ICON Day 2026 will spotlight practical ways to spark participation and deepen learning. Sessions will showcase technology tools, in ICON and beyond, that make active learning easier to design and run. Leave with templates, demos, and ideas you can apply in your next class. Please register by Monday, Nov. 2, if you would like to attend ICON Day 2026.
8:30 a.m. - Grand Ballroom in the Hilton Garden Inn opens
9 a.m. - Welcome from Mark McDermott, associate dean of the College of Education
9:15 a.m. - Presentation of CAFÉ Baristas and 2026 ICON All Star Awards
9:30 a.m. - Choosing Active Learning Strategies to Support Deeper Student Thinking from Claire Howell Major, PhD, a professor of Higher Education at The University of Alabama. Her keynote will highlight how active learning is an instructional approach proven to support student engagement and learning outcomes across disciplines. Drawing on research about learning and cognitive load, participants will consider practical, adaptable techniques that promote deeper student thinking across a variety of instructional contexts.
10:45 a.m. - Break
11 a.m. - Lightning Talks
TILE Classroom from Allie Brandriet, Center for Teaching, Drew Riggs, OTLT
Top Hat from Patrick Johanns, associate professor of instruction, Business Analytics
TILE Classroom from Alison Bianchi, associate professor, Sociology and Criminology
Top Hat from Andrea Short, assistant professor of instruction, Health, Sport, and Human Physiology
11:45 a.m. - Lunch provided in the Vue in the Hilton Garden Inn
1 p.m. - Workshops. Attend one of two workshops:
Designing for Thinking: Deciding When AI Might Support Learning and When It Doesn’t from Claire Howell Major: Generative AI has made it possible for students to produce fluent, polished work with minimal apparent effort. In response, instructors are asking how to stop AI use, or alternatively, how to integrate it responsibly. Participants will learn about actionable strategies for deciding when AI is appropriate for learning and integrating teaching principles, strategies, and techniques that encourage deep thinking and learning.
Student Voices on Engagement: A Panel Discussion: Curious what students really think about engagement? In this interactive panel discussion, students will share their experiences with classroom activities, technology, communication, and learning strategies that help them stay involved and succeed. Bring your questions and leave with ideas informed by student voices.
1:50 p.m. - Break
2 p.m. - Workshops. Attend one of two workshops:
Cultivating Student Buy-In for Active Learning, Center for Teaching: Active learning strategies can promote deeper engagement with course content and support the long-term transfer of knowledge. Yet students do not always recognize the value of these activities or understand their role in the learning process. In this workshop, participants will explore strategies for helping students see the value of active learning, navigate productive discomfort, and take greater responsibility for their own learning.
How I Taught This, Brandon Waltz and Top Hat: Brandon Waltz, assistant professor of instruction at the University of Iowa walks through actionable strategies for extending student engagement before, during, and after class using interactive course materials and platform tools using his Diversity of Form and Function course as a real-world case study. This co-presented session explores how Waltz uses Top Hat across the lecture and lab components to keep students connected throughout the learning cycle. A key part of his approach is a custom lab manual he built and published directly on Top Hat — giving students an interactive, discipline-specific resource instead of a static handout. The session covers how he structures in-class content to keep lecture and lab engagement connected and how he publishes material on the platform to offer flexibility in updating and adapting content across terms.
The Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology provides expertise, tools, and services to optimize teaching and learning through learning sciences research, ICON, teaching and learning data, and advanced classroom and instructional technology. To learn more about the services we offer, please visit our website at teach.its.uiowa.edu.