianne Hunter is a veteran special education teacher with 25 years of both classroom- and district-level experience in urban and rural settings across north Georgia. She also has six years of experience as an early intervention specialist, supporting infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities and their families. Currently, Julianne is a second-year doctoral student in the Disability Disciplines Program at Utah State University. Her research centers on improving post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, with particular emphasis on individuals with intellectual disabilities. Her scholarly interests encompass three interrelated strands: (a) promoting interagency collaboration, (b) leveraging rural resources, and (c) fostering self-determination.