Experiential education gives faculty a powerful way to bring concepts to life, helping students apply what they learn in the classroom to the real world. The Office for Experiential Education and Career Connections (EECC) joins Fridays with ITDS to share more about experiential education initiatives at Montclair and the role EECC plays in supporting faculty and student success. Dr. Chantelle Wright, Dan Loughrey, and Armine Khudinyan will provide an overview of how they partner with faculty to integrate experiential learning into courses, define what experiential education means at Montclair, and highlight current employer expectations and hiring trends shaping today’s workforce.

Chantelle K. Wright, Ed.D., serves as the Assistant Vice Provost for Experiential Education and Career Connections at ����vlog. She has 17 years of experience in college career counseling, particularly with multi-ethnic and multi-generational populations. Dr. Wright holds a proven track record of success in increasing student internship engagement, developing innovative programs that address equity gaps, and securing grant funding to support student career outcomes. She has expertise in career development, program assessment, budget management, and staff supervision. Her scholarly interests include leadership development for women in higher education and career advising for marginalized populations. She enjoys collaborating with staff across institutions and supporting faculty in embedding career planning strategies into their classrooms.

Dan Loughrey is the Director of Career Outcomes at ����vlog’s Office of Experiential Education and Career Connections. His work focuses on measuring students’ post-graduation outcomes and providing strategic support on improving those outcomes. Dan’s 10+ years in experiential learning offices and 3 years in the private business world inform his work with faculty, staff, and the greater Montclair community. He received his Masters from the SIT Graduate Institute and his Bachelors from Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Armine Khudinyan is a higher education professional with a focus on student career development and experiential learning. She currently serves as an Employment Success Specialist at ����vlog, where she partners with employers to create job and internship opportunities for students. Armine plans and manages recruitment initiatives, including career and internship fairs, alumni-led mentorship programs and networking sessions, creating opportunities for students to explore careers and build their professional network. Before moving into higher education, Armine worked as a technical recruiter, which gives her a well-rounded understanding of both sides of the hiring process. She uses that experience to help employers connect with qualified students and develops programs that prepare students with the tools and platforms they need to be career-ready.

Join Manveer Mann, Associate Professor of Marketing, and Bryan Murdock, Associate Vice President for Community Partnerships, to discuss how Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning (CETL) supports authentic, high-impact learning experiences that connect course goals with real community needs. Participants will learn about practical strategies for integrating community engagement into their teaching and be introduced to key institutional resources developed to support this work, including an inventory of existing university partnerships and community relationships. This session is ideal for faculty seeking to explore or expand authentic learning activities through community-engaged approaches in their courses.

Manveer Mann is an associate professor of Marketing at ����vlog. Before joining ����vlog, she was an assistant professor at Old Dominion University, Virginia. She received a PhD from Auburn University, Alabama. Her research interests span a number of topics in marketing including ESG (Environmental Social Governance) & CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Initiatives, sustainability marketing, retail strategies, and consumer behavior. Her research has appeared in several academic journals including Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, and the International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. She has presented her research in numerous international and national conferences including Society of Consumer Psychology, Transformative Consumer Research, Academy of Marketing Science, and American Collegiate Retailing Association.

Bryan Murdock is the Associate Vice President of Community Partnerships at ����vlog, where he leads the newly formed Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships. In this role, he develops and implements strategies that advance the University’s commitment to community engagement and strengthen its role as a responsible institutional partner in the region. As the founding director of Montclair State’s Center for Community Engagement, Bryan built the foundation for the University’s civic and community-engaged work, integrating academic, co-curricular, and operational capacities with community needs. Under his leadership, Montclair has expanded its reach through community-engaged learning, volunteerism, applied research, and collaborative initiatives that connect faculty, students, and staff with local partners to address pressing social and economic challenges. Bryan’s work emphasizes long-term partnerships and systemic approaches to change. He has been a driving force behind initiatives such as the Paterson One Square Mile project, the Public Innovation Hub, and the Anchor Collaborative–efforts designed to advance workforce development, economic mobility, and community-wellbeing. By aligning the University’s resources with resident priorities, he ensures that community engagement at Montclair State is both impactful and sustainable. With deep experience in building partnerships between higher education and communities, Bryan continues to shape Montclair State’s role as a leader in public service and innovation, fostering collaborations that have a generational impact on the region.

Dr. Enza Antenos, Associate Professor of World Languages and Cultures, and Program Director of the Language, Business & Culture BA Program, joins Fridays with ITDS to explore how Brisk Teaching’s AI teaching tools are helping her enhance teaching and learning at Montclair. Dr. Antenos shares how she integrated Brisk’s AI tools using features such as seamless quiz creation, interactive character chats, and more to support meaningful student engagement. Key lessons learned from adoption will be shared, as well as a discussion on ethical and responsible use of AI in the classroom.

Enza Antenos is an Associate Professor of Italian in the Department of World Languages and Cultures and the Director of the BA in Language, Business & Culture, a joint initiative between the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Feliciano School of Business. A pioneer in integrating technology in language education, she prepares students for career success by bridging language with digital innovation and real-world professional skills. She is also the architect and chair of Montclair State’s signature professional development program, Teaching Italian, now in its 18th year, through which she has significantly shaped Italian language pedagogy. She currently serves as the Teaching and Curriculum Coordinator at Middlebury College Language Schools’ “Scuola italiana.”

Custom GPTs offer faculty a powerful way to create interactive learning tools that provide instant feedback, guide problem-solving in STEM courses, and more. Join us for a conversation with Yikang Shi, Assistant Teaching Professor in the School of Computing, who is enhancing student learning in mathematics and computer science courses with Google Gemini’s large language model. Yikang will share how he’s harnessing the Gemini API to support student problem-solving and empower faculty to design their own AI-enhanced teaching tools.

Yikang Shi is a dedicated and experienced educator and researcher in the science of computing. With his academic background in applied mathematics and industry experience in finance and technology, he is committed to integrating the latest technological advances into the education of mathematics and the broader science of computing, to bring new vitalities to these subjects and empower students advancing their journey in related fields.

Exploring the Future of Montclair Unbound

Montclair Unbound is more than an initiative; it’s a transformation of how students connect with learning. In this session, Dr. Marc Austin, Vice Provost and Managing Director for Montclair Unbound, will unpack the Unbound vision and its goals for course design, student flexibility, and the University’s future. Faculty will gain insights into emerging programs, future initiatives, and the evolving role of technology and pedagogy in creating a truly blended campus.

Transforming Learning with Custom GPTs for Student Success

Are you curious about how AI can be tailored to fit your unique teaching needs? Dr. Wencang (Warren) Zhou, Chairperson of Management, and Qian (Lora) Yao, Instructional Designer, join Fridays with ITDS to discuss the power of Custom GPTs and why they’re becoming a game-changer in education. Hear firsthand how Dr. Zhou implemented a Custom GPT with Lora’s assistance to tackle challenges in teaching soft skills, from improving role-play exercises to providing real-time feedback. Whether you’re new to AI or ready to experiment, you’ll leave with practical insights and actionable steps to create your own Custom GPT for the classroom.

Exploring the Montclair AI Sandbox: Secure, Scalable, and Ready for the Future

With Generative AI here to stay, how can Montclair harness its power while keeping data secure and academic integrity intact? Join us for an exciting live demonstration of the Montclair AI Sandbox, a cutting-edge platform designed to help faculty and researchers explore AI tools like GPT-4, DALL-E 3, and more in a secure, adaptable environment. The project team, led by Dr. Weitian Wang, Associate Professor in the School of Computing, will discuss its inspiration, features, and applications, and provide a sneak peek at how this tool can elevate teaching, research, and innovation at Montclair.

This semester, Fridays with ITDS aims to spark innovation and creativity by showcasing specific ways GenAI can be your ally and partner in teaching and learning! Join us in welcoming Dr. Steven Goss, Clinical Faculty and Chair at NYU School of Professional Studies, for our first session of the new year to showcase how Custom GPTs are transforming learning at New York University.

Enhancing Student Success with Custom GPTs: An NYU Case Study

Building Custom GPTs for your course can provide personalized AI companions that deliver tailored support, facilitate role-playing activities, enhance learning outcomes, and more. Dr. Steven Goss, clinical faculty member and chair of the Management and Technology program at NYU’s School of Professional Studies, joins Fridays with ITDS to showcase how Custom GPTs are transforming learning at New York University. Drawing on years of research into “implementation-based learning,” Dr. Goss has developed innovative AI chatbots to address classroom challenges and enrich student experiences. Discover how the “subject knowledge bot” and “project knowledge bot” empower students and streamline project development. Participants will explore AI-driven teaching strategies and engage in live demonstrations of these tools.