Faculty Presentations

Over the past few months, NCE faculty have shared their expertise at conferences and events across local, national, and international stages. The following presentations highlight their contributions to advancing research, fostering collaboration, and shaping conversations in education.

At the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) in Chicago, Professor Eun Kyung Ko and Associate Professor Xiaoning Chen shared two research studies advancing ethical, equitable, and culturally responsive science and STEAM teacher education:

• Professor Eun Kyung Ko - "Ethical and Equitable AI Integration in Science Teacher Education: A Cross-National Comparative Study between the United States and South Korea,” 
• Professor Eun Kyung Ko and Associate Professor Xiaoning Chen - "Enhancing Culturally and Linguistically Responsive STEAM Instruction: In-Service Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices with Multilingual Learners.” 

Associate Professor Ruth Quiroa presented “Building Bridges to Address Differences and Divides Through the Utilization of Immigration Literature“ at the Literacy Research Association 75th Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV.

At the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) Convention in San Antonio, TX, Associate Professor Angela Elkordy presented her scholarship on integrating AI thoughtfully and equitably in higher education. Her sessions included:

• “Seeing Thinking with AI: Making Cognition Visible”
• "Rethinking Reflection: AI for Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning,” a
• "Who Gets to Think with AI: Higher Ed’s Role in Cognitive Justice.”

NCE faculty presented at the Critical Questions in Education (CQiE) Conference, hosted by the Academy for Educational Studies in San Diego, CA.

• Associate Professor Sadia Warsi - “Supporting Muslim Students with Autism: What Educators Need to Know About Faith and Family” and “Preparing Teachers for the Intersection: Integrating Case Studies of Refugee Students with Disabilities into Special Education Teacher Preparation.”
• Professor Antonina Lukenchuk - “On the Politics of Violence: An Untold Story about Ukrainian Refugees.”

NCE faculty presented last month at IDEAcon 2026, hosted by the Illinois Digital Educators Alliance. Presentations included:

• Associate Professor Donna Wakefield - “Getting Smart with AI: A Practical Guide to Prompting and Teaching Responsibly”
• Professor Angela Elkordy - “Co-Creating with AI: Reimagining Instructional Practice through the SCALE Framework”; “What You Don't Know Could Hurt Your Community: Critical AI Literacy for Education Leaders”; “Seeing Thinking with AI: Making Cognition Visible”
• Professor Angela Elkordy and Doug van Dyke, with NCE doctoral students - “Transforming Teaching with Generative AI: Educator Stories from an Innovative Doctoral Course”

NCE faculty shared their expertise with more than 1,100 educators at the Lake County Regional Office of Education’s third annual FeBRRuary Institute Day. Presentations included:

• Professor Geri Chesner - “Developing Children’s Critical Visual Literacy Using Picturebooks”
• Associate Professor Renee Gugel - “What Teacher Leaders Want You to Know About Professional Development”
• Associate Professor Donna Wakefield - “AI and UDL in Practice: Tools for Access, Engagement, and Support” and “AI for Educators: Supporting Productivity Without Losing Professional Judgment”

Associate Professor Gloria McDaniel-Hall presented “Opening Hearts and Minds: The Critical Importance of Belonging.” at the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education (AILACTE)’ 2026 National Conference in New Orleans.

Professor Eun Kyung Ko, Associate Professor Xiaoning Chen, and Secondary Education student Winifred Waters co-presented "Justice-Oriented STEAM: Empowering Multilingual Learners with ESEM Framework" at the Annual Convention of Illinois Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages - Bilingual Education (ITBE) in Lisle, IL.

Assistant Professor Molly Buren and doctoral student Bari Fleischer presented “Creating Connection: Multi-Modal Pathways for Inclusive Learning,” at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Annual Convention in Salt Lake City, UT.

Associate Professor Renee Gugel and Professor Geri Chesner accompanied Teacher Leadership Master’s students to present their research projects at the Illinois Teacher Leadership Summit 2026 in Bloomington-Normal, IL. Students also participated in state-level policy meetings focused on teacher leadership advocacy.

While on sabbatical, Associate Professor Colleen Hamilton was invited to present her talk, “Regards croisés sur la scolarisation des élèves plurilingues: Évolutions des dispositifs américains [Perspectives on schooling for Multilingual Learners: Evolution of program models in the United States]" to the DILTEC Research Group at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris.

Associate Professor Angela Elkordy co-presented "Co-creating with AI: Augmenting, Enhancing, and Elevating Instructional Design" at the GenAI Summit 2026 at Eastern Michigan University.

NCE faculty presented at the The 57th Annual Illinois Reading Council (IRC) Conference in Springfield, IL. 

Presentations included: 

• Associate Professor Tracee Farmer - "Boosting Comprehension Through Fluency"
• Professor Kristin Lems - "Multimodality, Multiliteracy, and Multilingualism - Oh My! How They Intertwine"
• Professor Sophie Degener and Associate Professor Hannah Graham - "Recycled Wisdom, Renewed Urgency: Tracing the Evolution of Literacy Discourse Through 15 Years of Reading Leadership Institute Presentations"