Teaching in the Age of AI: Designing for Engagement, Accountability, and Authentic Assessment at Scale
Friday, April 24, 2026
9-10:30am CT
3043 Steven Wymer Hall
503 E. Gregory Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
A January 2026 survey of 1,057 faculty by AAC&U and Elon University found that 90% of faculty believe generative AI will weaken students' critical thinking, and 74% said it will affect the integrity and value of academic degrees for the worse.
As class sizes grow and expectations around student engagement and assessment evolve, instructors are facing a common set of challenges: How do we scale meaningful interaction? How do we provide personalized feedback without burning out? And how do we assess student learning in a world where AI can generate increasingly accurate answers with the click of a button?
This session explores how oral assessment and discussion-based learning can help restore visibility into student thinking while maintaining academic integrity. We’ll introduce Breakout Learning, a platform designed to facilitate and evaluate student conversations at scale.
Join us for a conversation on academic integrity, a live walkthrough of the platform, a faculty case example, and a discussion of how this approach can be applied across disciplines and formats.
Event Format: Hybrid (Join us in person or virtually)
Agenda
9:00 – 9:30 AM | Coffee, Donuts & Conversation (In Person Only)
Start your morning with coffee, donuts, and informal conversation with colleagues. We’ll kick things off with a few light prompts around AI and assessment - come share how you’re navigating this moment in your teaching.
9:30 – 10:30 AM | Program Begins (In Person + Virtual)
Welcome & Context – Martin Maurer (Sr. Director for Faculty Development & Accreditation)
A brief kickoff and framing on how Illinois is approaching academic integrity, faculty
development, and the rise of AI-generated work.
Rethinking Assessment in the AI Era – Dulany Phillips (Sr. Account Manager, Breakout Learning)
An overview of how Breakout supports student engagement, accountability, and meaningful feedback at scale; plus a look at the student and instructor experience.
Faculty Spotlight – Ron Guymon (Sr. Lecturer, Accountancy, Teaching and Learning Faculty Innovation Scholar)
A real-world example from a large course: why Breakout was adopted, what worked, and the impact on student engagement and response quality.
Register below to join us 4/24!
Can't make it but want to learn more?
What is Breakout Learning?