Sessions – Online Teaching Conference
2026
June 23-25, 2026
Anaheim, CA
Sessions
Here is the OTC’26 list of sessions! Please note that this list will continue to be added to as acceptances are confirmed with the presenters. Check back soon and often for updates!
Opening Remarks: Wednesday, June 24
SONYA CHRISTIAN
, California Community Colleges Chancellor
California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian
will provide opening remarks at the 2026 Online Teaching Conference. Chancellor Christian is scheduled to offer system wide insights on the future of online learning and student success, setting the tone for an inspiring conference experience!
General Session:
Wednesday June 24
FLOWER DARBY
Joyful Online Teaching: Find Your Fizz to Boost Learning and Success
Let’s face it. Teaching these days is tough. We’re exhausted, burned out, and frustrated by societal challenges like politics and AI. Yet our work is important, meaningful, and worthwhile. We’re changing lives and helping dreams come true. The best way to meet the threat posed by AI to meaningful learning is to center the people in our classes — both ourselves and our students — and focus on fostering collective well-being. Based on Flower’s new book,
The Joyful Online Teacher: Finding Our Fizz in Asynchronous Classes
, this talk will help us see how to promote flourishing and rediscover the joy inherent in transformational teaching and learning.
Craig Hayward
General Session:
Thursday June 25
From Classroom to Career: Mobilizing a Human-First AI Ecosystem
Facilitated by
Vice Chancellor CRAIG HAYWARD
The intersection of online education and the modern workforce is being redefined by the paradox of artificial intelligence; it is both a challenge to traditional modes of ensuring academic integrity and a massive opportunity for equity and economic mobility. In this final session, system leaders pull back the curtain on the Vision 2030 workplans to explore the California Community Colleges’ ground game for 2.2 million students and 90,000 committed professionals. Facilitated by Vice Chancellor
Craig Hayward
, the panel, including Vice Chancellors
Tony Cordova
Siria Martinez
and
James Todd
, will move beyond theory into the lived r
ealities
of implementation.
The panelists will share key accomplishments from the past year while addressing a vital question: How do we ensure AI projects deliver on the promise of student success without compromising educational depth? We will explore how the system is leveraging partnerships with Google, IBM, Coursera, Microsoft and others to build high-demand skills, while simultaneously evaluating whether our implementations are fostering human agency or creating new digital divides. Join us for a grounded yet hopeful look at how the California community colleges are navigating the technical and ethical details to ensure AI remains a human-centered force for good in California.
Conference Sessions
Your Students, Your Canvas, Your Data
Gregory
Beyrer
Staying Human While Using GenAI in Discussion Forums
Larry
Burns
Artificial Intelligence TA
Alicia
Cardenas
Human vs. Machine? Three Tutoring Coordinators on the Future of Tutoring in the Age of AI
Angela
Cardinale
Oh Joy: Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) Mentorship Program
Christopher
Collins
Federal Policy Update for Digital Learning in Higher Education
Cheryl
Dowd
Engage Like a YouTuber: Transforming Online Teaching with Video
Peter
Esperanza, PhD
Testing AI Prompts Before Students Do: A Practical Framework
Julie
Gamberg
Designing Human-Centered Writing Courses in an AI World
Mario
Garcia
Bridge the Gap Between AI Efficiency and Student Engagement with WeVideo
Stephanie
Gates
Zero Textbook Cost Pathways in the California Community Colleges: Preliminary Outcomes and Next Steps
James
Glapa-Grossklag
Designing for Antiracist Teaching: Opportunities and Challenges Revising a Fully Asynchronous Course
James
Glapa-Grossklag
Growing our online student support ecosystems through innovation and collaboration
Ingrid
Greenberg
Does online live instruction guarantee RSI? Recommendations for the AI era
Ingrid
Greenberg
Humanizing AI: Navigating 10 Ethical Pillars for Student Success
Alison
Gurganus
Implementing UDL with Generative AI: Practical Prompts for Inclusive, Learner-Centered Design
Amanda
Hardman
Focusing on the process: Long-form OER assessments using Forge
Sarah
Harmon
Awakening Superpowers: Human-Centered AI for Teaching, Learning, and Access
Scotty
James
From Compliance to Learning: Rebuilding SLO Evidence in an AI Era
Scotty
James
Teaching with AI: Lessons Learned, Missteps Made, and What’s Next
Norma
Jones
OER from Every Seat: A Roundtable on AI, ZTC, and Institutional Adoption
Norma
Jones
Extreme Makeover: Online Education Edition
Jim
Julius
Harnessing AI in Higher Education: Human-Centered Implementation, Ethics, and Impact
Hovannes
Kulhandjian
The Evolution of Accessible Digital Math
Stephen
Marositz
Statistics Gymnastics: Healing the Math Wound Through Movement, Story, and Digital Innovation
Jaimes
McNeal
From Control to Purpose: Designing Learning for Integrity in the Age of AI
Kas
Metzler
Enhancing Equitable Learning: The Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) Program at the Beach
Angel
Pablico-Kobayashi
Human First, AI Second: Designing Ethical, Engaging Online Learning Without Losing the Teacher Voice
Tonekia
Phairr
Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Pedagogy – Solutions to the Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI) Challenge
Michelle
Pilati
Building Structure, Shaping Vision: Creating Framework for Student Success in Online Higher Education
Laura
Rantala
Transforming an RSI Review into Equity-Centered Practice: An RSI Rubric + PD Course for Scalable Faculty Support
Emma
Rogers
Student and Faculty Sentiments and Usages of AI in California and Nationally
Julia
Seaman
Title: “Canvas + AI: Designing Courses for Access, Creativity, and Connection”
Samantha
St. Claire
Design Once, Benefit All: Building Flexible Access into Online Learning with UDL
Amanda
Taintor
Beyond Compliance: A Faculty-Driven Approach to RSI Success
Amanda
Taintor
When Technology Becomes a Barrier: Rethinking Digital Equity
Janet
Williams
Rethinking an Assignment for the Age of AI
Eric
Wilson
From Docs to Discovery: Leveraging Google Workspace, Gemini, and NotebookLM for Educational Excellence
Eric
Wilson
STAC Speed Sessions: Problem, Solution, Outcome
Kevin
Wutke
Faculty Professional Development: Collaborative System Initiatives for Supporting Teaching, Learning, and Innovation
James
Todd
Online Teaching Conference 2026
TechConnect projects, (TechConnect Cloud, TechConnect Zoom, TechConnect Online Teaching Conference), serve the 116 California Community Colleges, are funded by a grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, and are hosted at Palomar College | 1140 West Mission Road, San Marcos, CA 92069 | support@ccctechconnect.org
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