National AI Literacy Day

AI Literacy Conference 2025
Presenter Schedule

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Roundtable

Game-based Learning for Individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: Results of a Systematic Literature Review

This systematic literature review was conducted to identify how Game-Based Learning could assist students with ADHD, and whether or not training working memory capacity in these students could result in increased academic outcomes. There were four associated research questions posed according to this topic. The author found 743 results after conducting the initial search and identified several trends in the literature reviewed. The presentation will outline the current results of the literature review.

Presentor: Roth Kyle

Co-Author: Roth Kyle

Designing Instructional Ecosystems for Responsible GenAI Integration: Principles from a Foundational Programming Course

The rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools and code assistants has reshaped how students engage with programming tasks in higher education. Although students widely use GenAI for concept explanation, code generation, and productivity enhancement, research highlights limited pedagogically grounded frameworks to guide integration into foundational programming courses. Without structured design, novice learners risk superficial engagement and reduced conceptual depth. Reviews of GenAI use in computing further emphasize the need for instructional approaches that foreground reflection, human-in-the-loop decision making, and intentional task structures.

Presentor: Rui Huang

Co-Author: Rui Huang

The Grand Glitch Hotel: Designing and Prototyping a Digital Learning Game for Artificial Intelligence Literacy

Rapid AI integration has widened an AI literacy gap among college graduates. The U.S. Department of Education (2023) emphasizes that responsible AI use depends on understanding AI tools’ capabilities and limitations. The Microsoft AI in Education Report (2025) shows that 54% of educators and 76% of leaders view AI literacy as essential and recommends immersive activities to build technical and human-centered AI skills. Game-based learning can support motivation and engagement through goals and immediate feedback (Plass et al., 2015).

Presentor: Deniz Ercan

Co-Author: Deniz Ercan, Salah Esmaeiligoujar, Ran Gao

So You Want to Build a Large Language Model–Now What?

Large Language Models (LLMs) have gained notoriety in recent years, and they hold promise in educational contexts for enhancing the workforce, scaling evidence-based interventions, and optimizing student learning. Specialized models can be developed to measure a multitude of constructs relevant in education, including the implementation of effective instructional practices and acquisition of student knowledge and skills.

Presentor: Crystal Bishop

Co-Author: Darbianne Shannon, Jinnie Shin, Tara Mathien

Generative Artificial Intelligence in doctoral studies: Use and Concerns

The ubiquity of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) poses both new opportunities and ethical concerns for academic research and doctoral education. We will discuss findings from a survey of doctoral students in education (n=64) in December 2025-January 2026 about their current use of generative AI (GenAI) for academic purposes, their concerns about GenAI integration in their studies and research, and the support they need when using GenAI. Implications for doctoral student AI literacy will be discussed.

Presentor: Swapna Kumar

Co-Author: Kara Dawson, Albert Ritzhaupt, Angela Kohnen

AI and Faculty Perspectives: UX Personas to Inform Faculty Development

AI Across the Curriculum at University of Florida requires AI integration by faculty who teach in diverse contexts. Understanding the user experience of instructors as they decide how to operationalize AI in their courses is a prerequisite for designing meaningful support in the form of faculty development.

Presentor: Margeaux Johnson

Co-Author: Margeaux Johnson, Pasha Antonenko

Where Is Learner Support in Microcredentials? Bridging Learner-Centered Intent and Institutional Capacity

Microcredentials are widely promoted around core values of flexibility, accessibility, and learner-centeredness (Reed, 2023). Yet, existing research has largely focused on what microcredentials are and what they signify, rather than how they are institutionally enacted and supported in practice in the pursuit of such values. This gap is particularly striking given that microcredentials frequently target nontraditional learners (Alenezi et al., 2024) who often navigate complex educational, professional, and personal constraints. Sustained, structured institutional support is vital for these learners’ persistence and success (Olcott, 2022), yet little is known about the precise support structures in place, their consistency of implementation, or how they differ across institutions and initiatives (Lokey‑Vega et al., 2024).
Presentor: Soomin Lee

Co-Author: Deligent Bobie-Ansah

AI-Supported Forums and the Paradox of Social Presence: A Mixed-Methods Study Using the CoI Framework

This study investigates how AI-supported discussion platforms influence students’ participation and social presence in asynchronous online learning. Guided by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, we compared an AI-mediated discussion platform featuring automated AI feedback with a traditional learning management system (LMS) forum. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, we analyzed discussion behaviors and students’ reflective responses. Quantitative analyses examined post frequency, post length, and coded social presence indicators across weekly discussions, using generalized estimating equations to account for repeated measures. Qualitative analyses explored students’ perceptions of their interaction experiences.

Presentor:Soomin Lee

Designing for Shared Agency in AI-Enabled Mathematics Exit Ticket Generation

As generative AI becomes integrated into instructional workflows, AI literacy for educators requires understanding not only what these systems can produce, but how they should be positioned within pedagogically sensitive decisions. We examine this question in the context of formative assessment design, where efficiency must be balanced with teacher agency. We conducted a mixed-methods study with K–12 mathematics teachers, including a pre-survey, interaction with a functional prototype, and follow-up interviews. Teachers reported spending substantial time designing or adapting assessment items, with particular challenges related to differentiation and anticipating misconceptions.

Presentor: Seiyon Lee

Co-Authors: Hongming Li, Xintian Gao, Natalia Martin, Avery Closser, Anthony Botelho

Integrating Hardware-based Edge Intelligence into STEM Classroom

While generative AI dominates the discussion of AI integration into the classroom, many educators hold partial viewpoints of AI, often narrowing down AI with Large Language Models. This round table explores a qualitative study of 19 STEM teachers who engaged with Edge Intelligence to challenge these narrow conceptions.

Presentor: Clelia Perez-Medina

Co-Authors: Woorin Hwang / Maryam Babaee / Yessy Ambarwati

From Assessment to Action: How the UFLI Portal Turns Spelling Data Into Targeted Student Support

For educators using UFLI Foundations, an explicit and systematic phonics program, weekly progress monitoring and targeted small group instruction are essential components of implementing the program with fidelity. Each week, students complete a spelling assessment aligned to newly taught grapheme-phoneme correspondences and previously introduced concepts. These assessment results are intended to inform differentiated small-group instruction the following week. In practice, however, translating student assessment information into differentiated small groups and targeted lesson plans is a significant burden that many teachers struggle to sustain.

Presentor: Valentina Contesse

Co-Authors: Holly Lane, Vivek Ramakrishnan, Matthew Burns

Poster Presentations/Demo Sessions

March 26

Gaze-Driven Games to Support Selective Attention and Inhibitory Control in Children with ADHD

Demo

Presenter: Pasha Antonenko

From Chocolate-Covered Broccoli to Spinach Smoothies: Designing Educational Games that Meaningfully Integrate Learning Experiences

Demo

Educational games often promise engaging learning but risk falling into the “chocolate-covered broccoli” phenomenon, where superficial game elements mask traditional instruction without meaningfully enhancing learning. This talk introduces an alternative design philosophy, transforming educational games into “spinach smoothies,” where learning content is naturally blended into gameplay mechanics.

Presenter: Daryn Dever

Evaluating Accessibility with POUR

Demo

Originally developed as a way of organizing their Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR) principles have since been used to evaluate not just webpages, but also software applications and educational materials. Perceivable evaluates how well the content works in ways recognizable by the user.

Presenter: Andrew Bemmett
Co-Authors: Andrew Bennett, Dwi Maharrani, Nykema Lindsey, Maya Israel

Gaze-Driven Games to Support Selective Attention and Inhibitory Control in Children with ADHD

Demo

Presenter: Pasha Antonenko

From Chocolate-Covered Broccoli to Spinach Smoothies: Designing Educational Games that Meaningfully Integrate Learning Experiences

Demo

Educational games often promise engaging learning but risk falling into the “chocolate-covered broccoli” phenomenon, where superficial game elements mask traditional instruction without meaningfully enhancing learning. This talk introduces an alternative design philosophy, transforming educational games into “spinach smoothies,” where learning content is naturally blended into gameplay mechanics.

Presenter: Daryn Dever

Evaluating Accessibility with POUR

Demo

Originally developed as a way of organizing their Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR) principles have since been used to evaluate not just webpages, but also software applications and educational materials. Perceivable evaluates how well the content works in ways recognizable by the user.

Presenter: Andrew Bemmett
Co-Authors: Andrew Bennett, Dwi Maharrani, Nykema Lindsey, Maya Israel

Closing the Career Prep Gap: How WiNG.it Prepares Students for Behavioral Interviews

Demo

WiNG.it is an innovative, AI-enabled career readiness tool built at the University of Florida, that is designed to empower students across all stages of their education, whether it’s students applying to universities or college students entering the workforce. The platform addresses the critical challenges faced by job seekers today, including limited access to high-quality interview practice, lack of personalized performance feedback, and the difficulty finding jobs aligned with their skills and goals.

Presenter: Clarissa Cheung
Co-Authors: Clarissa Cheung, Rachel Pu, Amanpreet Kapoor

Investigating the Development of Integer Representations in Adolescence through Shared Research Infrastructure in Authentic Classrooms

Poster

Mathematics achievement predicts long-term educational and economic outcomes, yet many students struggle with core secondary concepts despite widespread access to educational technology. Negative numbers are foundational for algebra, but students often rely on rule-based procedures that treat sign and magnitude separately rather than as integrated quantities

Presenter:Nicholas Vest
Co-Authors: Nicholas Vest, Marc Colomer Canyelles, Avery Closser

Digital Badge of Honor: How Microcredentials Function in the Workplace

Poster

This study reports findings from a systematic review of 25 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2025 examining microcredentials in workplace contexts. The review
synthesizes fragmented evidence on how microcredentials function specifically within organizational systems, including professional development, workforce advancement, and performance-related outcomes.
Presenter: Deligent Bobie-Ansah
Co-Authors: Deligent Bobie-Ansah, Rob Moore

Virtual Reality for Ecological Studies for Middle School Students: A Design Case

Poster

Middle school students typically learn about the environment through textbooks and lectures rather than firsthand experience, making it difficult to visualize ecosystems and understand ecological interdependence. Field visits to environments like wetlands pose safety risks due to dangerous wildlife such as snakes and alligators.

Presenter: Kyle Roth
Co-Authors: Kyle Roth, Deligent Bobie-Ansah

Developing Accessibility Competence Self-Assessment for Computer Science Teachers (ACCESS) Instrument

Poster

We are developing a self-assessment survey instrument for K-12 computer science (CS) teachers to assess their knowledge of accessibility. This instrument is designed to provide a practical, research-based tool to help improve the accessibility of K-12 CS instruction by identifying teachers’ baseline accessibility knowledge.

Presenter: Dwi Maharrani
Co-Authors: Andrew Bennett, Nykema Lyndsey, Maya Israel

From Perceptions to Competence: A Learner Profile Analysis of K–12 Teachers’ AI Literacy

Poster

The widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in K-12 education highlights the need for psychometrically-tested measures of teachers’ AI literacy. Existing work has primarily relied on either self-report (SR) or objective-based (OB) assessments, with few studies aligning the two within a shared framework to compare perceived versus demonstrated competencies or examine how prior AI literacy experience shapes this relationship.

Presenter: Shan Zhang
Co-Authors: Shan Zhang, Ruiwei Xiao, Anthony Botelho, John Stamper, Ken Koedinger, Maya Israel

GPS-based spatial mobility as a marker for youth mental health

Poster

This study examines how adolescents’ daily spatial mobility relates to emotional well-being using smartphone-based passive sensing data.

Presenter: XiaoyangJin
Co-Authors: XiaoyangJin

Understanding the Role of Generative AI in Developing Computational Thinking in K–12: A Scoping Review

Poster

The rapid rise of GenAI is changing the way CT is taught and assessed, which creates new ways of supporting students’ reasoning, debugging, and creative design, while at the same time, causing concerns about equity and responsible use. This systematic scoping review maps empirical studies that bridges GenAI, CT, and K-12 classrooms from 2022-2025.

Presenter: Maryam Babaee
Co-Authors: Pavlo D Antonenko, Maya Israel

Automated generation and scoring of Maze Reading Comprehension Assessments

Poster

Maze assessments are reading comprehension tests that ask students to delete words from a passage and replace them with three choices. They are widely used for evaluating reading outcomes in elementary school. However, standardized maze assessments are costly to develop.

Presenter: Hatice Kubra Karakis
Co-Authors: Xinyi Tai, Walter Leite

March 27

Storiza: An AI-assisted platform for improving the reading fluency and comprehension of K5 children

Demo

Storiza is a reading app that uses the innate creativity of elementary school children to facilitate reading by enabling students to create and illustrate their own stories. The app allows children to write story themes from their own interests and cultural backgrounds It uses generative AI to create and illustrate stories that matches the student’s interests and is aligned with the scope and sequence of UFLI Phonics program.

Presenter: Walter Leite

Elementary AI Unplugged

Demo

As Artificial Intelligence becomes a foundational literacy, elementary educators face the dual challenge of teaching complex concepts without overwhelming students or relying solely on devices. This presentation introduces a suite of “unplugged” lessons specifically designed to ground K–5 learners in the AI4K12 5 Big Ideas: Perception, Representation and Reasoning, Learning, Natural Interaction, and Societal Impact.

Presenter: Alexis Cobo
Co-Authors: Alexis Cobo, Meize Guo, Nykema Lindsey

Reading for Resiliency: Using AI and Human-Centered Design to Embed Resiliency Education in a Reading Curriculum

Demo

Resiliency instruction significantly impacts student development, classroom climate, and academic outcomes. Additionally, resiliency has been found to help teachers manage classrooms more effectively. Despite these benefits, resiliency implementation faces several barriers. Teachers frequently express that they cannot find the time or resources to add another element to their teaching. One promising approach is embedding resiliency instruction into core academic content.

Presenter: Mariana Rebello
Co-Authors: Mariana G. Rebello, Megan R. Worth, Cathy M. Corbin, Joni Williams Splett

Preparing Preservice Teachers to Teach AI Literacy: From Learner to Teacher

Demo

This work describes our “observe-practice-reflect” approach to preparing preservice teachers to teach fundamental computational thinking (CT) and artificial intelligence (AI) concepts through a structured unplugged activity. First, we modeled instruction by demonstrating how to teach CT and AI concepts using a specially designed unplugged lesson. After the demonstration, preservice teachers developed their 5E lesson plans and practiced teaching CT and AI concepts in an informal after-school STEM club at local elementary schools.

Presenter: Meize Guo
Co-Authors: Meize Guo, Ali Rinehart, Gayle Evans

The AHA Project: Introducing AI and Microelectronics for Social Good

Demo

Emerging AI technologies are reshaping K–12 classrooms, yet many activities in the classroom remain using cloud-based tools and chatbots rather than hands-on experiences. This demonstration introduces the AHA! (AI Hardware Adventures) boards integrating computer science, computer engineering, and artificial intelligence through edge computing on a portable microcontroller as a learning material developed at the University of Florida.

Presenter: Maryam Babaee
Co-Authors: Woorin Hwang, Clelia Perez Medina, Yessy Eka Ambarwati

CHECKPOINT: An AI-Assisted Platform for Misconception-Targeted K-12 Assessment

Demo

We developed CHECKPOINT, a web-based assessment platform designed to help educators create diagnostic assessments grounded in research on common student misconceptions. The platform leverages large language models to generate questions where each item and its distractors are tied to specific, documented error patterns in student thinking. Rather than automating the process entirely,

Presenter: Hongming (Chip) Li
Co-Authors: Hongming (Chip) Li, Seiyon Lee, Natalia Martín, Xintian Gao, Shan Zhang, Anthony Botelho

Artificial Intelligence Replacement Dysfunction (AIRD): A Call to Action for Mental Health Professionals

Poster

Artificial intelligence replacement dysfunction (AIRD) is a new, proposed clinical construct describing the psychological and existential distress that could be experienced by individuals facing the threat or reality of job displacement due to artificial intelligence (AI).

Presenter: Stephanie McNamara
Co-Authors: Stephanie McNamara

Automated Assessment of Oral Reading Fluency of Early Readers

Poster

This project aims to develop an automated assessment of oral reading fluency for children who are learning to read. These children include those with dyslexia, other disabilities that impact reading development, or children without disabilities.

Presenter: Krishna Niveditha Sudeep Kumar
Co-Authors: Jaiden C Magnan

Causal Moderation Analysis for Evaluating LLM-Generated Decodable Text in Early Reading

Poster

Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) have enabled automated generation of curriculum-aligned texts to support early reading instruction, especially decodable stories targeting specific phonics skills and student-selected topics.

Presenter: Shen Qian
Co-Authors: Qian Shen, Walter Leite, Wonchae Lee, Sierra Evans, Sienna Perez, Wei Li, Jinnie Shin

Exploring Situational Interest in Microelectronics and EDGE AI among Middle Schoolers in a Museum Program

Poster

The increasing significance of AI in education has notably encouraged educators’ and learners’ interest in this transformative technology. However, both learners and educators experience AI mostly as a software application, typically in the form of a chatbot.

Presenter: Yessy Eka Ambarwati
Co-Authors: Yessy Eka Ambarwati, Woorin Hwang, Talar Terzian, Clelia Perez-Medina, Anany Sharma, Lauren Eutsler, PhD., Megan Barnes, Swarup Bhunia, PhD., Baibhab Chatterjee, PhD., Nicole Dominguez, Dillon Donnihue, Andrea Ramirez-Salgado, PhD., Pavlo “Pasha” Antonenko, PhD.

Human Story, Machine Scaffold: Building Inclusive Educational Futures Through AI Autoethnography

Poster

This project is an AI-assisted autoethnography that documents the creation of a personal academic avatar while critically examining the process of narrating self through artificial intelligence. Drawing on autobiographical writing, iterative prompting, and reflexive analytic memos, the study traces how identity, memory, voice, and ethics are negotiated across stacked AI systems.

Presenter: Gabriel Costa
Co-Authors: Gabriel Costa

Learning Responsible AI Use through Experiential Model Manipulation with Google Teachable Machine

Poster

College students increasingly rely on artificial intelligence tools for academic tasks, yet many lack a concrete understanding of how these systems function, fail, and should be used responsibly (Long & Magerko, 2020). This disconnect between routine use and informed judgment limits the development of meaningful AI literacy. Additionally, responsible AI use requires recognizing model limitations, identifying spurious patterns, and anticipating potential harms in real-world deployment.

Presenter: Salah Esmaeiligoujar
Co-Authors: Deniz Erjan, Ran Gao

AI-astronauts – An Adventure Game for AI Literacy Development

Poster

As artificial intelligence increasingly shapes social, economic, and educational systems, higher education faces an urgent need to make comprehensive AI literacy among college students (Shi et al., 2025). Although students frequently interact with AI tools, their understanding often remains procedural rather than critical, ethical, and reflective.

Presenter: Ran Gao
Co-Authors: Deniz Ercan, Salah Esmaeiligoujar

Ethics in AI Education: A Systematic Review of Interventions and Frameworks

Poster

Educational researchers agree about the need to integrate ethics into research on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED). This systematic review examined interventions and frameworks from relevant studies published between 2021 and May 2025 (n = 53).

Presenter: Loraine Cisternas
Co-Authors: Clelia Perez-Medina

Generative AI in EFL Teacher Professional Practice: A Systematic Review of Research (2023-2026)

Poster

Since Chat GPT was released in 2022, generative AI applications are quickly changing the pedagogical landscape for English as foreign language (EFL) teachers. While the initial wave of research primarily highlights technological affordances in supporting lesson planning, feedback, and material development, few studies focus on how generative AI influences teachers’ professional identities, agency, and decision-making practices.

Presenter: Jamie Dale
Co-Authors: Bekti Febriarti

Developing AI Fluency: Moving Beyond Learning About or With AI

Poster

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into education, much of the conversation on AI literacy centers on two approaches: learning about AI or learning with AI. However, findings from a large-scale longitudinal study of online project-based learning suggest a more integrated pathway. Students were not merely consumers of AI tools. They designed and built AI-driven educational solutions as part of their course projects.

Presenter: Chaohua Ou
Co-Authors: Deniz Ercan, Salah Esmaeiligoujar

Generative AI Scaffolding for K-12 Inquiry-Based STEM Learning Across Levels: Evidence from Causal Inference

Poster

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is widely recognized for fostering student agency and deep conceptual understanding in STEM education.

Presenter: Xintian Gao
Co-Authors:Qian Shen, Walter Leite, Avery Closser

Beyond the Blackbox of AI: Shifting High Schoolers’ AI Conceptions through Edge Intelligence

Poster

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in everyday systems, it is essential for students to understand AI as practical, system-level implementations—not merely algorithms. However, most K–12 programs emphasize computational thinking and software-based AI, with limited attention to hardware-embedded applications.

Presenter: Woorin Hwang
Co-Authors: Woorin Hwang, Clelia Perez Medina, Yessy Eka Ambarwati, Maryam Babaee