MCCA will introduce three emerging tools designed to support planning, goal setting, and student success improvement. Participants will see demonstrations of a completion goal-setting tool, a healthcare program readiness tracker, and an enrollment projections tool for recruitment and enrollment management.
Presenter(s): Evan Pauken
Macomb Community College’s healthcare apprenticeship initiative strengthens workforce development by aligning education with employer needs, expanding career pathways, and addressing healthcare staffing shortages. Through employer partnerships, pre-apprenticeships, technical training, and registered apprenticeships, the program builds clinical and professional skills while creating sustainable talent pipelines for the region’s healthcare industry.
Presenter(s): Amy Jury, Kelsey Shapiro, Faith Seader
Join us for an informal discussion with peers about what’s happening in these programs. Ask questions you want to know about other programs, and share highlights/concerns from your program.
Presenter(s): Bethann Talsma
Innovative approaches to skilled trades education are helping schools meet workforce demands. Learn how Jackson College reimagined HVAC training through hands-on learning, industry partnerships, and workforce-aligned curriculum. This session explores strategies for securing stakeholder buy-in, strengthening student confidence, and preparing learners for careers in today’s evolving HVAC industry.
Presenter(s): Scott Richard, Jason Everett, Chriss Roberts
Teams of 6-8 members will compete for the fastest time to “escape” from the diabetes mellitus (DM) escape room. To support today’s diverse, multigenerational student body, nurse educators must shift how complex topics such as DM are taught to help students bridge the gap between didactic material and real-world application.
Presenter(s): Cheryl Nienaber and Jodi McKittrick
Addressing basic needs among college students requires collaboration among faculty and staff to provide equity and inclusion for all students. By forming partnerships with CTE and other faculty and staff, this provides inclusive classrooms and an inclusive campus where student needs are being addressed. Data shows that students who struggle with basic needs inequities are less likely to complete their educational goals. This includes marginalized students like those who are in non-traditional programs on our campuses.
Presenter(s): Rhonda Donovan
This presentation shows how critical thinking, case studies, and simulation transform respiratory care education by moving students from memorization to clinical judgment. Research supports these strategies for improving confidence, competence, and national board exam performance in respiratory therapy students
Presenter(s): Jennifer Riggs
Join us for the CAD & 3D Printing roundtable. It will be an informal discussion with CAD and 3D Printing educators & professionals from industry discussing software, equipment, curriculum, job outlook for graduates, assessment, recruiting, marketing, new technologies, and challenges in CAD and 3D Printing education. Plan to share your experiences and find out what other colleges are doing. Eric Sander from Mid Michigan College and Kathy Liefer from Muskegon Community College will help facilitate this roundtable discussion.
Presenter(s): Eric M. Sander and Kathleen Liefe
Learn how Washtenaw Community College Success Coaches connect with students, lead initiatives, and expand support systems for students, leading to greater retention campuswide.
Presenter(s): Joyce Hovermale
The breakout session examines the evolving social responsibilities of judicial officials who engage with academia, whether as adjunct faculty, or guest lecturers in the classroom. The session will explore how judges can leverage academic platforms to strengthen public understanding of the rule of law, promote access to justice, and model ethical judicial conduct.
Presenter(s): Lynnell Talbert and Judge Kellen Dotson
Explore practical AI workflows for creating no-cost assessment-integrated videos and LMS activities in your own voice, complete with gradebook integration. Bring your laptop for hands-on experimentation (optional) and leave with ready-to-use strategies, simple AI content recipes, and practical guidance on transparency, ethics, and building student trust with AI content.
Presenter(s): Christopher VanOosterhout
Maybe you’ve wanted to be a supervisor, manager or in another leadership role your whole life. Or maybe you are in that type of role without it ever being one of your goals. Can a leader who has never been in a leadership role or been trained for that type of role be a good leader? What can unexpected leaders do to be great leaders that lead their teams well and thrive in their role? How do unexpected leaders find the tools to be the best leaders they can be? Whether you are a leader of CTE students or a leader of CTE or other faculty or staff, this session will provide discussion and information on how you can thrive and handle challenges you may face as an unexpected leader.
Presenter(s): Rhonda Donovan
Teams of 6-8 members will compete for the fastest time to “escape” from the diabetes mellitus (DM) escape room. To support today’s diverse, multigenerational student body, nurse educators must shift how complex topics such as DM are taught to help students bridge the gap between didactic material and real-world application.
Presenter(s): Cheryl Nienaber and Jodi McKittrick
This session explores WCCCD’s Career Education College Success Project (CECSP), connecting Workforce Continuing Education to credit pathways through stackable mini-courses, career bootcamps, Faculty Navigators, and Student Ambassadors. The model supports student transition into credit programs, increases enrollment, strengthens persistence, and aligns career education with Michigan’s workforce needs.
Presenter(s): Allan Cosma and Carolyn Custer
Evidence demonstrates there is a need for innovation and further investigation on how to best prepare nursing students for practice. A consistent framework is necessary to guide students, theory faculty, and clinical instructors. A tool was created to transform the student learning experience and include more emphasis on NCLEX success in the clinical environment. This tool, the Clinical Compass, provides opportunity to better integrate didactic knowledge within the clinical experience. The tool was evaluated by creating a questionnaire for both students and faculty. Survey data were collected from both student and instructor groups via an anonymous electronic survey. Both student and instructor surveys yielded positive results reflecting improved connection between theoretical and clinical knowledge. Data support continued use and ongoing revisions of the Clinical Compass tool. This session will explore how the tool was created and its adoption into an ADN program. It will also highlight bridging the clinical and classroom gap via the creation of the accompanying Classroom Compass.
Presenter(s): Shari Lambert and Elise Napier
Join us for the CAD & 3D Printing roundtable. It will be an informal discussion with CAD and 3D Printing educators & professionals from industry discussing software, equipment, curriculum, job outlook for graduates, assessment, recruiting, marketing, new technologies, and challenges in CAD and 3D Printing education. Plan to share your experiences and find out what other colleges are doing. Eric Sander from Mid Michigan College and Kathy Liefer from Muskegon Community College will help facilitate this roundtable discussion.
Presenter(s): Eric M. Sander and Kathleen Liefer
We will be discussing how academic institutions are using advanced 3d printing capabilities to improve student learning, standardize clinical training, and enable reproducible research.
Presenter(s): Matt Campbell and Ken Postel
Navigating recent shifts in federal oversight and state funding requires a new strategy. In this interactive session, we break down these major changes and introduce a rapid, four-question audit to stress-test real-world project ideas. Learn how to immediately align campus initiatives with today’s new rules, compliance realities, and state priorities.
Presenter(s): Mara Phillips
Review of how one workforce education department responded to an series of emergencies and rebuilt itself using modern tools including AI, knowledge bases, shared workloads to improve recoverability from catastrophes and ensure continued success.
Presenter(s): Robert Quigley, Jim Benak, Kyle Kelly, Mark Ridgeway
In Career and Technical Education, the goal isn’t just exposure—it’s mastery. Students must be able to retain what they learn, apply technical skills with confidence, and transfer their knowledge to real-world situations. In this energetic and highly interactive 45-minute breakout session, participants will discover engaging strategies that move students beyond “just completing the task” to truly understanding and owning their learning.
Designed specifically for CTE educators, this session will showcase practical, classroom-tested techniques that reinforce key concepts, strengthen skill retention, and help students connect daily lessons to real workplace expectations. Through quick demonstrations, peer discussion, and hands-on mini activities, participants will experience strategies that immediately deepen student engagement and solidify learning.
Attendees will leave with four powerful, ready-to-use techniques that make learning memorable, meaningful, and transferable—ensuring students leave the classroom with skills that truly stick
Presenter(s): Crissy Lauterbach
This presentation explores the Michigan Apprenticeship Readiness Credential (MARC) and its role in bridging community college programs with Registered Apprenticeship opportunities. Attendees will learn how MARC endorsements validate partnerships, connect students directly to high-demand Registered Apprenticeships, and strengthen employer networks to ensure a seamless transition into paid, high-skill careers.
Presenter(s): Wanda Bigelow and Joel Elsenbroek
Teams of 6-8 members will compete for the fastest time to “escape” from the diabetes mellitus (DM) escape room. To support today’s diverse, multigenerational student body, nurse educators must shift how complex topics such as DM are taught to help students bridge the gap between didactic material and real-world application.
Presenter(s): Cheryl Nienaber and Jodi McKittrick
Northwestern Michigan College surveyed regional employers on AI and workforce readiness. They ranked AI literacy last of eight skills — then asked us to teach students to catch AI’s errors. See the data, compare it to national findings, and leave with the questions.
Presenter(s): Terri Gustafson and Ryan Bernstein
Traditional skills checkoffs often focus on isolated psychomotor tasks performed in a high-stakes environment that may not reflect actual nursing practice. This session explores the redesign of a nursing skills laboratory from a pass/fail evaluation model to a Skills Showcase approach. Students first learn and practice individual skills, then demonstrate competency through immersive, scenario-based patient care experiences that mirror real clinical settings. Attendees will learn how this model promotes clinical judgment, confidence, skill integration, and student engagement while maintaining rigorous evaluation standards. Practical strategies, implementation tips, and lessons learned will be shared to help educators reimagine skills assessment in their own programs.
Presenter(s): Tamara Tasker
Polyjet technology provides a platform to combine multiple materials and full color to the 3D printing process. This combination supports the creation of the most realistic life-like 3D printed models available today. While most programs have been using FDM techology for many years, the Polyjet process opens up a whole new exciting world of 3D printing capabilities. We will explore the Polyjet process and how it could change the way you look at 3D printing.
Presenter(s): Gregg Zydeck
Using photography education as a case study, this session explores how analog, hands-on processes develop problem-solving, technical competency, patience, and adaptability in an increasingly automated world. Participants will consider how integrating foundational skills with contemporary technologies can strengthen learning and prepare students for evolving careers across occupational programs.
Presenter(s): Amber Dietz
This roundtable will begin with leading questions from Skilled Trades Apprentice Coordinators at Macomb Community College. With the increase in apprenticeship across Michigan, you can expect a robust and lively conversation as we share and exchange tips to enhance and strengthen the apprenticeship experience across all Michigan Community Colleges. The MCAA-led Michigan College Credit for Apprenticeships Program (MI-CCAP) will also be a point of discussion in the context of determining equivalencies and/or block credit.
Presenter(s): Vikki Gordon
This workshop will showcase the Massage Therapy and Dental Hygiene programs and highlight how faculty from both disciplines collaborated to develop meaningful interprofessional learning experiences for students. Participants will learn how these programs came together to create collaborative activities designed to increase students’ awareness of diverse approaches to health and wellness and their potential impact on optimizing patient outcomes.
Presenter(s): Jennifer Simms, Jodi Wiley, Mary Clisch
New digital accessibility requirements can leave faculty wondering, “What does this actually mean for my course?” This session breaks down the updated requirements and implementation extension from a faculty perspective. Let’s explore common barriers, quick wins, and how collaboration can reduce workload while increasing student achievement.
Presenter(s): Ariel Maturine
Presenter(s): Amanda Bastoni, Virginia Zimmerman, Nolan Lienhart
Teams of 6-8 members will compete for the fastest time to “escape” from the diabetes mellitus (DM) escape room. To support today’s diverse, multigenerational student body, nurse educators must shift how complex topics such as DM are taught to help students bridge the gap between didactic material and real-world application.
Presenter(s): Cheryl Nienaber and Jodi McKittrick
A round table discussion relating to Information Technology programs in the state of Michigan, current curricular concerns, upcoming program changes, and updates to the latest technologies.
Presenter(s): Robert Benard
This session features roundtables on key healthcare education topics, including funding challenges, accreditation, apprenticeships, workforce engagement, and MiTransfer. The main goal is finding practical solutions to critical shortages in the healthcare workforce pipeline.
Presenter(s): Lisa Radak and Will Emerson
Industry CAD workflows are continuously changing, and academic assignments in CAD must also be updated accordingly. This session is an overview of several strategies for designing relevant, effective, assessible, and engaging CAD assignments.
Presenter(s): Luke Hedman and Phil Grim
Trade manuals, scanned handouts, and vendor PDFs are among the hardest course content to make accessible — and the April 2027 deadline is real. We’ll share two sides of the same problem: the AI prompts faculty can use to fix their own files, and the guardrails we built to keep the process safe after learning what happens without them.
Presenter(s): Kelsey Dailey and Josh Bolakowski
Learn simple, practical ways to support special population students using trauma-informed practices. This workshop covers building effective programs, increasing student engagement, and creating a supportive environment where all students can feel connected, supported, and successful.
Presenter(s): Sophia Estrada-Ferreira
Join us for an informal discussion with peers about what’s happening in these programs. Ask questions you want to know about other programs, and share highlights/concerns from your program.
Presenter(s): Bethann Talsma
A roundtable with peers and industry processionals discussing topics affecting the field of Mechatronics – Robotics & Automated Systems
Presenter(s): Sean Martin and Nathan Sprague
Join our round table on bridging education and industry. We will discuss instructor strategies for supporting student work-life balance, methods to address regional industry needs, and practical lessons from real-world manufacturing applications. Collaborate with leaders to shape actionable solutions for today’s workforce.
Presenter(s): Hollianne McHugh
Teams of 6-8 members will compete for the fastest time to “escape” from the diabetes mellitus (DM) escape room. To support today’s diverse, multigenerational student body, nurse educators must shift how complex topics such as DM are taught to help students bridge the gap between didactic material and real-world application.
Presenter(s): Cheryl Nienaber and Jodi McKittrick
Successfully offering related instruction for apprenticeship at a community college entails overcoming many barriers, both internal and external. This session will identify those barriers and present proven strategies for overcoming them.
Presenter(s): Vikki Gordon and Tim Pawlowski
Camp Scrubs demonstrates how community colleges can create scalable, hands-on career exploration programs that inspire middle and high school students to envision themselves in college and healthcare careers. Attendees will learn strategies for partnership development, student engagement, sustainable funding, and expanding equitable access to career-connected learning opportunities.
Presenter(s): Michelle Valin
Join the Grand Rapids Community College Criminal Justice Department for an open conversation about teaching the next generation of public safety professionals. Whether you teach policing, fire, EMS, corrections, or anything in between, bring your wins, your headaches, and your best ideas. No slides to sit through. Just a room full of people who care about getting this right.
Presenter(s): Gary Ebels
Attendees are offered deep insights & ideas that reveal how to approach, coordinate, launch & teaching a two- to three-week study abroad course. All phases of the process are visited: from choosing a destination and study abroad administrative team, to managing budgets, to assignment ideas, to submitting student final grades.
Presenter(s): Donald Werthmann
In partnership with the National Association of Social Workers-Michigan Chapter and the Mott Community College, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity-Workforce Development (LEO WD), has launched a career pathway opportunity for individuals working in entry level positions to get a headstart toward a career pathway to become licensed social workers through the Michigan Advancing Social Work Careers through Education and Navigation Direction (MI ASCEND) pilot program.
Presenter(s): Valerie Jemerson, Anar Asman, Angela Bowman, Lynne Hatton, Duane Breijak, and RJ Frausto
An AI Community of Practice is a collaborative network where interdisciplinary faculty come together to explore, share, and develop practical uses of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning at Washtenaw Community College. At its core, the community is built around a shared goal: helping educators use AI thoughtfully, creatively, and responsibly to improve student engagement, learning outcomes, and classroom efficiency. A business and a nursing faculty member will share their insights of being a part of the WCC community of practice.
Presenter(s): DeAnna Gapp
This presentation will provide an overview of how secondary CTE programs and the Perkins grant are administered by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). It will explore opportunities for increased collaboration between secondary and postsecondary CTE through aligned grant procedures, data processes, and shared planning. The presentation will share current requirements for the secondary Perkins annual application, Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment, secondary CTE reporting and offer opportunities for comparison to postsecondary requirements. Discussion of ways local secondary and postsecondary partners can bridge gaps due to differing needs, resources, and requirements.
Presenter(s): Jill Kroll, Ph.D.
Discover how Cengage helps educators prepare students for today’s workforce by connecting learning to NACE career-readiness competencies, responsible AI use and real-world skills. Explore career-readiness mapping, AI-powered student and instructor support, Career Success resources and Cengage Unlimited—providing affordable, consistent access to learning that extends from college to career.
Presenter(s): Trisha Owens
What happens when faculty stop wondering about AI and start building with it? CIS Department members at Lake Michigan College share their journey developing three original tools that extend Canvas, plus lessons learned along the way. Faculty from any discipline are welcome to attend and share their own AI projects.
Presenter(s): Jim Benak and Kyle Kelly
This session highlights Montcalm Community College’s new Exercise Science program as a model for building health career pathways through dual enrollment, industry certifications, workforce preparation, and transfer. Presenters will discuss program development, community partnerships, and regional workforce needs while engaging attendees in collaborative discussion.
Presenter(s): Alex Montoye
An interactive discussion and demonstration concerning the use of emerging technologies like drones and robotics for your Criminal Justice students. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch a demonstration and even participate in controlling robotic dogs and drones to better understand how these engaging and relevant technologies can improve your existing criminal justice curriculum.
Presenter(s): Aaron Fisher
Presenter(s): Debbie Dawson-Gunther