Speaking

Teaching that Clicks: Learning at the Intersection of Cognition, Motivation, and Technology

One of the great promises of educational technology is that it helps us take advantage of research findings from cognitive, brain, and learning sciences to create more effective and engaging learning activities. But there's a complication: these approaches often demand more cognitive effort from students, not less. Without sufficient motivation, students may not fully engage with these methods, missing out on the benefits. In this keynote, Dr. Michelle Miller introduces a practical framework for integrating insights from cognitive and motivational science. Participants will explore how to design learning experiences that align with how the mind works and foster deeper student engagement.

Memory in the Age of Technology: What to Know, What to Remember, and Why It Still Matters for Teaching and Learning

Memory and memorization have earned a controversial place in education—often dismissed in the age of AI, search engines, and always-available information. But new research tells a different story: memory and thinking are deeply intertwined, and a strong internal knowledge base remains essential to reasoning, problem solving, and expertise. This keynote explores how digital technologies have changed the role of memory in education, and what instructors need to understand about the science of remembering. Participants will gain a deeper appreciation of why memory still matters, and how to teach in ways that support durable, meaningful learning.

Memory and Attention in a Wired World

Educational technology offers powerful ways to apply research on attention, memory, and thinking—but it also introduces new challenges. Distraction, divided attention, and cognitive overload can easily undercut the benefits of evidence-based teaching strategies. In this keynote, Dr. Michelle Miller explores myths and truths about how technology shapes cognition and shares practical ways to use technology in ways that enhance, rather than hinder, memory and attention. Participants will come away with classroom-ready ideas grounded in cognitive science and aligned with today’s digital realities.

Learning-Centered Approaches to Generative AI

Generative AI has transformed the educational landscape almost overnight, raising fundamental questions about how students learn, think, and produce work. In this session, participants will explore both the challenges and the educational opportunities posed by tools like ChatGPT. Dr. Miller reviews emerging research on AI and human cognition, shares frameworks for integrating AI into instruction, and highlights institutional strategies for supporting faculty. Rather than treating AI solely as a threat to academic integrity, this talk invites a deeper conversation about advancing learning and supporting our students in achieving their academic goals.

Making the Most of Memory and Attention: Strategies from the Psychology of Learning

Why do students forget so much of what we teach—and what can we do about it? In this interactive session, Dr. Michelle D. Miller explores how insights from cognitive psychology can help faculty make the most of two essential ingredients for learning: attention and memory.

Participants will examine what gets in the way of sustained attention and effective encoding, from cognitive overload to myths about attention. Drawing on vivid demonstrations and real-world classroom applications, the session introduces practical strategies for designing instruction that align with how attention and memory really work.

Teaching Students to Think: Strategies from the Psychology of Learning

What does it really take to teach students to analyze, reason, and apply knowledge in unfamiliar situations – in other words, how to think? In this workshop, participants explore how research from the learning sciences can support one of higher education’s most cherished (and elusive) goals: developing students’ thinking skills. Drawing from cognitive psychology, Dr. Michelle D. Miller examines how sophisticated thinking skills develop and what gets in the way of critical thinking in particular, and what actually helps.

This interactive session offers practical, research-informed strategies that faculty can implement in their own disciplines. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to define their own goals for developing students’ critical and higher-order thinking abilities.

Teaching with Chatbots: Practical Tools for Enhancing Engagement and Streamlining Support

What if your students could get accurate, on-demand answers to common questions about your course—any time, day or night? What if you could create a digital assistant that helps them study, navigate your syllabus, or walk through a complex concept step-by-step?

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to create and customize AI-powered chatbots designed for use in college teaching. No programming experience is required—just a desire to explore how conversational AI can support student learning, reduce repetitive questions, and free up faculty time.

Drawing on principles from instructional design and learning science, the session walks faculty through the process of developing their own chatbot content. By the end of the session, participants will leave with the foundations of a working chatbot tailored to their course, as well as the knowledge and tools to keep developing it after the workshop ends.

Learning Student Names: Why You Should, Why It’s Hard, How You Can

Learning students’ names in a timely fashion and with correct pronunciation is a key technique for setting a welcoming, personalized, and engaging classroom atmosphere. However, most people struggle with learning names, due to the characteristics of human cognitive and memory systems. This session leads participants through effective strategies for name learning, drawing on the presenter’s background in cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics. Participants will practice techniques and plan strategies geared to the unique characteristics of their class formats and configurations.

We Know What to Do – So Why Don’t We? Mobilizing Campus Communities to Support Teaching and Learning

Our era has seen barriers to learning fall: More people are able to access higher education, in more times and more places, than ever before. We also know more than ever about the science of learning, which allows us to design better and more compelling educational experiences for our students. And yet, there remain significant gaps between what we know and what happens in practice. Administrative obstacles, unclear objectives and goals, even philosophical differences can all get in the way of creating positive change that lasts. This workshop for university leaders, faculty, and staff focuses on common barriers we face in our push for more effective approaches to teaching and learning, and practical ways to overcome them.

Designing Effective Support for Faculty Adapting to AI

Faculty across disciplines are navigating a period of rapid change and high uncertainty as generative AI tools challenge assumptions about course design, academic integrity, and student learning. While centers for teaching and learning have responded swiftly with resource hubs, workshops, and statements, these efforts vary widely in their impact. What makes some supports resonate with faculty while others are overlooked, misinterpreted, or resisted? This session offers strategies for designing faculty development offerings that address the needs and constraints of real instructors working under pressure.

Leading with Learning Science: What Every Academic Leader Should Know

Academic leaders shape the teaching culture of an institution—but most have never had a crash course in how learning actually works. This workshop offers exactly that: a clear, actionable overview of the learning sciences, tailored for deans, provosts, presidents, and other key decision-makers.

In this fast-paced, myth-busting session, participants will explore core findings from cognitive psychology and related fields, including what supports memory, motivation, and deep learning—and what doesn’t. We’ll tackle common misconceptions (like learning styles and multitasking myths), explore how to support high-impact teaching with technology, and discuss policy levers that can move campus teaching in evidence-based directions.

The goal: to equip academic leaders with the knowledge and confidence to ask better questions, shape smarter policies, and lead in ways that align with what the research actually tells us about how people learn.