Lead Presenter/Facilitator: Kevin Schut, Program Lead, Game Development; Professor, Media + Communication, Trinity Western University
Additional Presenters: Scott Macklin, Associate Vice President, Trinity Western University Online; Colin Madland, Director, Technology Integrated Learning and Assessment, Trinity Western University; Barish Golland, Senior Learning Technology Specialist, Trinity Western University; Stuart Schellenberg, Chief Information Officer, Trinity Western University
Date/Time: Thursday, June 12, 2025 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: Most faculty are wrestling (or will be forced to wrestle) with the impact of generative AI on our students and their learning processes. What academics seem to be talking about a lot less is the impact of AI on the work of university administrators, faculty, and staff. Are we called to resist this new technology in every way possible or can we use it responsibly and helpfully? If we do use it, what kind of guidelines should we follow? Is it okay for ChatGPT to write up a report for us? What about synthesizing a large quantity of data? Can we submit research articles partially or wholly written by an AI technology? What about using it to grade student work? This session will give an overview of the state of AI technology with a careful look at what it is capable of in regards to activities university administrators and faculty might regularly do. We will discuss the potential of AI and the pitfalls and risks surrounding it, and then discuss principles that might guide our usage of these technologies with careful looks at specific use cases (like the ones just mentioned) in order to craft some pragmatic and faithful approaches to the use of AI.
Kevin Schut (PhD, University of Iowa) is a Game Studies scholar. He is a graduate of Calvin College (Grand Rapids, MI; BA in Communication Arts & Sciences, History, 1996) and the University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA; MA & PhD in Communication Studies, 2004). He wrote the book Of Games & God: A Christian Exploration of Video Games (2013). He writes about the intersection of communication, culture, media, technology and faith, primarily by talking about computer and video games. He has published articles or chapters on fantasy-role-playing computer games and masculinity, on computer games and myth, on the presentation of history in computer games, and on evangelicals and games. He is currently researching moral and ethical decisions in video games. Kevin served as the Chair of the Department of Media + Communication, and he is the Lead for the Game Development program he founded in June 2019. He has also served as Associate Dean of the School of the Arts, Media + Culture. He teaches a range of courses on media and culture. Kevin grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, and still cheers for the Oilers. After graduating from Calvin College, he married and taught overseas in schools for missionary kids in the Cote d’Ivoire and Hungary for three and a half years. He has three daughters who love playing board games, adventure games, Mario Kart, and Vive Virtual Reality with him. His favorite game series is Sid Meier’s Civilization. Connect with Kevin here.
Scott Macklin (PhD, Nelson Mandela University) holds a MPhilF in Philosophical Aesthetics from the Institute for Christian Studies and a BA degree in Communication from Vanguard University (Summa Cum Laude). Scott creates stories using deep media and can usually be found looking for an espresso. He is an award-winning author, interactive designer and documentary filmmaker. His work focuses on developing narrative-based learning systems and comprehensive strategies to improve education and the ways we can reach and engage our students and constituents. His teaching and scholarship focus on developing critical career connected pathways. Central to his work is the notion of storytelling where stories are forged in the process of deep hanging out; where a story is made in collaboration with a community of practice, where one engages in the act of making the story “with” people from a particular community not just “about” them. Scott served as a Committee Member on the City of Seattle’s Music and Art Commission Community and Youth Development Commission, as the curator of TEDx Seattle, and on the advisory board of Seattle Interactive. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Institute of Christian Studies. Connect with Scott here.
Colin Madland is the Director of Technology Integrated Learning and Assessment at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC, Canada. He supports faculty and learners in using technology to make sense of the world around them. His professional work is currently focused on increasing access to higher education through asynchronous course designs that prioritize flexibility and opportunities for community and connection. He is researching the technology-integrated assessment framework that he and his committee proposed in his dissertation work. Colin has taught courses at the undergraduate and graduate level in technology-integrated learning, and transformational blended learning. Connect with Colin here.
Barish Golland has over 25 years of experience in learning, technology and change management, and holds a Masters in Ed Tech, PROSCI Change Practitioner and AI Cloud Strategy certification. He is the Change Management Lead for UBC IT Capital and Operational projects, as well as the Senior Learning Technology Specialist for Trinity Western University. Barish has expertise in technology training and group facilitation techniques known as Liberating Structures. Barish is in higher education Generative AI committees and is focusing on launching Microsoft 365 Copilot training in organizational contexts. He is passionate about enabling and including all voices in collective sense-making and positively moving forward with innovative solutions to face complex, multi-faceted challenges. Connect with Barish here.
Stuart Schellenberg based in Abbotsford, BC, Canada, is currently the Chief Information Officer at Trinity Western University. Stuart Schellenberg brings experience from previous roles at Trinity Western University, such as Executive Director of Information Technology and Manager of Software Development. Stuart Schellenberg holds a 2021 – 2023 Executive MBA from Trinity Western University, and has a robust skill set that includes IT Strategy, Leadership, Information Technology, Web Development, Team Leadership and more. Connect with Stuart here.
Registration Fee: $45.00