This mini online course is proposed as a summer school option for incoming 9th graders, allowing them to complete a semester of the yearlong 9th Grade English/English 1A/1B sequence. Covering the 1A (Semester 1) portion, the course mirrors the rigor, experiences, and demonstrations of learning found in the in-person setting throughout the school year. It provides online flexibility and accessibility, enabling students, including those traveling outside Hawaiʻi or Oʻahu, to engage asynchronously while maintaining meaningful interaction. All students are equipped with one-to-one learning devices and must have internet access to enroll in the asynchronous course.

Guided by the essential question, “Who am I?”, students explore their identity through reading, writing, discussion, and reflection, engaging with texts that function as mirrors, windows, and sliding doors.

Mirrors: Students see themselves and their experiences reflected in the texts.

Windows: Students gain new perspectives by observing unfamiliar situations, plots, characters, and themes.

Sliding Doors: Students apply their new understandings to “step into” the story and analytical approach, navigating new scenarios.

Leveraging a design-thinking process that incorporates empathy interviews and learner feedback, the course fosters meaningful peer interactions as students explore identity through mirrors, windows, and sliding doors. Facilitated through the Canvas learning management system and enhanced by educational technology tools such as Pear Deck, Padlet, Canva, Google Suite, and Nearpod, students navigate self-driven competencies, collaborative work, and deep reflection within the asynchronous environment. Using multimedia elements and interactive educational technology tools can enhance engagement and support in deepening online learning environments (Lierman & Santiago, 2019).

Purpose: This course is designed for rising 9th-grade students to take during the summer before entering high school. The asynchronous format is crafted to match the rigor and challenge of the semester-long in-person course offered during the academic year. It serves both students seeking enrichment and those pursuing credit recovery. A central tenet of the course is relational connection in an online environment (Ong & Quek, 2023), equipping students to engage meaningfully with challenging literature centered on the theme of identity. The instructional framework includes mirrors, windows, and sliding doors (Bishop, 1990); the TEA writing structure; 6 + 1 Traits of Writing; UH Quality Online Standards; and a suite of educational technology tools.

Students are familiar with using AI tools, but most don’t understand how to use it for critical thinking and learning instead of shortcuts (cheating). “Research suggests that AI literacy is becoming an essential 21st-century skill, requiring students to understand both the benefits and limitations of AI technologies” (Long & Magerko, 2020). Without clear instructions, students may use AI tools incorrectly, and result in failure to adapt critical thinking skills. AI is increasing the importance of digital skills, and the ability to use, analyze and interpret data. According to the “Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development” (2026), investing in skills is critical to ensuring AI supports productivity and growth.

My course addresses the need for AI literacy, problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking, and ethical technology use in school and work. My guideline is to help learners apply AI use effectively in real-world settings. “Keeping track of how these skill demands evolve will be crucial for shaping education, training and skills policies, and for ensuring that workers are equipped to use AI confidently and responsibly at work” (OECD, 2026). Learners need to learn how to use it as a learning lesson to improve areas they need help on such as brainstorming, writing, and research skills.

This mini online professional development course is designed to support local freelance musicians on Oʻahu who lack access to structured, community-based continuing education opportunities. Another critical need is the opportunity to “be trained to function effectively in a continuously changing professional practice” (Smilde, 2012). Hawaiʻi’s dynamic economy and reliance on tourism directly affect the availability of venues and compensation for musicians, making adaptability essential. Furthermore, continuing professional development has been shown to increase musicians’ motivation and job satisfaction (Musicians’ Union, 2023). Given that many professional musicians work as freelance practitioners, there is a clear need for greater support systems and opportunities for community building.  Through guided reflection, skill-building activities, and networking discussions, this course helps musicians strengthen their technical expertise, professional confidence, and long-term career stability. 

The development of this mini online course is grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogy and inclusive design frameworks. The course was developed using the ADDIE instructional design model as its structural framework, with learning objectives and activities aligned to Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy.  The course integrates structured peer support within the learning community as a form of social relationship in solidarity. Learners engage in collaborative dialogue and feedback processes that foster an intellectually safe space for reflection, accountability, and confidence-building. This approach emphasizes relationship-centered learning, shared responsibility, and community validation of knowledge. The course is also informed by the Principles of Universal Design.  By prioritizing learner choice, autonomy, and authenticity, the design encourages participants to build from their individual strengths and interests. Together, these frameworks shape a development process that centers cultural responsiveness, inclusive access, meaningful engagement, and learner agency.

The course is designed to introduce young adults ages 18–21 to the foundational concepts of physical fitness, exercise safety, and healthy lifestyle practices. The course was developed to address the increasing concern of physical inactivity among college students and to provide learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop lifelong healthy behaviors. Research indicates that many college students fail to meet recommended levels of physical activity, which can contribute to long-term health risks such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions (Peterson et al., 2018; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Providing structured fitness education during early adulthood can help students establish habits that improve both physical health and overall well-being (World Health Organization, 2020). The purpose of this project was to design an engaging and accessible online course that encourages students to explore their personal fitness levels and apply health concepts to real-life situations. The course is organized into five instructional modules covering the foundations of fitness, the components of physical fitness, exercise safety and techniques, nutrition and healthy lifestyles, and the development of a personal fitness plan. Each module includes interactive activities such as discussions, quizzes, reflection journals, case studies, and peer review assignments to support student engagement and knowledge application. These learning activities align with recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine (2022), which emphasize the importance of educating individuals about exercise principles, fitness assessment, and safe physical activity practices.

This presentation shares the design and development of a five-module asynchronous undergraduate course, Gender Issues in Education, created within an instructional design framework that prioritizes belonging and scaffolded intellectual risk-taking. The course addresses politically sensitive topics—including Title IX, anti-oppressive education, queer theory, and transformative pedagogy—while intentionally supporting non-traditional and working students through structured pacing, low-stakes writing, and community-centered interaction. Drawing on empathy mapping, learner analysis, and interviews with program graduates (Mortensen, 2020; Smith & Ragan, 2005), the design centers students whose educational trajectories are shaped by work, caregiving, and disrupted pathways.

Digital tools (Brightspace, Nearpod, Padlet, NotebookLM, collaborative artifacts) are integrated not for novelty, but for pedagogical purposes, recognizing that “technology is a tool, not a panacea” (UNESCO, 2024, p. vii) and that context-driven solutions do not need to be technologically maximal to be impactful. The course is structured around four commitments: moʻolelo as epistemological entry, writing as scaffolded resistance, belonging as instructional architecture, and AI as guided agency. Grounded in Hawaiian scholarship on relational and genealogical knowledge (Lipe, Oliveira, & Wright, 2015), students enter complex topics through identity, place, and lived experience. Writing unfolds as a protected process culminating in public argumentation, reflecting Kumashiro’s (2002) insistence that education must resist reproducing dominant frameworks of “learning well.” Belonging is structurally embedded across academic, dialogic, and place-based dimensions, informed by a Belonging-Centered Model for Distance Education (Ghersi, 2025) that is attentive to non-traditional learners’ realities. AI is integrated within instructor-guided spaces that preserve student agency and critical engagement. While EDUCAUSE (2025) reflects the sector-wide momentum and institutional framing of AI adoption in higher education, Hallström (2022) offers a needed counterpoint by cautioning against technological over-determinism and the erosion of human control in design. This course positions AI as a bounded research companion—not an author—so that technology supports learning without driving it.

This project models how asynchronous learning can be rigorous, relational, and equity-centered through intentional instructional architecture.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly scaffolding K-12 classrooms, currently transforming from content delivery to content development, tailoring learning experiences through deep learning within the Adaptation Model (Abyaa et al., 2019) built upon learner sources. To ensure experiential learning effectiveness of Paradigm 3: AI-empowered learner-as-leader applications (Ouyang & Jiao, 2021), it is required that AI literacy is evidenced through learner reflections, learner AI prompting, and iterative learner-centered, self-directed, source-driven content development (Wang & Lester, 2023)  measured through Bloom’s Assessment Taxonomy. The main goal of Bridging Inquiry and Action with Google NotebookLM, a source-based GenerativeAI tool, is to connect personalized analysis as the brain-computer interface of deep AI learning and meaningful human interactions in real-time. This simulation-based social cognitive experiential learning, prepares teachers for real-world application in K-12 classrooms.

UNIV 240: Your Academic Journey” is writing-intensive (WI) course designed for exploratory undergraduate students at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa facing “major paralysis” and academic anxiety. The project utilizes a rigorous, empathy-driven process, incorporating observational data, student feedback, and learner personas, to minimize cognitive load and ensure an accessible experience adhering to UH Quality Online Standards. By bridging the gap between uncertainty and intentional planning, the curriculum empowers students to build a personalized life plan, research career pathways, and cultivate a growth mindset.

To scaffold the rigorous WI requirements, the course integrates Khanmigo, an AI-powered Socratic writing coach. This tool helps students move away from relying on AI to direct them to seeing AI as a collaborator to support learning and take agency, moving from Paradigm Two (AI-supported) to Paradigm Three (AI-empowered). To further reject a “one-size-fits-all” approach, students select their own virtual reality internships through Forage, addressing the specific psychological and academic roadblocks unique to each learner. To support holistic success, the structure emphasizes accountability through mandatory 1:1 consultations and creation of an ePortfolio. Ultimately, this project transforms the exploratory experience into an evidence-based journey toward long-term academic and career success.

Chicken Jockey Scribe Racing & Other Scholastic Sports of the Quillverse presents the first major creative work and video game published by Cody Lestelle since completing an M.A. thesis in Political Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Futures Studies program — Cultivating LAG-Free Economics & World(s) Peace through AI-Assisted Games and Sports: An Indigenous Futurisms Approach to Abolishing Lust, Anger, and Greed (LAG) from War (Lestelle, 2023).

Developed during the Citizens Assemble! game jam organized by One World or None with the Global Game Jam, the project began as an experiment in civic worldbuilding and evolved through integration with Brian Foo’s Citizen DJ (Library of Congress) to become a comprehensive framework for interactive visionary fiction. The resulting CJSR engine transforms writing, music sampling, and mythmaking into scholastic sports where learners become worldbuilders, remixers, and cosmic citizens

Set within the Quillverse — an educational and mythopoetic cosmos stretching from the Hawaiian Kingdom to the Saraswati Supercluster — Chicken Jockey Scribe Racing models a new paradigm for AI-assisted creativity and planetary pedagogy. Students collaborate as cryptoface correspondents, lorekeepers, and dream cartographers, mapping mortal and interstellar relations through narrative play.

By fusing Indigenous futurisms, open-source design, and public archives, this talk invites educators to explore how network sovereignty and AI as creative ally can help cultivate empathy, collaboration, and world peace — one story, one sport, and one shared dream at a time.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is integral to student development, encompassing skills such as self-awareness, empathy, and emotional regulation. With the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) in educational contexts, tools like ChatGPT present new opportunities for supporting these competencies. This paper investigates the potential of ChatGPT to function as an SEL resource for MA students. Through a qualitative case reflection involving 10 classmates, participants engaged with ChatGPT using SEL-focused prompts and provided detailed reflections on their experiences. Findings indicate that ChatGPT can serve as an accessible, non-judgmental tool for initial emotional reflection, stress management, and perspective-taking. However, significant limitations were noted, including impersonal responses, a lack of deep contextual understanding, and the risk of fostering over-reliance on AI for emotional needs. The study concludes that while ChatGPT can act as a supplementary tool for SEL, it must be integrated with caution and within a broader ecosystem of human support. Recommendations are provided for educators, students, and AI developers to leverage such technology responsibly while safeguarding the irreplaceable value of human connection in emotional learning.

AI-Agnostic Assessment in Teacher Education: Digital Makerspace on Substitute Teaching