Sean Corp, Content Strategist

A new schedule builder built with the help of University of Michigan students for University of Michigan students, using extended reality in teaching and learning, deploying a new short-form educational platform. These are among the initiatives undertaken by the Center for Academic Innovation in the past year, and the upcoming AIM Student Showcase will feature the student fellows at the center who helped make it all possible.

The 2021 AIM Student Showcase is a 100% virtual event that will mix research posters joined with one-minute audio pitches, prerecorded and live presentations delivered by some of the center’s more than 35 student fellows.

“The center has student fellows from all over the university with a variety of expertise,” said Emily Baron, an events coordinator student fellow running this year’s Student Showcase. “They are passionate about their work, and this is an opportunity for fellow students, faculty and the public to learn more about their work, and their experience at the center.”

The Student Showcase is April 13 from 2-3:30 p.m. and will feature at least 10 presentations and several posters representing the various student fellow teams. Registration is required for the free event, and all the posters and audio pitches will be accessible the day of the event on the center’s website at ai.umich.edu with the live presentations added following the conclusion of the event, Baron said.

Registration is available at the event webpage.

Presentations and posters will include work on the Atlas Schedule Builder, launching March 24, that will allow students to custom-build potential schedules and send them to their backpack in advance of registration. Other presentations including the launch of Collections available on Michigan Online, short-form educational content users can explore on a variety of topics captured in curated playlists.

There will also be presentations and posters on data science, research, public engagement and the XR Initiative, Baron said.

“I love hearing about the XR stuff because it’s so mind boggling to me. It’s amazing to see people my age who are doing work in that field,” Baron said.

While the event is usually held in person, this will be the second Student Showcase to be held virtually, and the event organizers really wanted to capitalize on giving it an in-person feel, Baron said.

The audio pitches that accompany the posters available for viewing on the website mimic the interaction you could have with a student at a poster session.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to still have an interactive component, but not doing a live presentation if that is not something they are as comfortable with,” she said.

It’s also a great opportunity for younger students to get a sense of what it would be like to work at the Center for Academic Innovation, Baron said.

“It’s a great look at the kind of work they could be doing, and speaking as a student myself, it’s really rewarding to work for a place that actually develops the tools and technology we use all the time as students.”