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1 | Full name | School | Topic | Content of the presentation | Speaker bio | |||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Loretta O'Donell | OoP | Opening Comments | |||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Philip Montgomery | GSE | Plagiarism and Teacher Agency: Using Duoethnography to Unlock Ecological Thinking | Teaching students ethical writing practices in university settings can often devolve into teachers policing student work for instances of plagiarism. It reflects a process which can strain teachers' identities as advocates for students and their learning, and can pit teachers against the institutions they work for. This presentation reports on a duoethnography by two EFL writing teachers working in different university contexts in Kazakhstan. Based on written reflections and collaborative conversations over the course of one year, I argue that thinking ecologically (i.e., across scales of context) can help us better understand tension-filled issues like teacher agency and university and government oversight. By recognizing that the choices teachers have available to align themselves with their students' interests are dependent on complex social and institutional dynamics that span multiple scales of social life, teachers and policy makers can better support student learning in open and transparent ways. | D. Philip Montgomery is an Assistant Professor of Multilingual Education at Nazarbayev University. He recently completed his PhD in Second Language Studies at Michigan State University. His research focuses on the intersection of education and sociolinguistics and draws on critical, ethnographic, and discourse analytical approaches to examine language policy and pedagogy. He has published on multilingual genre awareness of graduate students in English-medium instruction contexts (Journal of English for Academic Purposes), relational agency of multilingual university instructors (RELC Journal), and critical reflexive practice of graduate students (Educational Philosophy and Theory). | |||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Eric Wente SLNC | CPS | Implementing the NU Special Learning Needs Policy” | The presentation will introduce the NU Special Learning Needs Policy, focusing on the processes of implementation. A mock interview video recording will demonstrate a student accommodation interview. The session will cover the forms used in the process of considering student accommodations, methods for conveying privacy to the student, understanding academic records, and approaching the conversation professionally and respectfully. | Eric Wente, Chair of the NU Special Learning Needs Committee and a Senior Teaching Fellow for Student Advising Responsibilities at the Center for Preparatory Studies. Eric, a Licensed Professional Counselor since 2016, coordinates support for 608 students, providing pastoral care, accommodation support, and assisting students at academic risk. | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Tim Wawn | GSB | Positioning for Success: How universities can survive and thrive in the AI era | Innovation ecosystems are irreversibly transforming as a result of AI, collapsing the traditional divide between the "knowledge economy" and the "commercial economy." This shift threatens the traditional role of universities as primary knowledge producers, as global commercial companies can now independently create knowledge using advanced computational power and proprietary datasets. While some universities are adapting, many remain vulnerable, risking catastrophic outcomes by not evolving. Resource-poor universities, especially in developing countries, face additional challenges. While such universities often play important roles in local innovation ecosystems, they also face difficulties due to policy failures, infrastructure deficiencies, and institutional barriers, which can reduce their effectiveness and influence in the global context. The rapid development of AI systems such as LLMs represents both a challenge and a significant opportunity for these universities. To survive and thrive, these universities must adopt a "differentiation" strategy, producing unique knowledge to attract funding, collaborations, and students. | Tim Wawn is an Instructor in Entrepreneurship and Management at Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Management (NUGSB). He holds a Masters’ degree in Economics from Macquarie University and a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management. Tim possesses over 20 years’ experience as MD/CEO of listed and private companies and has been involved in a wide range of start-up enterprises as a CEO, Director and/or investor. He has broad experience working in international markets, particularly the United States and Central Asia and has over 10 years’ experience as a public company director. He possesses extensive experience in the commercialization of new technologies, business development and business transformation. Tim joined NUGSB in 2020 and is the Academic Director of the Bachelor of Business program at NUGSB. | |||||||||||||||||||||
6 | April Manabat | Library | Making the Most out of One-Shot: Fostering Faculty-Librarian Collaboration through Library Instructions | This presentation will offer valuable insights into the ongoing conversation about faculty-librarian collaboration in teaching and learning. Discussion focuses on the one-shot library instruction provided by librarians within the faculty-led courses. Also referred to as embedded sessions, librarians are invited as resource speakers for an hour or two to bring the library resources and services closer to students. While this sounds taxing and limiting on the side of librarians, one-shot sessions, though short, sometimes leave a lasting impact on librarians such as feeling moved and connected with students and faculty during the sessions. This presentation will highlight the importance of faculty-librarian collaboration in achieving student success through library instructions. In addition, the presentation aims to share some of the challenges and opportunities librarians face in organizing and conducting library instructions while upholding the ideals of information literacy. Lastly, the presentation aims to facilitate discussion on fostering faculty-librarian collaboration while offering learner-centered library instructions in developing lifelong learning and critical thinking skills. | April Manabat is a Teaching and Learning Support Librarian at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan. Her tasks include providing IL support and instructions, reference services, and liaisoning assistance. April holds a Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2015 and is currently doing her PhD in Development Education at Central Luzon State University, Philippines. With more than a decade of experience in academic librarianship, she also taught subjects related to reference services and research writing. Her research works can be found here: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1720-5910. | |||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Shazim Memon | SEDS | Integrating Teaching and Research | Presentation Overview: Understanding Essential Tools and Methodologies: Gain an in-depth perspective on the tools and methodologies that facilitate the seamless integration of research into teaching practices. Multidisciplinary Approaches: Discover the benefits of a multidisciplinary perspective in teaching, which encourages broader thinking and innovation. Facilitating Student Research: Find out how to inspire and support students in their research endeavors, extending learning opportunities beyond the traditional classroom setting. | Associate Professor, Vice Dean for Research, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences. Professor Memon has been recognized with two NU Teaching Awards in Integrating Research and Teaching and Innovative Teaching, and in 2024, he received the prestigious Master Teacher Award. | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | Bakhyt Aubakirova | SEDS | Inclusive Teaching | Teaching and learning strategies at universities have been developing in a positive way. Nowadays instructors can offer various learning experiences for students in courses. For me, the idea of inclusive teaching is actively engaging, including and challenging all students in the class. This experience actually helped me enhance my understanding of the courses. I believe that inclusive teaching has many advantages for students. It enhances the students’ self-confidence, increases participation and engagement during the classes, and helps with attitudes toward courses. | Bakhyt Aubakirova - Instructor of SEDS. In 2023 Bakhyt was awarded the Teaching Award int he Inclusive Teaching category. | |||||||||||||||||||||
9 | Thomas Duke | Writing Center | Good Teaching as Rhetorical Performance | In the year 90 CE, the Roman teacher of rhetoric Marcus Fabius Quintilianus described the ideal teacher in his work "The Institutes of Oratory." His work includes pieces of advice that will ring true for teachers from many disciplines today. Among others, these include the advice to be kind but not too friendly, to consistently model the virtues one expects to see in students, and to neither give students too much praise nor too little (II.2.5-8). This presentation reviews Quintilian’s advice in the context of the contemporary classroom. Further, my interpretation of Quintilian supports the conclusion that student-centered teaching is a rhetorical activity that requires both a specific type of audience adaptation and rhetorical performance that is distinct from that required by other professionals that use rhetoric (e.g. salesperson, lawyer etc). Discussion about the pedagogical implications of treating teaching as a rhetorical performance is invited. | Thomas Duke, Ph.D. is a pedagogue and rhetorician who teaches courses on rhetoric, public speaking, and writing at Nazarbayev University. Initially trained as a rhetorical historian he has discovered interests in using the wisdom of historical theorists of rhetoric to inform contemporary teaching praxis. | |||||||||||||||||||||
10 | Marilyn Plumlee | SSH | To Go International - Think Local: Making Use of Local Resources to Introduce International Components into the Curriculum | Drawing on the professional expertise, lived experiences and linguistic resources of on-campus residents in systematic ways is of direct pedagogical benefit to students enrolled in courses where an international perspective is of value. This also promotes better integration of faculty members, their accompanying family members, as well as the increasing number of resident international students, thus enriching the community life at NU. The presentation will give course assignment examples showing how an interactive, experiential component of an undergraduate course successfully incorporated face-to-face interactions between on-campus “international consultants” and undergraduate students, giving those students opportunities to manage the complexities of intercultural communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries. The presentation will conclude with a workshop-style session during which attendees will have an opportunity to brainstorm (1) how to identify potential on-campus international residents as consultants for various disciplines, and (2) how to structure activities so that international consultants can contribute their insights and skills to the learning outcome goals of specific classes and of the university. | Marilyn Plumlee, Ph.D. (Linguistics, University of Hawai`i). She has taught a wide variety of linguistics courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at universities in the U.S., South Korea and Egypt before coming to NU in 2018. She served as the national president of the professional association of English language teachers in both Korea and Egypt and she has given invited conference keynote talks and workshops in multiple countries on topics such as writing in a foreign language, linguistic landscape research, prosody as a linguistic resource, sign language linguistics and inter-cultural communication skills. Her primary areas of interest are multilingualism and language contact phenomena, sign language linguistics, the teaching and learning of second languages, the use of English as a medium of instruction at the tertiary level, discourse analysis using ethnographic research methodologies and the pragmatics of inter-cultural communication and expressions of identity through language. The presentation today is based primarily on insights gained from teaching an undergraduate class in Intercultural Communication for the past four years at NU. | |||||||||||||||||||||
13 | Leslie Haas | NUU | l.haas@newuu.uz | Fairy Tales and Quantitative Research: A Novel Approach to Simplifying Methodology | This presentation introduces an innovative approach to teaching quantitative research methodology by using fairy tales as a tool to reduce cognitive load and simplify complex concepts. By grounding research elements in familiar stories, such as fairy tales, students can more easily grasp difficult research topics. Instead of presenting concepts in isolation, they can be mapped onto well-known narratives, which allows students to focus on understanding methodology without being overwhelmed by unfamiliar content. One of the key benefits of this approach is the reduction of cognitive load. When students already understand the narrative, they can devote more mental resources to learning new concepts. Fairy tales, with their clear structure and simple progression, align well with the stages of research, from identifying a problem to collecting and analyzing data. This connection helps students feel less burdened by abstract academic content and more engaged in the learning process. The presentation will also explore key research concepts within the framework of a fairy tale setting. These concepts include how to develop a problem statement, identify the significance of a study, establish a theoretical framework, and create research questions—all using familiar storylines. For example, participants will learn to recognize how a character’s central conflict can be framed as a research problem, why it’s important to understand this problem, and how theoretical frameworks and research questions can be developed around the story’s themes. Additionally, the presentation will focus on how to approach core elements of research—such as population, sample, data collection, and data analysis—using different study designs. For descriptive studies, participants will explore how to observe and summarize patterns in characters’ behaviors. For correlational studies, they’ll investigate relationships between different story elements, such as whether a character’s traits influence their success. Quasi-experimental studies will involve analyzing the impact of external interventions within the story, while experimental designs will allow participants to explore the effects of randomized conditions on character outcomes. An interactive component will engage participants in group activities, where they will select a familiar story, song, or movie and apply research concepts to it. In small groups, they will work through identifying a problem, developing a theoretical framework, formulating research questions, and exploring different study designs. By the end of the session, participants will have created their own research study using their chosen narrative, enhancing their ability to teach research concepts in a way that feels intuitive and accessible to students. In conclusion, this presentation offers an innovative and engaging approach to teaching quantitative research methodology. By using familiar narratives to illustrate complex research concepts, educators can reduce cognitive load and make abstract terms more relatable for students. Participants will leave with practical tools for integrating research methodology into everyday stories, allowing students to better understand and apply these concepts in their own academic work. | Dr. Leslie Haas has extensive experience working with K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as in roles involving instructional coaching, professional development, curriculum design, and department administration. Her work in diverse educational settings has inspired her commitment to culturally and linguistically responsive teaching, with a focus on integrating literacy across disciplines. Passionate about exploring how technology and popular culture—such as gaming and fanfiction—can enhance literacy, Dr. Haas continuously seeks innovative approaches to education. She is honored to have received recognition for her contributions to research, teaching, and educational technology from institutions including Buena Vista University, Fierce Education, The Texas A&M University System, and The Dallas Catholic Foundation. | ||||||||||||||||||||
14 | Michelle Bedeker | NUU | m.bedeker@newuu.uz | Reimagining Teacher Training in Central Asia: Designing an Undergraduate STEM Education Program | This presentation outlines the development of a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in STEM Education program designed to transform teacher preparation in Uzbekistan. It addresses the critical need to align teacher education with the rapidly evolving demands of STEM fields in Uzbekistan and the broader Central Asian region. The program aims to bridge the gap between disciplinary, theoretical knowledge and practical application, fostering a new generation of STEM educators equipped with subject matter expertise and pedagogical skills. In this presentation, I will share the key features of the program, its structure and the potential for other STEM graduate programs to open a space for sharing experiences, lessons learned, and challenges encountered in reimagining teacher training in Central Asia. It invites reflection and discussion on how to foster a new wave of educators capable of leading STEM education in the region. | Michelle Bedeker is an associate professor and head of the education department at the School of Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences at New Uzbekistan University. She brings extensive experience across primary, secondary, adult, and higher education contexts. Michelle holds a PhD in Language and Literacy Studies, a Master’s Degree in Language Education and Applied Linguistics, a Bachelor of Education (Postgraduate) in Curriculum, Pedagogy, and School Leadership, and a Bachelor of Education (undergraduate) from the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. Michelle challenges social inequity in education by utilizing critical postcolonial theory, critical applied linguistics and interdisciplinarity to address the complexities of local context and culture, especially as they intersect with Western policy reforms that often marginalise local knowledge. She has completed a funded research project on the Language of Science, focusing on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) teachers in Kazakhstan. Her research appears in prestigious Q1 journals, including Language, Curriculum and Society, Pedagogy, Curriculum and Society, British Review of Education, and the Journal of English for Academic Purposes. In her current role, Michelle employs interdisciplinary, postcolonial, and literacy frameworks to reimagine STEM education, highlighting the importance of multilinguality, language, and literacy in STEM teaching. She advocates for integrating language, literacies, and STEM disciplines to empower future teachers to implement STEM-specific methods, promote inquiry-based learning, and effectively use educational technologies to tackle contemporary classroom challenges. | ||||||||||||||||||||
15 | Grace Oakley | UWA | grace.oakley@uwa.edu.au | In this interactive presentation, Associate Professor Grace Oakley will draw on key research and discourses to discuss the importance of AI literacy in Higher Education for staff and students. Definitions, frameworks and considerations relating to AI literacy as a digital literacy will be outlined, before exploring possible strategies for supporting AI literacy in Higher Education. In doing so, widespread challenges and concerns, as well as opportunities and successes, will be examined. | Grace Oakley is an Associate Professor in education at the Graduate School of Education, the University of Western Australia. Grace has been involved over many years in the research of language and literacy education from the early years to adulthood and the uses of learning technologies, particularly where literacies and technologies intersect. She is the co-author of the highly successful book, Language, Literacy and Early Childhood Education (OUP) as well as editor of Mobile Technologies in Children’s Language and Literacy: Innovative Pedagogy in Preschool and Primary Education (Emerald). In recent months, Grace has been involved in supervising HDR students and presenting workshops in the broad area of AI in education, particularly in language and literacy education. | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | Aida Nuranova | CILT | AI-Driven Pedagogy: Rethinking Traditional Teaching Models | In this presentation, the focus will be on how AI is transforming traditional pedagogical approaches. The talk will examine how AI can provide real-time feedback, adapt teaching to diverse learning styles, and create more inclusive classrooms. | Since 2023, she has been part of the Center for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (Office of the Provost) at Nazarbayev University, working as a Professional Learning and Development Expert. Her interests include faculty professional development, AI in higher education. | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | Gulnaz Sailybaeva | CILT | Beyond Text: Crafting Engaging, AI-Powered Interactive Learning with H5P in Moodle | This engaging presentation will explore the world of H5P and its tools for building interactive learning materials in Moodle, from presentations and interactive timelines to quizzes and games. The session also introduces AI’s transformative role in content creation—generating multimedia elements, creating question banks, and brainstorming innovative engagement strategies to speed up the process. Attendees will walk away with practical knowledge on integrating H5P and AI into their courses, helping students to connect with content and deepen their learning. | Gulnaz Sailybayeva is an Innovative Learning Officer at the Center for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at Nazarbayev University. With a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Warwick and over 15 years of experience in education, Gulnaz specializes in creating engaging, interactive learning environments. She has led initiatives in international curriculum development, including authorizing International Baccalaureate Programmes and standardizing best practices in Central Asian educational settings. In her current role, she is expanding her expertise in educational technology, learning to integrate educational tools into course design to support faculty in crafting student-centered, dynamic learning experiences. | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | Aiza Bissaliyeva | CILT | Optimizing Research with Elicit and Scite | This engaging presentation is designed to introduce faculty to two innovative tools: Elicit and Scite. Elicit is a research assistant powered by AI, helps streamline literature review by suggesting relevant studies and summarizing findings, while Scite offers citation context and smart recommendations, assisting in assessing the reliability and impact of sources. In the first half, you’ll explore how these tools can transform the research process, covering key features and practical applications. The second half will involve guided exercises, allowing participants to start using Elicit and Scite on their own research questions. | Aiza is an Online Learning Multimedia Specialist at the Center for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT), where she manages the eLearning Studio and supports faculty in creating high-quality multimedia content for online courses. An alumna of the GSE's Educational Leadership program, Aiza first learned to apply AI tools in research during her thesis work and will be sharing these tools in her presentation. | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | Elaine Sharplin | CILT | Raising the Bar: Enhancing Assessment Quality through Effective Moderation Strategies | This session will explain and clarify the role of moderation processes to enhance the consistency and validity of student assessment. The range of practices which constitute moderation will be presented and other strategies to enhance the quality of assessment will be discussed. Opportunity will be provided for questions around the topic of moderation and assessment more generally. | Dr. Elaine Sharplin is the General Director of the Center for Innovation in Learning and Teaching and Professor at Nazarbayev University. She is a passionate educator working for 40 years in Secondary and Higher Education in Australia, South-East Asia and Central Asia. Elaine has diverse research interests within the qualitative paradigm. Her major research and teaching fields are Teacher Education and Continuing Teacher Development; Teacher Professionalism and Standards; Research Ethics and Professional Ethics; Educational Leadership; and Rural Education. Many of these topics intersect with issues of equity, diversity and the internationalization of education. | |||||||||||||||||||||
20 | Ms Yasemin Arsin | Turnitin | yarsin@turnitin.com | Learning and teaching in the age of AI | For over 25 years, Turnitin has been at the forefront of fostering academic integrity by deterring student misconduct and safeguarding the value of writing in education. We are at an important juncture in education, where breakthrough technologies are widening the gap between tradition and innovation. Generative AI is transforming how students learn and blurring the boundaries of academic integrity, posing new challenges for educators. Academic integrity is crucial, but the question remains: How do we collectively navigate these uncharted, fast-paced changes? In this session, Turnitin’s Yasemin Arşın will share best practices on ways in which breakthrough technologies, such as generative AI, can advance learning through collaborative tools, without sacrificing academic integrity. | Yasemin Arşın is based in Istanbul, and has been working as Onboarding Consultant at Turnitin since January 2022. | ||||||||||||||||||||
21 | Ernazar Abdikamalov | SSH | ernazar.abdikamalov@nu.edu.kz | Storytelling in Physics: A Narrative Approach to Teaching Science | This project explores how the principles of storytelling can be used to teach physics more effectively. By blending narrative techniques with scientific concepts, it aims to create engaging lessons that make complex topics easier to understand. The approach leverages plot structure, character development, and relatable scenarios to illustrate physical principles. This method not only enhances comprehension but also sparks curiosity and emotional connection to the material. | I am an Associate Professor of Physics at Nazarbayev University, specializing in computational and theoretical astrophysics. I earned my PhD from SISSA in 2009 and have held postdoctoral roles at Louisiana State University, Caltech, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. My research explores the universe through advanced simulations and models. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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