TASTE OF TECHNOLOGY
March 20 , 2025 | 09:00 AM - 02:45 PM
FREE VIRTUAL EVENT
Organized by the University of Louisville (UofL) Digital Transformation Center
Hear from industry leaders at Google, LinkedIn, and Microsoft as they share insights on leveraging technology to develop critical skills that drive success in today’s competitive workforce. Plus, gain valuable perspectives from experts at the Delphi Center, Speed School of Engineering, Office of Undergraduate Education, and the College of Business on how technology and education intersect to empower future professionals. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore innovative approaches to infusing the 10 CPE Essential Skills into learning and career readiness!
🌟 REGISTRATION OPEN! 🌟
🎤 THIS EVENT IS ABOUT.. 📱
Virtual Event on Microsoft Teams
Morning Sessions
- 09: 00 - 09:10 AM : Sherry Duffy, MS HRE, Introduction from the Digital Transformation Center
- 09:10 - 09:30 AM: Beth Willey, Ph.D. - Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
- 09:30 - 10:0 AM: Adrian Lauf, Ph.D. and Andrew Wright, Ph.D.- Speed School of Engineering and College of Business
- 10:00- 10:20 AM: Break
- 10:20 - 11:00 AM: Christopher Mende, Google
- 11:00 - 11:30 AM: Melissa Cline-Douthitt, M.A., Instructional Designer Senior, The Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning
- 11:30 - 11:40 AM: Morning wrap up & next steps
Afternoon Sessions
- 12:30 - 01:30 PM: Samantha Hansen, LinkedIn Learning
- 01:30 - 02:30 PM: Lincoln Hughes, Microsoft
- 02:30 - 02:45 PM: Afternoon Wrap Up
FULL PROGRAM OF THE EVENT
Introduction from the Digital Transformation Center
09:00 - 09:10 AM
Moderator: Sherry Duffy
Director of Learning for the University of Louisville (UofL) Digital Transformation Center (DTC), Sherry has the opportunity to drive digital transformation and empower faculty, staff, students, and community through technology up-skilling and re-skilling. It is her passion to facilitate the integration of micro-credentials into academic courses, as well as develop professional trainings and workshops using industry-leading vendor materials. She is committed to promoting digital literacy and achieving digital equity!
What are the 10 Essential Skills as Outlined by the CPE?
09:10 - 09:30 AM
Speaker: Ann Elizabeth Willey
She received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Theory from Northwestern University(1993). Her research interests include contemporary African literature and film, and questions of gender, genre and nationalism/globalization. She has co-edited an essay collection about Tsitsi Dangarembga and has published in journals such as Mosaic, Research in African Literatures, and The French Review.
Her research explores a range of fields, including Sub-Saharan African Literature, in French and English, Indigenous language literatures in translation; postcolonial theory; African film and popular culture studies; postcolonial interventions in theories of modernity and the nation, especially as inflected by gender. From 2019-2020, she served as the President of the African Literature Association. She currently serves as the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.
Collaborate and work in teams in the Digital World
09:30 - 10:00 AM
Speaker: Adrian Lauf
Dr. Lauf is an associate professor in the Computer Science & Engineering department at the University of Louisville’s J. B. Speed School of Engineering. He is a core faculty member at the Louisville Automation and Robotics Research Institute (LARRI) as a part of the Autonomous Intelligent Mobile Systems (AIMS) lab. Dr. Lauf’s research expertise is in cooperative autonomous aerial robotics, which has the goal of enabling swarms of autonomous UAVs to accomplish objectives in a cooperative and collaborative manner. These robot swarms use multi-domain mesh networking, decentralized decision-making, and node clustering to improve communication efficiency. Dr. Lauf also has research interests in cyber and network security, with research efforts in embedded and IoT security, as well as several projects in cybersecurity workforce development.
Speaker: Andrew Wright
Dr. Wright serves as assistant professor and chair of the Information Systems, Analytics, & Operations department in the College of Business at the University of Louisville. He joined the faculty in 1994 and has previously served as the university's Director of Academic Technology and was a founding member and Director of Learning Initiatives for the university's Digital Transformation Center. He teaches courses in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and software development and has helped lead grants from the National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, Department of Defense, and Department of Labor, among others.
Google: Leveraging Cloud Capabilities to Tackle Government, Education. and Citizen Challenges
10:20 - 11:00 AM
Speaker: Christopher Mende
He leads a team of public sector technologists across the central US. He actively engages with state and local organizations, guiding them on their journey to the Cloud and AI.
As a facilitator within the Google Cloud Innovation Labs team, Christopher employs a customer-centric methodology to help bring innovative concepts to life. Combining cutting-edge Google technologies with an organization’s mission, he drives meaningful advancements.
An advocate for the responsible use of AI, he serves as a Google Principles Pioneer, whose responsibility is to ensure products are free of bias. He has served on several governmental AI advisory teams, including Wisconsin’s Legislative Council AI Study Committee to help enable a prosperous and thriving future for all.
Digital Fluency: Elevating Communication Skills for the Modern Workplace
11:00 - 11:30 AM
Speaker: Melissa Cline-Douthitt
She is a senior instructional designer at the Delphi Center, where she collaborates with faculty to create engaging and effective learning experiences that support student success. With a background in career services, she is deeply committed to ensuring course design aligns with evolving workforce expectations and the needs of the employer community.
In addition to her role at the Delphi Center, Melissa teaches online English composition courses at Jefferson Community and Technical College, helping students develop strong writing and critical thinking abilities. She is also passionate about emerging technologies, including Generative AI (GEN-AI), and actively explores ways to integrate these tools into instructional design to enhance engagement and academic achievement.
This session will provide practical examples and applications of how the Delphi Center, through faculty consultations, programming, and course development support, is assisting educators in aligning their teaching with the essential competencies identified by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE). Special emphasis will be placed on workplace-relevant digital literacy and assignments that foster effective communication skills, ensuring students are prepared to convey ideas clearly and professionally in a variety of formats.
LinkedIn Learning: AI Tools & Developing the 10 Essential Skills
12:30 - 01:30 PM
Speaker: Samantha Hansen
She is a senior customer success manager at LinkedIn who is dedicated to empowering educational institutions with innovative learning solutions. With extensive LinkedIn Learning experience and a deep understanding of professional development, Samantha has been pivotal in helping universities leverage LinkedIn Learning to enhance essential skills among faculty, staff, and students.
Join Samantha in this upcoming workshop to explore how LinkedIn Learning can support your university's mission by equipping you and your community with the skills necessary to excel in today's ever-evolving educational landscape.
Microsoft: Democratizing AI with Microsoft Copilot
01:30 - 02:30 PM
Speaker: Lincoln Hughes
He is a Modern Workplace Specialist at Microsoft. He focuses on helping education and health organizations understand and implement impactful technologies that align with their priorities.
Join Lincoln as he discusses how his work often intersects digital transformation, addressing areas like communication, collaboration, employee experiences, and how AI influences all of those things.
RECORDINGS
Credits:
Empowering Future Graduates