At the beginning of this year, several Loyola Marymount University professors in the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering traveled to San Diego to immerse themselves in all things pedagogical at the 2025 ITLC Lilly Conference on Teaching for Active & Engaged Learning. Attendance at the conference was part of participation in LMU’s HHMI STEM Equity Institute, which was created through the prestigious Driving Change grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a $2.5 million grant LMU received in 2022. The HHMI STEM Equity Institute offers support to faculty who wish to pursue equity-centered professional development.
There were many overlaps between the scholarly research and evidence-based teaching presented at the ITLC Lilly Conference and the mission of the Driving Change Program, which seeks to affect enduring cultural change on research university campuses by creating a more inclusive learning environment for all. Mandy B. Korpusik, assistant professor of computer sciences, said, “I fell in love with the Lilly Conference the first time I attended it! Since this conference is focused on education, it was so refreshing to listen to presenters who are excellent speakers and to meet other educators who share a passion for teaching.” Korpusik especially enjoyed Carla-Elaine Johnson’s talk on an Ethical AI Framework, and Paul Marchegiani’s interactive session on increasing classroom engagement through performance skills.
Jenevieve Roper, associate professor of health and human sciences, was interested in attending the conference to help facilitate an evolution in her teaching practices toward a more holistic approach.
“Our mission at the University is education of the whole person, and I felt like the Stem Institute would be a good starting point to learn about being more inclusive with teaching, and to learn how the ‘whole person’ does impact the learning of the students,” said Roper.
“Built to Last: The Flexible, Resilient Structures of our Teaching,” a keynote address delivered by Christina Moore of Oakland University, had a big impact on her. “The biggest takeaway has just been flexibility—flexibility in your teaching, flexibility in your grading, flexibility in your approach,” said Roper.
For Mustafa Mozael, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, learning about written community agreements was a helpful highlight. “We emphasize community agreements by using written documents to share with the student. This is one way to change the hierarchy between the student and the teacher — for example, to provide some information about myself as an instructor, or bring a picture from my culture or my country,” Mozael said.
Korpusik also noted how she was already incorporating new ideas from the Lilly Conference into her courses this semester—adding an anonymous question to her day-one survey asking how “concerned” the students are about the content as a measure for their anxiety level.
“As a teacher-scholar, I am passionate about both DEI in STEM, especially gender equality, and inclusive teaching,” said Korpuski. “In my field of computer science, there are not many women, so one of the main reasons I became a professor was to serve as a role model to women and students of color. I care deeply about boosting my underrepresented students’ sense of belonging and ensuring all students feel welcome in my classroom.”
