ONLINE TEACHING EXTRAVAGANZA (OTEx)

Leveraging Technology to Support Students 

The University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus and its Faculty Online Teaching & Review Committee will host the annual statewide online teaching conference on Friday, April 18, from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM.

This year’s Online Teaching Extravaganza explores how educators leverage technology, artificial intelligence, and evidence-based strategies to deliver engaging and impactful online learning experiences that support their student’s academic success. Sessions will provide practical strategies and tools for designing inclusive online classrooms, enhancing accessibility in your course, and refining your curriculum to meet the needs of diverse learners.

Register for OTEx Here

Registration will be open until April 16, 2025. The event will take place in Zoom; session recordings will be made available to registered participants. Hosted by the University of New Mexico–Valencia Campus, this online professional development event is free for online educators throughout New Mexico. 

Keynote Speaker:  Jacob Torres

Jacob Pepperseed Torres is an engineer and plant scientist who worked with the NASA plant science team at Kennedy Space Center from 2018-2023. Contributing to 17 space biology experiments in several environments, he was the native New Mexican who contributed to Plant Habitat (PH)-04 which grew the first fruit on orbit in 2021, the New Mexico Chile pepper.  Taking an untraditional route through academia, Jacob started at Northern New Mexico College at 27 where he was a LANL foundation scholar. In 2014 he completed a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico State University. In 2019, he wrote a M.S. thesis in Botanical Air Filtration at Purdue University, before accepting a scientist role with NASA at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Today, Jacob is working on a PhD at UNM. Jacob Pepperseed has relocated operations to northern New Mexico and is working with local K-12 schools on the next chapter of the Chile Challenge. The Moon Chile Challenge teaches students about local traditions and growing Chile while documenting growth data for a future mission to the moon. Join Jacob as he tells the NASA Space Chile story and how you can educate the next generation through your own experience. 

Program of Presentations

Click the link above to download the full program with descriptions. Programs are listed in order of appearance.

Space Biology: Teaching Through Your Own Example.
 Jacob Torres, Mechanical Engineer, Astro Biologist. UNM-Albuquerque

Navigating DOJ Accessibility Updates: Compliance in Distance Education.
Ashley Campbell & Melissa Herrera, Compliance & Curriculum Officers. UNM-Online

Enhancing Online Math with the Student Experience Project.
 Jake Greenberg, Lecturer III Academic Communities. UNM-Albuquerque

Using Loom or another screen recorder for robust feedback.
Ana June, Assistant Professor of English. UNM-Valencia

Teaching with and Through Zines: A Focus on Zine Pedagogies, Techniques and Technologies.
Joshua Frank Cardenas, Assistant Professor of Education.  UNM-Valencia

Running a Historical Role Playing Game in a HyFlex Classroom.
Scott Kamen, Assistant Professor of History. UNM-Valencia

The Andragogical Advantage: Online Instruction Enhanced by Cengage's AI Student Assistant.
Roseanna McGinn, Director of Health Information Technology. UNM-Gallup

Optimizing Digital Accessibility: Put your LMS & Media Tools to Work!
Erin Duddy, Cathy McAleer, Paula King, Office of Educational Technology. UNM-Taos

Padlet Presentations-A Nifty One Stop Shop.
Soledad Garcia-King, Spanish Instructor. UNM-Valencia

Ethical Uses of AI in the English Classroom.
Liz Axelrod, English Instructor. UNM-Valencia

Exploring the Universe Online: Leveraging Technology for Engaging Online Astronomy Education. Lorraine Bowman, Assistant Professor of Science. UNM-Los Alamos

Thank you for attending the 2025 OTEx Conference!

We’d love to know how it was for you. Please complete this brief survey at the end of the day.

Link to OTEx Reflections Survey 

For any questions, comments, feedback - please reach out to the UNM-Valencia OTEx Chairperson, Kat Gullahorn.
Call or text (505) 916-1647 or email otex@unm.edu