The 2024 FYEE Conference is excited to welcome the following two Keynote Speakers
Dr. Michael Sweet
Position: Director, Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning through Research (CATLR)
Affiliation: Northeastern University
Keynote Title:
What do we teach next? Helping students learn for the age of AI
The seismic shifts that generative AI will bring to our society—and higher education specifically—have only begun. From the outset, Northeastern University has leaned into the reality that AI is here to stay and that we should be encouraging our faculty and students to learn about and use it. Where will the changes driven by AI take us? No one can say for sure. What we can do is stay discussion with one another about what we want to students to learn as they (1) engage with AI around our content, (2) analyze what it produces, and (3) communicate what they have learned. In this keynote discussion, we will share lessons, insights, and questions as we confront together the challenges that AI presents to us all.
Keynote Date/Time: Monday July 29th, 2024 at breakfast
Dr. Michael Sweet leads a team that seeks to inspire, equip, and connect educators of all kinds across Northeastern University’s 14 campuses as Director of NU’s Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning through Research (CATLR).
Michael has led educational development efforts since 1995 at the University of Oregon, Portland Community College, and the University of Texas Austin—he has been at Northeastern University since 2013. With a Ph.D. in educational psychology, his professional and scholarly focus has remained on student learning processes in groups, especially Team-Based Learning.
Dr. Sweet publishes and presents nationally and internationally on team-based learning and critical thinking and served as the 2009-2010 President and 2014-2016 Executive Editor of Publications for the international Team-Based Learning Collaborative. The online resources he developed to support team-based learning and critical thinking instruction and have achieved international adoption.
Ernst Vanbergeijk, Ph.D., M.S.W
Positions: Senior Director of Local Educational Agencies, Elwyn President and Founder Ernst Equitable Education Services
Affiliation: Ernst Equitable Education Services
Keynote Title:
Navigating Neurodiversity in Engineering
As educators in the postsecondary environment, we often are faced with students with invisible disabilities. Some are undiagnosed. Others suffer from “short bus fatigue” and refuse to identify as a person with a disability. Consequently, they do not register with the office of disabilities and do not receive reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We witness their struggles firsthand, and frequently see these students spiral into a crisis at their first semester’s midterms and finals. The focus of this talk is what is neurodiversity? What can we do as educators to address the deficits these students possess? What can we alter in the classroom and in cooperative learning to embrace universal design concepts thereby creating equal access for all students. A neurodiversity mindset celebrates the strengths these students bring to the classroom and the world of work. Topics covered will include types of invisible disabilities in the classroom, commonalities across these disabilities, the medical model of disability versus a neurodiversity model, prevalence of the most common disorders, outcomes for this population, examples of neurodivergent thinkers, and creating opportunities for growth using empirically based interventions in and out of the classroom for all students.
Keynote Date/Time: Monday July 29th, 2024 at 6:30pm
Dr. VanBergeijk has 35 years’ experience in the special education and social service fields. As a social worker, he has conducted special education evaluations, designed individualized education programs, crafted behavioral treatment plans, and provided counseling, advocacy, and crisis intervention for students. He also has developed and implemented parent training curricula. Dr. VanBergeijk has conducted NIH funded research on the impact Asperger Syndrome has on family functioning while working as a research associate at the Yale Child Study Center in the Autism Clinic. His current research and practice interests are in the area of transitioning higher functioning individuals on the autism spectrum to postsecondary educational settings, independent living, and the world of work. For over a decade he served as the Associate Dean and Executive Director of New York Institute of Technology Vocational Independence Program. Following his tenure at NYIT, Dr. VanBergeijk was a Professor and Director of Lesley University Threshold Program which is the nation’s oldest comprehensive transition program for students with a variety of disabilities. Dr. VanBergeijk is also a field editor for the Encyclopedia of Autism and a peer reviewer for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders among other publications. Currently, he is Senior Director of Local Educational Agencies for Elwyn the nations oldest and largest social services agency, and the founder and president of Ernst Equitable Education Solutions, a consulting firm which specializes in helping individuals, families, and organizations to maximize the independence and employability of individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD). He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in social work from Columbia University, and a Master of Social Work and bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan.